Happy New Year!

This past year has been blessed with wonderful clients, ample amounts of inspiration and loads of creative endeavors. As the new year is welcomed, I look forward to the growth of Hold The Cheese and the ability to design for many more couples and families.

My passion truly lives in providing excellent service, personal communication and design that impresses and inspires.

My books are already full for May and June 2010.
One spot left in July and one spot left in August.
Want a spot or are interested in other dates? Visit my wedding inquiry form.
As a small but professional boutique, I aim to continue my commitment to nothing less than excellent craftsmanship and truly custom design that fits each client's budget. Keeping my active client list short lets me achieve that with ease.

I will look for input from my current and prospective clients to keep in touch with what is most important to them while tracking the wedding design industry's trends fervently.

May the new year inspire and bless you,
Caitlin
Hold The Cheese Design
"I Do" - wedding creations
"Yeah Baby!" - announcements and invitations
"Mark" - business and professional design solutions

Twitter @holdthecheese

Dates filling up for Spring/Summer 2010!

It's Fall and the colors are blossoming around us in the midwest.
I'm gearing up for another wonderful round of Save The Dates and Invitation design beginnings for next spring and summer. I love this time of year! More updates to come and new business design prospects that round out my creative noggin!

If you'd like more information about Hold The Cheese and our "Fat-Free Full-Flavor" design offerings, visit
http://tinyurl.com/holdthecheese-wedding
or
http://tinyurl.com/holdthecheese-baby
or
http://tinyurl.com/holdthecheese-business

Now doing wedding design for:

Monograms and Stationery - 11/15/09 and later
Reception and Ceremony goods - 11/28/09 and later
Thank You notes and cards - 4/10/10 and later
Invitations and Out of Town info- 5/8/10 and later
Save The Dates and Monograms - 5/22/10 and later

Design for earlier dates may be available at a rush cost. Some services already booked full between May and August 2010.

My boutique is almost full for Spring/Summer 2010 so drop me a line soon if you'd like to explore working with me for a wedding date in that window! If we've already chatted- you're in my queue.

Next available full wedding day design: Mid July, 2010
Best wishes and congratulations to Sarah and Ryan, my August couple and Ryan and Michelle, my September couple on their beautiful weddings!

CM

Michelle and Ryan: A "Happily Ever After" Couple

Congrats to my most recent "Happily Ever After" couple on tying the knot last Saturday!

Let's meet the love birds!

"Michelle is a native of Indianapolis and attended college at Miami University in Ohio. She worked in advertising for several years in Cincinnati, and moved back to Indiana in December 2007 to pursue an MBA at Butler University. She will finish her degree in July and has just accepted a position in marketing at Cook Medical in Bloomington. Some of Michelle’s favorite things to do are running, travel, listening to music, watching movies and spending time with family/friends and her two dogs.

Ryan is from a small town in Southern Indiana called Salem. He attended Indiana University and majored in History and Political Science. Ryan is currently an account manager for a company that sells copiers called Van Ausdall and Farrar, and is working on his MBA at IUPUI. He enjoys movies, video games, beer and wine tasting, fishing, camping and most outdoor activities."

Q: Tell us a little bit about the two of you as a couple:

A: "Ryan and I met randomly at the apartment of a mutual friend when I was visiting Indianapolis in late August 2007. I happened to be the one to open the door when he first arrived, so he thought he had the wrong address…but little did he know that he had just met his future wife! I was living in Cincinnati at the time, so we dated long distance for a few months until I moved back to Indianapolis for school in December.

We got engaged on October 12, 2008. Although Ryan had a memorable proposal planned at the restaurant where we had our first date, I unfortunately ruined the plans by insisting we go to Cheeseburger in Paradise so I could use a coupon I had been saving for weeks. I guess my cheapness really worked against me this time haha. He surprised me the next morning by proposing with the help of my dog Oreo, who was “carrying” the ring on his back."

Q: Dish on the wedding details, Michelle!

A: "In selecting my wedding colors, I tried to stay clear of pastels and wanted something that would be simple and elegant. I think that’s kind of what drew me to black and white, and then I thought red would be a nice addition and would work well with a fall wedding. Red has always been one of my favorite colors, and I think it’s very romantic and eye catching, especially for flowers and bridesmaid dresses!


Michelle's invitations are classic yet modern and fun!

I’m going to be wearing a new wedding dress, but for something old/borrowed I will have my mom’s garter, and it actually happens to be light blue so that kills three birds with one stone so to speak haha.

I was raised Catholic, and although I’m not quite as active in the church as I used to be, it was still important to me to incorporate the religious aspect to our ceremony. I have really enjoyed picking out the music and the Bible versus that we will use for the ceremony. All of the decorations, food, cake etc. are obviously fun, but I really enjoy picking out the aspects of the wedding that will be most meaningful.

In terms of the wedding planning process, it’s definitely easy to get stressed out over things but if you don’t take it too seriously I think it can be a lot of fun. Luckily I started planning pretty far in advance so that helped to prevent it from becoming too stressful and I was able to get pretty much all of the vendors that I wanted by starting early. Not sure there is anything I would do differently at this point, except maybe go on more cake tastings, haha."


Program covers for Michelle and Ryan

Q: What did you think of Hold The Cheese? How can we improve?

"Caitlin has been a pleasure to work with and is extremely sensitive to budget and time constraints. She worked with me to develop a plan for my invitations that would still allow me to get the quality I was looking for at a price point I could afford. She has also been great at taking my creative direction and has revised my design several times to make sure it’s exactly what I’m looking for. In addition to her excellent design skills, Caitlin is also very knowledgeable on the wedding planning process in general, and was able to help me with wording for my invitations and several other questions I had relating to wedding etiquette. I can sense her enthusiasm for the wedding business and I think she puts a lot of passion and energy into her projects. I have been very happy with the level of customer service and the product I am getting for a very reasonable price. I would definitely recommend her to any bride!"

--- I had a great deal of fun designing patterns for Michelle and Ryan's wedding stationery. The end result was nothing short of fabulous and a personal best, if I shall claim it!

Thanks for sharing and I'm very happy for the two of you!
Cheers,
Cait

AIGA Design Jobs

I'm a proud member of AIGA, the professional association for design.
I serve on the Board of the Indianapolis Chapter.
Checkout indianapolis.aiga.org for fun events creatives like to go to!
Happy to see you at any or all events!


view my portfolio:
behance.net/caitlinmac

Ryan and Sarah: A "Happily Ever After" Couple

Sarah and I had been dreaming up her Save The Date cards and wedding styles for almost a year. She loved so many different styles that she didn't know which fit her! Sound familiar?! We've all been there! After tons of drafts, phone chat time and hemming and hawing over colors, she went with a bold Curry rounded card from Paper Source inside of a shimmery gold envelope. It was a sparkling example of her vibrancy as a bride to be, her fun loving spirit as an elementary school teacher and her energetic love she shares with her fiance, Ryan. The pattern was uniquely Sarah and took a few more tries to finesse.


But the result was a Save The Date card that her guests could not stop commenting on! Want to give your friends and family the same impression? Get to know Sarah and Ryan as a "Happily Ever After" couple and how their planning went:

CM: Can you share a little about you and a little about Ryan?
SC: We live in Elgin, Illinois. I am a 5th grade teacher and Ryan is an account manager. We love camping, volunteering for Special Olympics, traveling, BBQ’ing, and the CUBS!

CM: How did you meet each other?
SC: We met on eHarmony.com the summer after we both finished college. :-)

CM: What makes you exciting but normal?
SC: We wanted a traditional wedding, with some non-traditional details. Forget about a white wedding cake and boring save the dates!

CM: What do you remember most about when you fell in love?
SC: How comfortable and safe I felt with him. I just knew that I was in good hands and that he would take care of my most private thoughts, hopes and dreams and help them come true!

CM: How did the proposal happen?
SC: We always go downtown to the Riverwalk (in Naperville, IL) on Saturdays and stroll around. It was just like every other Saturday… we grabbed breakfast, then were walking around the Riverwalk. We happened to see a couple getting their engagement pictures taken and I made some comment about how cute they were and how lucky. Before I knew it, we were on a covered bridge and Ryan had dropped down to one knee. The first thing I said was “Are you serious!??!?!” I don’t even remember what he said next…something like “Can WE be that couple taking engagement pictures?” It was the perfect day because I was totally surprised and we then spent the entire night celebrating with friends and family.

CM: How did you pick your wedding date?
SC: I am a teacher and knew I wanted a summer wedding so I could take a honeymoon! Ryan’s best friend was getting married in May and we didn’t want to be too close to their date, so voila, August 1st was picked!

CM: What was the inspiration for your wedding colors?
SC: I LOVE yellow. Yellow represents happiness to me. And what better way to describe a wedding besides happy? I also love the way purple accents the bright yellow. Our colors are yellow and purple with hints of green.

CM: Are you doing old, new, borrowed, and blue items? Sixpence in your shoe?
SC:
Old: A handkerchief from my grandma.
New: EVERYTHING I am wearing!
Borrowed : A pin from my mom to put under my dress.
Blue: My garter.

CM: Are you incorporating any family, cultural or religious traditions?
SC: The only real family tradition is having a few Polka dances at the reception. Other than that, we are having the traditional Catholic ceremony at church.

CM: What have you learned during your planning that you'd share with other couples?
SC: If I could plan a wedding again, the one thing I would have done differently would have been to set parameters with everyone helping. Mom wants one thing, I want another, Ryan dreamed of something else. Ryan and I made all our decisions together , but let mom have a few things her way. It is important to remember whose wedding it is! And have fun!

CM: How did you feel going with Hold The Cheese to design for you?
SC: Cait is AMAZING! She was just a bride herself and KNOWS how stressful planning a wedding can be. Not only is her work incredible, but she is reliable and hits the deadlines she promises. Her prices are competitive and she will give you the care and time you deserve as you are designing your products.

CM: What would you do differently if you did it all again?
SC: Order invitations from CAIT! Not the other vendor who messed them up! (Sad story of a wedding industry person who didn't care about the individual or a finished product. She messed up the order. She yelled at Sarah and talked to Ryan on Sarah's phone. She got so mad that the vendor actually threw Sarah's phone across the room. Insane, right?!)

CM: Did you feel you got a good deal for the time, quality and personal attention you received?
SC: YES! Cait made me feel special, like I was the only bride she was working with. She took time to get to know my style and what I loved and didn’t care for. If you don’t know a whole lot about design (like me!) then Cait is perfect for you because she can give you insight into what looks nice and what doesn’t match, etc. I will definitely be using Cait’s talents again!



Things I've learned while working with Sarah:
Some customers prefer print samples instead of just pdf proofs. Deciding up front if this is necessary in the process is important as it can change timelines of design in order to accomodate. I also need to be more realistic with the amount of time that I spend consulting and designing for a client. If we both stick to the contract as a guide, we both waste less time deciding on too many drafts. Thanks for helping me learn, Sarah!

Subscribe to Hold The Cheese's RSS feed to stay up to date with our design discoveries and wedding inspiration!

Caitlin

Photo books, Inspiration and Samples

I've discovered, through the help of KISS books, blurb.com and lulu.com.
Adorable and professional book making capabilities, my interest is sparked. I think I'd like to make a style guide for types of wedding imagery that are look books for the indecisive bride and groom.

What do you think?
What would you include?
Photos, phrases, colors, shapes and patterns, flowers, times of day... my brain can barely harness all the possibilities.

This might be the perfect way to create the custom guest books I've always wanted to offer in print.

Two more Happily Ever After brides are getting the finishing touches on their stories! Sarah and Ryan tie the knot this weekend! Can't wait to help them celebrate after all their hard work. Their love really carried them through the planning process.

Cheers,
CM

Check out this spring and summer color inspiration I found online today from Mike Larson, wedding photographer:

Check out his blog.

New Client Applications!

Hello everyone!

If you'd like more information about Hold The Cheese and our "Fat-Free Full-Flavor" design offerings, visit
http://tinyurl.com/holdthecheese-wedding
or
http://tinyurl.com/holdthecheese-baby

Now designing for:

Monograms and Stationery - 8/31/09 and later
Reception and Ceremony goods - 9/26/09 and later
Thank You notes and cards - 10/24/09 and later
Invitations and Out of Town info- 2/13/10 and later
Save The Dates and Monograms - 3/6/10 and later

Design for earlier dates may be available at a rush cost.

My boutique is almost full for May and June 2010 so drop me a line soon if you'd like to explore working with me for a wedding date in that window!

Best wishes and congratulations to Jenny and Andrew on their beautiful wedding last weekend!

CM

Stationery Winners, orders for paper are in!

Can't wait to share with you the lovely designs I'm cooking up for your personal stationery!

Previews next week and delivery late July.
Life without the internet at home is a challenge for communication but I guess we'll tough it out.
Have a lovely 4th of July, all!

Feel free to contact me with any updates on addresses!

Carrie and Matt : A "Happily Ever After" Couple

Carrie and Matt: (Wedding photo credit: Todd Smith Photography)

Carrie approached me about designing her wedding invitations last fall. She loved several invites she found online but none could offer an accurate depiction of the dogwood flowers that would be on location and blooming at the time of her wedding in Virginia. I was able to custom illustrate the blossoms by hand and type set her invitation on an eco-friendly paper option. She chose a Print-Fold-Seal-Mail option from LCI paper. Inexpensive to mail and minimal waste with a tear and return RSVP card!


Carrie and Matt's Invite: (Photo credit: Caitlin McCready, Hold The Cheese Design)

Carrie and Matt were a "Happily Ever After" couple.
Here's their story.

CM: Carrie, can you share a little about you and a little about him?
CS: I am a graduate student in ecology & evolutionary biology. Matt builds custom furniture.

CM: How did you meet?
CS: We met at Earlham College during our first year and became good friends. We didn't start dating until our third year- after we'd both ended our earlier unhealthy relationships!

CM: Tell me something quirky or interesting about the two of you as a couple.

CS: I am a planner and Matt is a doer. I will spend as long thinking about the best way to get something done as Matt will spend actually doing it.

CM: Do you remember when you fell in love?

CS: We were in love for a long time; there wasn't a moment when it happened.

CM: How about the proposal? How did he ask?
CS: Matt had been 'unofficially' proposing for years. I never wanted an engagement ring or big proposal, but when I finally said yes, the earth shook- Chicago (literally) had a tiny little earthquake that night. We took it as a good sign.

CM: Any stories of the fun and struggle of wedding planning? What have you learned, loved, compromised on?

CS: Things went smoothly thanks to the tremendous efforts of our families and friends. We learned that delegating helped everything get done.

CS: We received so many compliments on the invitations! They were awesome. All in all, I am so thankful that you helped us with the invitations. This spring was so overwhelming. The dogwoods looked so beautiful (... on our wedding day.) The trees cooperated with the theme perfectly!

CM: Carrie successfully defended her Doctoral dissertation, suffered a tragic family loss and was still planning her wedding. As a friend and client, she is one of the strongest most independent woman I know. She is now doing field study in Tanzania and will honeymoon there later this summer with Matt for a bit.

Things I learned from working with Carrie:

-Communication is the life blood of keeping a project on time, especially with an out of state bride.
-If I'm not the one ordering paper, I need to remind the person who orders to get some extra, as I usually do. This allows for printing proofs and alignment compensation (and back ups if the printer gets hungry!)
-Proofing across revisions is also a big key to getting exactly what we're both aiming for!

I will perpetually be learning how to do better as a service provider and design guru. I offer competitive design knowledge at an honest price where we both can get a product and interaction worth repeating! My brides give me great feedback and I know that the relationships we build lead to future collaborations.

Thanks, Carrie for sharing your story and may you both live Happily Ever After.

In the near future, I'll be posting photos of the Stationery Naming Survey Contest Winners with their stationery!

Check out some of my latest work: Wedding and Babies!

Cait

Hold The Cheese
Full Flavor, Fat Free Design

Not Abandoned!

Working feverishly on the new site and commiting to a style.
Tough to do while clients keep rolling in.
Where's the balance of future and present?

Must be in the design fees...

Tick, Tick, Tick

The beginning is near. Launching early March 2009.

Drop me a message for more information!