STDs (hehe ... that's just funny)

That's right everyone ... Save The Date cards are going in the mail before April 1! That means this thing is actually happening ... turning back.

Here's a preview of what you'll be receiving in your mailboxes soon:
When I began planning this whole shindig I quickly realized how expensive anything wedding related can be. I just couldn't bring myself to spend heaps of money on Save The Dates and invitations, especially when I or any of my talented friends could make something far more awesome than some product pushed by the WIC (wedding industrrial complex).

I got the idea for this postcard one day as I was drinking a cup of coffee. I took the photo at Northwoods Coffee Company in Coldwater, Michigan where Jake is head barista. He poured that lovely latte art heart in the cup. Then, I wrote "save" and "the" on the dishes with black dry-erase marker, and "date" on the newspaper with a Sharpie. This is the un-edited photo.

Once I had the image in Photoshop I went to town. I first selected the latte art and made that into a separate layer. Then, I grayscaled the rest of the photo. Then, I boosted the color of the latte art to be vibrant but still have a vintage feel. Then, I blew out the contrast of the entire photo to give it a grainy and vintage look. I came up with a few other versions of this photos, but in the end Jake and I chose the black and white version. Here's a color version I did as well. I was going for a kitschy/indie/vintage look on this one as well.

I had such a good time making my STD cards, I'm thinking of opening up a shop on Etsy (www.etsy.com) for photography-focused STDs and invitations.

Okay, okay ... I know I told you guys I would write a post highlighting hotels, bed & breakfasts and campsites in the area ... and I will! :-) It's quite a research-driven post and I just haven't had time to put it together. And remember, if there's something you'd like to know about regarding the wedding or the area around Union City, let me know. I'd be happy to post about it.