Page 28 of Once Upon a Holidate
Renee opened her briefcase. “I have the specs here.” She flipped through several folders. “We have a Hanukkah wedding coming up. That’s keeping me awake at nights worrying that we’re getting it all right. I was totally freaked because I don’t know much about Jewish traditions, but then the bride mentioned that her aunt was a rabbi, so we’ve been emailing nearly every day. She’s been amazingly helpful.”
She set one folder on the desk, then pulled a menorah out of her briefcase. It was gold with blue enamel accents.
“We want to match the place cards to this color blue.”
“Are the menorahs going to be part of the centerpieces?” Wynn asked.
Renee nodded. “We’re debating lighting versus not lighting. The bride is still deciding.”
“It makes a difference,” Wynn said as she pulled out her paper samples to match the color. “If they’re lit, you can’t have anything close to them. If they’re not lit, you could cluster flowers around. Either would be pretty.”
“That’s what I said,” Natalie told her with a smile.
Wynn held out a couple of color samples. They all stared at the small pieces of paper.
“That one,” Renee said firmly, pointing. “The usual card-stock weight. Can you print them?”
“If you get me a list and a font.” Wynn grinned. “I’ll evenfold them for you. Okay, not me exactly, but the machine that does it.”
Natalie laughed. “I love office equipment. I have no use for it, but I love it.”
“Me, too.” Renee made a note. “Thanks for the folding. I gave the bride a ballpark price for the work. Assuming there’s nothing extra pricey about the paper and the printing, then we’re good to go.”
“The only cost difference would be if they use an expensive font I don’t already own.”
Renee made more notes on her tablet. “I’ll be in touch with the bride as soon as I’m back in my office. She’s fairly responsive so I should have an answer today. Next.” She scanned her list. “We have two Christmas weddings that are mostly planned. I’ve already placed my orders for those, which leaves us with the snowman wedding.”
“Snowman? You mean snowflake wedding.”
Renee shook her head. “Snowman. As in snowmen as a theme.”
Wynn looked at Natalie. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“Me, either,” Natalie said. “But apparently it’s a thing.”
Renee sighed. “Less of a thing than I would like. We’re having a lot of trouble finding appropriate decorations that aren’t too kids party. Natalie is creating a whole snowman village scene out of paper.”
Natalie eyed Renee’s tablet. “I’m not as organized as she is, but I brought in the different paper weights I want and the colors.” She smiled at Wynn. “Mostly everything is white, but I do want a little contrast. Green for trees, some red and a little pale gray for shading.”
She pulled a small box out of her tote bag and removed several paper samples. Wynn took them and flipped them over. Sure enough, the weights were on the back.
They discussed the different suppliers Wynn used. She wentonline to see who had what stocks and who could deliver overnight.
“I’m going to need some heavy paper for the base of the project,” Natalie said. “I couldn’t find a real sample of what I wanted, but it’s this weight.”
She handed Wynn an old library card. The paper was thick, but not coated, with a heavy fiber content.
“Thicker than card stock,” Wynn murmured, rubbing it between her fingers. “But with more give. This used to be popular, but now it’s more of a specialty item. Give me a second.”
She went into her big storeroom and dug around on several back shelves before finding a half ream of the paper she’d been thinking of. It was heavy, and the paper wrapping was dusty. She blew it off before carrying it back to her office and setting it on the table.
“What about this?”
Natalie pulled out a sheet and smiled. “This could work.” She counted the sheets left, then smiled at Renee. “I’ve got my base for the winter scene.”
Wynn pointed at the notes on the side of the package. “I’ve got a price for you.”
Renee added the information to her tablet, then they placed the order for the paper Natalie was going to need.
