denise wedding suite

When it came time to design a wedding invitation suite for unfussy country-inspired nuptials, I pulled inspiration from my mother-in-law, Denise, and a set of vintage napkins I found at an estate sale a couple of years ago.

If Denise and her husband Greg were getting married this year, she'd want a low-key country wedding in the summer. The wedding would take place in a white clapboard church, and the reception would feature fried catfish, sweet tea in Mason jars, wildflowers as decorations and lots of fireflies. There would be live music, well-worn cowboy boots and lots of close family and friends. 

To go along with this imagined wedding, I created a cheerful country wedding suite that has a little bit of a vintage vibe and a very relaxed feel. The colors are slightly country, but they were also very popular in the seventies, back when Denise and her husband Greg actually tied the knot. The daisy embroidery unites those themes of country and the 1970s. The fonts are some of our very favorites. 

This suite can be customized to match any of the colors used in the embroidery -- so avocado green, soft pink, sun yellow, cottage blue and lavender are all color options.  

Below is a photograph of Denise and Greg when they were dating. It was definitely the 1970s. :)

To learn more about the Denise wedding suite, contact us here.

one year ago...

One year ago, Gerald & Joan played a part in this wedding. A simple twist of fate made it possible, and the experience was truly life-changing. Thank you, Lauren and Chris, for allowing us to help create your dream wedding day. It launched our own small business dreams...

Happy (early) anniversary, Lauren and Chris!

Vintage props, styling, LOVE letters, bunting, menus and programs by Gerald & Joan. 

Photography by Amy Hutchison.

sadie wedding invitation suite

The Sadie wedding suite by Gerald & Joan Design

The founding principles of Gerald & Joan are family, history and the stories that tie us together, so it makes sense that our designs would reflect the people, places and stories that are a part of our lives.

Gerald and Sadie Hardin in June 1953.

The Sadie invitation is named in honor of Jonathan's grandmother and Gerald's wife. When I think of Sadie, I think of ice cream colors, pretty flowers and sweet fonts. A vintage linen hand towel from the 1950s provided the artwork for the suite, and we paired the suite with green envelopes. As I was putting together the suite, I asked Sadie about her wedding to Gerald. 

Here's their wedding story in her words. "On Sunday afternoon, we called the wife of George Rutherford, the circuit clerk, to come down to the courthouse so we could get our marriage license. We were married at a preacher's home in Booneville. We had a little trouble finding a preacher. The one who had originally planned to marry us had the mumps. The wedding took place on Sunday night. My cousin Betty Sue and her friend Anita Geno were our only attendants. My parents thought we were going to church. After we left, my aunt (Betty Sue's mother and my dad's sister) told them we were going to get married. To say the least, my dad was furious.

We spent the night at the old Holiday Hotel in Booneville. It was located where the Overbridge Apartments are now. Gerald was going to school in Memphis, so on Monday we took a bus from Corinth to Memphis. We rented a one-room efficiency apartment in Memphis."

Last June, Gerald and Sadie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. They are just as cute as they look. Their love story inspires our own marriage. We are so lucky to have them in our lives.

Gerald and Sadie Hardin.

Gerald and Sadie Hardin.

the heritage wedding invitation

 Vintage family travel photographs inspired our latest design, the heritage wedding suite.

The invitation and RSVP postcard are customized with the images of your choice. The fonts and colors reflect the images, so they are completely customizable. In this case, we chose two fonts that had a nautical feel, and we pulled the blue and orange colors from the image itself. The RSVP postcard features a complementary image.

For this particular wedding, we'd pair the suite with some navy and white baker's twine, a navy envelope and a custom envelope liner that features a vintage sailing map.

We think this suite would be perfect for a destination wedding that is taking place in a waterfront locale in spring, summer or early fall. It feels very Martha's Vineyard to us. 

If you'd like to learn more about this design or any of our other creations, you can contact us here. We'd be happy to help.