Quickly establishing herself as a favorite vendor in the Middle Tennessee wedding industry, Darby Locklear of Darby Cards has flourished from a greeting card line to a specialist in anything paper. From beautiful Christmas Cards, business cards, stationery and client gifts, Darby Cards also spends much time in the world of weddings. Enchanted Brides spoke with Darby for the upcoming 2017 wedding season and how the trends are changing once again.
Time has come for burlap and mason jars to be laid to rest; these are being replaced by an urban grunge motif. “We are seeing more clean, crisp, modern invitations with just an accent of color or two, like a spring of greenery or a colored monogram at the top. Watercolor and greenery are very fresh and popular for Spring 2017, which may be reason that the Pantone color of the year is named “greenery.’
Keeping in line with the urban grunge theme, Darby has recently designed a few save the dates that portray a Hatch show print poster feel, a Nashville staple. “Save the dates are being used to show the couple’s fun side and then for the invitation, we tone it down to set the feel for an elegant wedding. The urban theme of playing with soft and hard textures is a great look for most modern venues. The save the dates can be fun and show your personality as a couple, but the invitation will be what sets the tone for your wedding guests.”
While every wedding is special, many brides think their ideas are original. Trends can offer brides inspiration, but when a truly unique vision comes along, wedding professionals certainly run with it. “I recently designed an invitation that scraped the traditional wedding wording and had ‘Come Party With Us’ at the top of the invitation. This was a really fun invitation to design and with just those four little words, it sets the tone for this celebration….FUN!”
As for Darby Cards, the sky is the limit. “I would love to continue to add designers to the collective to widen our clientele. I am slowly adding a few gifts to our studio for friendly walk-ins, like a great candle line by a local woman in Franklin! I’ve always let the business decide where it wants to go…whether it’s into bridal, corporate, or custom design. We will continue on this path and we are excited to see where it goes!”
For more on “Contemporary Creative,” pick up a copy of Enchanted Brides on newsstands today!
Written by Taylor Gee
Contributing Writer: Darby Locklear of Darby Cards
Photography by Abby Leighanne, High Five for Love, and Blueye Images
