Chinoiserie Blue Wedding Invitations - Envelopes
Envelopes…always my favorite part of an invitation suite. A commonly neglected and always unexpected design element….
This suite featured two different pieces of artwork on the envelope liners, as well as artwork printed on both the reply envelope as well as the mailing envelope. Naturally, we selected blue postage to compliment the overall aesthetic.
Botanical Baby Shower Invitations - The Envelopes
I’ve worked with vellum envelopes before, obviously, but this project was a little bit different. Vellum is a beautiful material to work with and I love how nicely it juxtaposes as a complimentary texture to so many other materials. Since I knew we would be using the woodgrain paper for both the invitation and insert, I loved the semi-transparency of the vellum to contrast against that. But here’s the thing…you can see through the vellum. So the question always is how do you protect the privacy of the invitation as it goes through the post? Whatever material is chosen, it also needs to support the guest addresses, meaning that it either needs to be dark enough to support a light address or the other way around.
Examples of how to circumvent this would be to do a vellum wrap in a pattern or a custom tissue paper - I typically like to use custom printed tissue paper with a complimentary pattern that we’ve designed to match the suite. For this project, we didn’t have the turnaround time for custom tissue, so that option was out. A vellum wrap was also out because the envelopes I selected were Marques size - 7.25 square - which means a vellum wrap would need to be at least 15” to wrap all the way around. Vellum prints on a laser printer (yes, I know you can get inkjet vellum, but I have a strong preference for how the ink sits on top using a laser) and my printer maxes out at 12”…so that option was also not available.
So what’s left?
Using the back of the invite and the envelope liner! The envelope liner obviously shows when the guest opens the envelope, but there’s nothing saying that I can’t print both sides so one shows through the envelope and shows when the envelope is opened, so that’s what we did. I matched the heavy pattern for the backs of the invitations and the back of the envelope liner so it created a consistent and cohesive pattern front to back, which I LOVED.
OI course, I didn’t stop there - I also wanted artwork on the outside of the envelope to overlap with what showed through from the envelope liner.
Calligraphy in a deep burgundy and modern style topped them off!
I specifically designed the envelope liner to have a negative space to frame the calligraphy, making it not only the focal point, but also easier to read.
Chinoiserie Blue Invitations
chinoiserie | gold | soft | bold | floral
Newport | Rhode Island
I’m so in love with these blues!
The blues are a perfect pairing for a spring wedding in Newport, Rhode Island. Our bride wanted a touch of the opulence of the venue without going full Victorian for her invitations. She and her family grew up spending their summer holidays nearby and she always loved passing by the Chanler House as a little girl. The invitations were the compromise between the classic Victorian styling of the venue and the more modern feel that the couple preferred as their own personal style.
I selected a white handmade paper with velvety soft edges for the invitation and reply cards, and paired with them with a bold lapis blue for the reception card. I loved the contemporary vibe the blue insert brought to the overall suite. We also selected a modern calligraphy style to pair with the blue watercolor florals.
Lets talk about gold gilding.
One of my favorite details to add is gold gilding to the edge of designs. For this particular design, I also added it to the centers of various blooms throughout the suite, including the reverse of the invitation, the die cut overlay, mailing envelopes, and reply envelopes.
Botanical Baby Shower Invitations - Paper Choices
Botanical | Feminine | Natural | Textural | Ladybugs
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I wanted to take up the botanical vibe up a notch by using a woodgrain paper rather than the expected white. I love how subtle the woodgrain is, but it adds so much to the overall interaction as the guests open their envelopes. I love the idea of rewarding the guests for looking further and interacting deeper with an invitation.
Each invitation is incredibly thick, coming in at about 350lb so they feel so incredible in your hands.
We also designed the backs of each of the pieces to feature a pattern created from the same artwork. I specifically wanted something very impactful on the back of the invitation because I knew it would show through the vellum envelope and I wanted it to be heavy enough to not be subtle.
Sneak Peak: Botanical Baby Shower Invitations
It’s always so much fun to work on a project locally and get to present paper types and proofs in person, and that’s just what I got to do with our momma-to-be here in Philadelphia. I can’t wait to show you the rest of this gorgeous botanical baby shower invitation!
Gold Gilded & Embossed Invitation
elegant | regal | Gold | old-world | dramatic
an invitation suite for a wedding at:
the beekman hotel | new york, new york
We used so many details of the Beekman Hotel as we played with design ideas for Yara. She knew she wanted bits of gold and embossing, and we wanted to pull color inspiration from her beautiful sapphire engagement ring. We also wanted to echo some of the overall textures and feelings of the hotel, like the dark moody lighting and all the velvet upholstery.
We also selected not to go with all white paper, instead, we selected a warm white and a taupe.
Our bride was looking for old-world drama, and I think we delivered!
She had seen so many examples of “old-world” invitations that were pale and beautiful, but hardly any that were dark and moody, like the hotel that was hosting their nuptials.
Each piece of the suite had gold gilding applied by hand. The invitation had the most dramatic gilding, followed by the reception card. Our additional insert card just had touches of gold around the edges.
We always want each piece to feel unique and not like a cookie-cutter of the other pieces in the suite. but have their own personality!
The taupe mailing envelopes also had gilded detail rounding the return address, as well as gilded details on the deep sapphire blue wax seals.
Another high-impact moment is the reply envelope. Fully embossed and lined with gold gilding, it’s a dramatic piece with so much texture and wow factor! The fronts of each reply envelope also featured a bit of old-world magic with tiny pieces of gilding.
The oval floral wax seals we designed for Yara’s suite also had bits and pieces of gilding in the sapphire blue wax. We used the wax seals to hold closed our taupe mailing envelopes.
The embossing is definitely the highlight of the suite with the embossed pattern covering several of the pieces. The tactile experience and visual beauty are like nothing else! These invitations were designed to truly set the mood for Yara and Rhys’ wedding!
Embossed and gilded reply envelopes
an overall embossed Art Nouveau pattern pressed into a gilded envelope liner and gilded detailing
It’s custom designs like this that make my heart sing! I love creating this moody, dramatic, elegant, and sophisticated old-world invitation suite for an Art Nouveau wedding this upcoming winter in New York.
Working with a bride to create a custom suite is such an incredibly gratifying process…taking their ideas and bringing them to life…in this case, gold.
Winter Garden Roses
romantic | fluttery | soft
an invitation suite for a wedding at:
beaulieu gardens | Rutherford, california
The bride always had her heart set on an outdoor garden wedding, but after their nuptials had been postponed several times and a date opened up at their favorite museum, Laura and Zac jumped on it.
Our goal was to create a garden-style floral invitation suite for Laura while keeping it on the more modern side to fit with the style of the Museum of Contemporary art.
Our overall design element was the pattern that we created for Laura and Zac’s suite. Comprised of all the garden flowers she loved, including roses and jasmine vines, we selected a pale grey lavender for the florals.
We applied different styles of the pattern to each piece within their invitation suite, creating interest and a unique feel to each card and envelope.
Naturally, the envelope liners matched the overall suite with a similar pattern.
Pastel & Embossed Destination Wedding
Pastel | Textured | Modern Romance
an invitation suite for a wedding at:
Private Residence, Oahu, Hawaii
Our bride wanted a soft and romantic feel to her wedding invitation suite, incorporating a pale french blue, buttercup yellow, and blush.
She also knew that she loved the embossed texture we’ve been showing a lot of lately, but wanted to create more negative space with hers.
We chose two main methods for elevating the overall design:
Linen bound folio to house the suite
and
Overall embossed pattern
The linen bound folio in a natural linen color was carried throughout the suite. We backed several pieces in the same linen and layered it into our menus as well.
You know how much we love embossing, so we created an embossing pattern based on the watercolor and embossed everything. Embossing is such an elegant and unusual way to add texture and elevate the overall suite.
We selected a thin silk ribbon in a light bush to tie the whole suite together. Each invitation was tied with a simple bow over the semi-transparent vellum layer with blush roses printed on it.
One of the design elements we wanted to work with was negative space. We do a lot of design work that has an overall embossed pattern, but for this design, we wanted to eco the asymmetry that the bride was using throughout the wedding.
The invitations had negative space in the middle with roses and vines tumbling in a semi-circle around the wording.
We also see the same asymmetrical design work on all the other pieces, my favorite being the reply envelopes.
We used the same asymmetry and negative space on the menus and place cards with bits of the floral pattern and vine work peaking in along the edges of the menu cards.
The place cards were a simple cards with different aspects of the floral embossing on each card, complete with blue calligraphy.
Modern Florals in Pale Lavender
Modern | Monochromatic | Floral | Soft
an invitation suite for a wedding at:
The Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago, Illinois
The bride always had her heart set on an outdoor garden wedding, but after their nuptials had been postponed several times and a date opened up at their favorite museum, Laura and Zac jumped on it.
Our goal was to create a garden-style floral invitation suite for Laura while keeping it on the more modern side to fit with the style of the Museum of Contemporary art.
Our overall design element was the pattern that we created for Laura and Zac’s suite. Comprised of all the garden flowers she loved, including roses and jasmine vines, we selected a pale grey lavender for the florals.
We applied different styles of the pattern to each piece within their invitation suite, creating interest and a unique feel to each card and envelope.
Naturally, the envelope liners matched the overall suite with a similar pattern.
Custom Designed Envelopes
How much more exciting is it to get a beautiful envelope in the mail rather than just a plain white one??
We have two sets of envelopes on the print table this week.
The first is a modern take on florals in pale lavender, designed with florals and vines surrounding the address.
The second is a garden suite with roses in pale purples, blush, and jasmine vines asymmetrically on the envelope.
Destination Wedding in Hawaii at The Four Seasons
Tropical | Bright | Elegant | Linen
an invitation suite for a wedding at:
The Four Seasons, Oahu, Hawaii
We wanted to create a bold, tropical pattern that could be used throughout the paper and reception spaces in varying ways. We were aiming for tropical but wanted to create a feeling that was slightly more upscale and elegant alongside the more casual island feel.
We chose two main methods for elevating the overall design:
Linen bound folio to house the suite
and
Overall embossed pattern
The linen bound folio in a natural linen color was carried throughout the suite. We backed several pieces in the same linen and layered it into our menus as well.
You know how much we love embossing, so we created an embossing pattern based on the watercolor and embossed everything. Embossing is such an elegant and unusual way to add texture and elevate the overall suite.
We also had to die-shapes created for this project - one in the shape of the island of Oahu, and one in the shape of the hibiscus flower we used throughout the suite.
The island was used as an insert for the invitation, as well as tags for our welcome bags. The flowers we used everywhere else!
Now that we have all our elements laid out, let’s talk about the invitation itself.
Elegant and on the simple side, our invitation was printed with the couple’s crest on top of bright white cotton. The invitation was then backed in a bright pink and the entire piece was embossed with an overall texture, front and back.
We then created our folios, which we shaped line envelopes. The inside of each linen-bound folio was lined in custom-printed mulberry paper to match the suite.
The left hand side held the stack of a reply card and envelope, reception card, and info card, all tied together with seafoam green grosgrain ribbon.
Our finishing details included a second color of vintage grosgrain ribbon, lots of linen, tons of texture, and an invitation that rewards you for interacting with it!
Personalized Perfume Bottles
This past month has held a few perfume bottle projects, which just warms my heart! They’re such an interesting and unique gift!
This particular set was designed to match the bride’s wedding invitations and was a gift from the mother of the bride to her daughter on her wedding day. (If you don’t know, Jo Malone is designed to layer and pair scents, so these two are the two the bride selected to wear on her special day!)
The bride’s invitations may look familiar to you, we posted the pictures a while back. Her perfume bottles pair beautifully with her blush and blue invitation suite.
Handpainted Perfume Bottles
The perfect gift for a bride on her wedding day
From a groom to his bride, her favorite perfume painted to remind her of the day they became Mr. and Mrs.
This particular bottle of Jo Malone Orange Blossom was selected, as well as painted, for the summer theme of their wedding and for the perfume itself.
A lovely gift to commemorate a wonderful day! Shop our handpainted perfume bottles below!
Creating a Client's Sketch
Hang out with us on our YouTube channel as we put together a sketch for a client!
Handpainted Veuve Clicquot Bottles
I absolutely LOVE adding handpainted champagne bottles to the reception details. For this particular wedding, we’ll be adding several cased to the bar for the guests to enjoy!
This set will be painted to match our fall rose garden invitations for a fall wedding in Massachusetts. Designed to match the envelope liners of the watercolored invitation suite, we also have three little brass bees on the bottle as well!
Did you know we also offer this service a la carte? You can order from a handful of champagne/sparkling types and we’ll work with you to develop the artwork!
A Formal Wedding in the Hamptons
Formal | Calligraphy | 1920’s | White Tie | Train Rides
Private Estate | Hamptons, New York
Saying that our bride, Katen, has a passion for the 1920’s would be an understatement. Working in the antiques and historical field with a specialty in the time period, we knew it had to be the focus of her invitations.
One of first conversations we had with her shared her annoyance at how we now portray the 1920’s with little to no historical accuracy and attend it like a costume party. Being all about historical accuracy ourselves, we were all about this. We worked with her and did a ton of research on invitations and etiquette of the period, looked up calling cards and their usage, and travel styling of the day. We brought all of this new information into her invitation design.
We had a few different elements that we knew we wanted to integrate:
Each invitation would be personalized for each guest, and we don’t mean the envelopes. Each invitation, reply card, reception card, travel card, and accommodations cards were all personalized for each guest.
She loved traveling by train from New York City up to their family home in the Hamptons, and booked all the travel for her guests. All travel was arranged by the bride and groom, including cars to transport guests from the station to their accommodations.
All the guest accommodations were also arranged and taken care of by the bride and groom.
The bride enlisted a staff member of their Hampton’s household to act as a concierge to arrange anything additional or answer any questions for their guests.
The idea was that the guests wouldn’t have to lift a finger. For anything.
Our invitations on stiff cream handmade paper were edged in black. Each invitation bore the name of each guest and was worded to address and invite the guests by name.
Our reply card were similarly personalized for each guest, but formatted differently than what we see in our contemporary wedding invitations. Each guest was provided with two cards, one for a response to attend, and one to decline. Each card was worded again to integrate the guest’s names into the pieces.
A petite envelope holding three small cards told each guest where they were booked to stay for the weekend, that a car would pick them up from the train station, and a card that stood in as a train ticket for the guests ride up from the city.
Several pages, bound with a tassel, detailed out all the events for the guest’s four-day stay including transportation details, dress codes, and other event details.
Each envelope continued our theme with formal copper calligraphy. A collection of vintage postage completed suite.
Fall Rose Garden Invitation Suite
Moody | Roses | Fall Greens | Velvet | Romantic
an invitation suite for a wedding at:
The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts
We wanted to create a romantic garden invitation suite without feeling dainty or pale. Our lovely bride, Nicole, wanted a bit of deeper colors and drama in with her more traditional roses. It was a pleasure to help create unexpected moments throughout her suite, including the blind press details and little brass bee apliques for her garden wedding at The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts
We began our design process with the idea of roses and bees. Once I had a good idea of what artwork I had in mind, I went into devising adorable little additions to her design. We designed her reception cards to be a simple design (to balance out the other artwork heavy pieces) and then added an overall bee impression pattern to bring texture and visual interest to the dark green cards.
Our reply cards were also fairly simple with a couple fall leaves and little bees pressed into the pale purple papers.
Let’s talk about these envelopes. It’s no secret that envelopes are one of my favorite thing to design. They’re difficult to print, require precision and imagination. I also think they are a wildly under-designed space in wedding invitations. Think how naked this overall suite would feel if the only artwork-heavy piece we had was the invitation! I love being able to use simple pieces like the reception card and reply card to keep a balance in the overall suite.
Our envelopes were printed front over to the back flap, creating an entire piece when they opened, while not feeling incomplete when closed. We also pressed a few little bees into the corners for added detail and texture.
For postage, we went with our usual mix of current issue and vintage.
Also in our usual fashion, both our mailing envelopes and reply card envelopes were lined in matching artwork.
Last, but certainly not least, lets talk about the invitation itself.
Printed on pale blush paper, the invitation was designed to be a punch of moody artwork. I wanted layers of design elements, so we started with 300lb paper, printed deep florals, blind pressed little bees, and then added our brass bee appliques amongst the flowers.
We added a few finishing details, including the vellum wrap around our insert cards, the tiny little wax dots with brass bees, and deep green velvet ribbon.
Sneak Peek - Formal Wedding in the Hamptons
Formal | Calligraphy | Dramatic | Personalized | 1920’s
Inspired by the invitations of years past, elegant train travel, and a level of formality that we don’t see very often anymore.
Art Nouveau Wedding Invitations
art nouveau, pale greens and nudes, elegant, overall texture, soft, unexpected, soothing, formal
Glen Foerd Mansion | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We wanted to bring in the graceful and soothing vibes of the Art Nouveau era with pale neutrals, smooth greens, and impressive overall texture. We selected artwork inspired by antique wall paper to start our design work. Working with the artwork and palette of nudes and greens, we developed our overall look and feel, a perfect fit for the gorgeous Philadelphia mansion of Glen Foerd.
The most striking element of the design is the texture. Each piece was embossed with a glorious overall texture for a pillowy and tactile feel.
My personal favorite piece of the suite are the reply envelopes. We embossed the envelopes after they were lined, so the liners as well as the fronts and back of the envelopes all had a contiguous embossed pattern.
Like most of our projects, we combined several different paper types to come to our finished design. For this particular suite, we ended up with six different types of papers, including both machined and handmade.
The art nouveau design includes three handmade papers for the green reception card, reply card, and dress code tri-fold. The invitation consisted of two different machined papers, the first in a nude, then backed with a pale green. Our envelopes were both a gorgeous cream, and our envelopes liners were on the same rich nude as the invitations.
Our darling little tri-folded cards of handmade paper were sealed closed with a tiny wax seal in a taupe grey and embossed with the pattern showing on both sides.
