My sweet daughter turned 8 in March.  Eight is an important age in our church as it is the age children can choose to be baptized.  Of course, as parents we wanted to support our daughter in this decision & celebrate her day.  I hope you will enjoy the photographs, beautifully captured by Karina Rigtrup of A Fresh Take Photography.

We had been preparing her for this day for a long time.  She picked out a special white dress to wear.  Professional photographs were taken.  We talked about the religious ceremony and responsibilities.  A guest list of family and close friends was created.

What I wasn’t expecting was the lack of religious themed invitations & coordinating printable packages available online and in stores.   I was so grateful and thrilled when Maureen of Anders Ruff Custom Designs agreed to take on the challenge of creating fresh designs for for me from scratch.  I gave her very little direction, but asked that it be elegant, incorporate beautiful shades of gold, mint, pink & blush with a trellis pattern, stripes and some gorgeous frames & scroll work.  I absolutely adore what she designed and think you will too!

What is fabulous about Anders Ruff’s designs is that they are so versatile.  The invitation and coordinating package can easily be adapted for any religious event or celebration and even for other events & socials.  (You can see the boy baptism invitation here in shades of blue, gray & pale yellow.)

As with many important life events, I knew the baptism day would be hectic getting a house full of people ready in ‘Sunday best’ and to the church on time.  In my planning, I was hoping to minimize the chaos of the day by working ahead on my setup, allowing for a peaceful morning & a memorable day for my daughter and guests.  With the help of Anders Ruff’s stunning design work and by enlisting some of the most brilliant dessert artists, I was able to put together a beautiful dessert table & dining table for our social with just a few days of prep work.

This gorgeous chocolate mint cake was created by the talented Christina Goff of 4 Kids Cakes.  Christina’s cakes are beautiful and delicious.  Double threat!  I tell all of my guests to save their diet ‘cheat days’ for Christina’s cakes!

I love the delicate flowers (all edible!) and the gold shimmer detailing!

We loved these breathtaking cookies designed by Jen of Sugary Sweet Cupcakes & Treats .  The delicate floral details, monogram & trellis patterns coordinated beautifully with the printable elements and color palette.

Lovely and delicately embellished cake pops (Maskipops by Adri) and delicious rose macarons (Felt & Flour) were paired with stunning chocolate fondant Oreos from Earth & Sugar making a beautiful display.

Chocolate covered pretzels are always a popular dessert table choice, and their shelflife is long, allowing them to stay fresh for weeks after an event.  We love the edible pearl accents and gold sparkles Berry Delish added for an extra glamorous look.

I adore the intricate tiered bird cage stands from Via Blossom, as well as the pretty gold, white & pink polka dotted dessert cups that made reloading the dessert stand so easy.  Don’t those gold dusted meringues from The Sweet Tooth Bar look amazing?

And while it was so hard to eat something so  beautiful, Maria’s (Love & Sugar Kisses) chocolate fondant covered Oreos were a hit!

I wanted to keep the place settings delicate to match the simple beauty of a sacred day.  We used SmashCake Studio ‘s beautiful paper plates layered on paper doilies with gold chargers and accented each with a pretty gold tipped cookie from The Sweet Tooth Bar.

I am often asked by friends and clients what the ‘essential elements’ are for a basic printable package, should they want to have one made from scratch.  Here is the list I requested from Maureen and some photos of how I incorporated these items. (**Please note:  This is a very basic list of essentials, but Anders Ruff can create just about any printable custom item you can imagine!)

•  1- Invitation & return address label (+ **enclosure card depending on event)

I feel having a gorgeous invitation suite is the first essential detail of every successful event.  Anders Ruff always does a beautiful job of pairing impeccable design work with a stylish color palette suited to your specifications, classic patterns & trendy design elements.

• 2- Banner/Bunting

Banners & bunting come in a fun variety of shapes & sizes.  I love using them to recognize the guest of honor by incorporating his or her name or highlighting the occasion with something like “Congrats” or “Happy Birthday”.  It is a simple & inexpensive piece of party decor with big impact.  To recreate our look, layer the printable scallop banner on top of beautiful pink lace paper plates from SmashCake Studio and gold lace doilies from Party City.

• 3- Beverage wraps

I adore beverage wraps!  They can be added to square french plastic bottles like those seen here from SmashCake Studio, to glass mason jars, milk bottles, cans & bottles of soda pop or water and even paper cups.  Usually 5-6 print per page, making them an affordable way to dress up your beverages & add some coordinating details to your event.  Plus, I love that you can personalize them with the name of your guest, special details pertaining to the event and even fun elements from your event theme.  Easily attach them with tape, glue dots, a glue gun or your favorite double sided adhesive.

• 4- Cupcake topper/circle logo label (standard shape is usually a circle design inside a square, but can also be unique shapes that can be handcut or punched with a shaped punch)

I love using these labels for so many things!  They are often referred to as “cupcake toppers” because they are popularly used attached to sucker sticks or toothpicks to dress up cupcakes and other desserts.  Because they are so versatile, I use them for multiple things.  For this event, I added them to cups, take home treat bags and as embellishments on decor.  Easily attach them with tape, glue, glue dots or double sided adhesive.  Approximately a dozen fit per page, maximizing your printing cost! {P.S.The darling cups pictured are from SmashCake Studio.  The beautiful custom eco-friendly forks are from Sucre Shop.  Finally, the lovely french lace doily strip used to embellish the treat bags can be found via Little Ink.}

• 5- Favor tag(s)

Favor tags are perfect for attaching to take home treats, gift bags & boxes.  What guest doesn’t love taking home a little gift?

• 6- Straw/dessert stick part flags

O.K.  party flags might not be “essential”, but they are almost always on my printable “wish list” because they are such a fun detail!  Add them to straws, sucker sticks, cake pop sticks, flower stems, candy, etc… with a little personal note or event detail.  Our party flags came in 2 versions.  One had a congratulatory sentiment and the other had a monogram K to honor our guest of honor.

• **Optional:  Backdrop Centerpiece sign

I love a beautiful sign welcoming friends to my events.  It can serve as a focal point for a dessert table or a greeting on a front door.  Either way, the fun shape of this sign was just what we needed to tie our event together.  TIP:  Print poster size (20x 30″) at Costco for less than $10!

VENDOR CREDITS:
Event Concept & Styling:  Jen Carver, Banner Events
Photographer:  A Fresh Take Photography

PAPER GOODS:
Graphic Design Suite & Invitation:  Anders Ruff Custom Designs
Invitation:  here
Coordinating printable suite : here
Flourish Paper Punch: here

DESSERTS:
Cake:  4 Kids Cakes
Custom sugar cookies:  Sugary Sweet Cupcakes & Treats
Custom fondant chocolate covered Oreos:  Love & Sugar Kisses
Custom cake pops:  Maskipops by Adri
Custom chocolate dipped pretzels:  Berry Delish
Custom cookies & meringues: The Sweet Tooth Bar
Custom macarons:  Felt & Flour
Custom chocolate covered Oreos: Earth & Sugar

PARTY GOODS:
Pink milk glass cake stands, mint striped paper straws, square french milk bottles, shimmer gumballs (white & blue):  SmashCake Studio
Custom eco-friendly wooden utensils (mint & pink trellis):  Sucre Shop
Birdcage tiered stands, pink polka dot blossom dessert cups, white & gold petite cups:  Via Blossom
Gold striped straws & french lace doily strip:  Little Ink