Oh So Beautiful Paper

Today’s invitations come to us from Erica and her husband Tory, who were married last fall in a beautiful outdoor garden setting.  Erica mixed bright colors (lime green and ocean blue) with patterns and different typefaces for a style that she likes to call “barnyard chic”!

From Erica: My husband Tory and were married recently – on October 4th, 2009 in Newcastle, California (near Sacramento).  Being a graphic designer, of course I had to design (and craft!) my own wedding invitations. I printed and assembled all of the pieces myself, using my Epson ink jet printer and trusty xacto knife. [Ed Note: Make sure you have a professional-quality printer if you decide to try this at home!] As many designers know, creating for yourself can be incredibly challenging, and the process caused me quite a bit of anxiety.  The pressure to create something beautiful, memorable and representative of my husband and myself was ON.

Luckily, I had some incredible sources of inspiration.  Number one on that list was our venue – Newcastle Wedding Gardens – which really dictated our wedding style that I christened ‘Barnyard Chic.’  We knew from the start that we wanted an outdoor ceremony in the fall with a relaxed but elegant vibe.  The venue owners, Georgia and Stephen Barron, have been involved in the local wedding industry for many years and had always dreamed of owning their own wedding venue.  The beautiful 50 acre ranch that they purchased had operated as a fruit orchard for many years.  It took the Barrons two years to get their venue (and home!) into proper wedding condition. Part of their renovations included expanding and modernizing the gorgeous turn of the century barn where our reception was held.

Even though the barn at Newcastle Wedding Gardens is not as rustic as some, it still maintains a of a country feel.  I wanted to carry that  theme into our stationery, through typography, vintage graphic elements, and baker’s twine.

The subtle blue paisley pattern was inspired by the tie my hubby wore to marry me in – of all things!  The tie had the most beautiful paisley in greens, blues and greys.

Since everything was essentially handmade, I wanted to add a human element to the design, which is what inspired the handwriting for the envelope liners.  I wrote out the word ‘love’ in a continuous string, scanned it, and colorized it in Photoshop.  We also had Beatles tributes throughout our ceremony and reception, so the ‘love, love, love’ was completely appropriate.  In fact, I found myself humming ‘All You Need Is Love’ as I was putting everything together!

My favorite colors are green (especially chartreuse) and blue, and although they are not your typical wedding colors, I thought they would be fresh and fun.  I also love the idea of doing something unexpected for a wedding!  Overall, I was pleased with how everything turned out.  I’m still somewhat amazed that I took elements that don’t necessarily belong together (country and lime green?) and somehow made them work.

Erica was also kind enough to send over a few photos from her wedding day to show how she carried the design elements from her invitations through to her wedding-day stationery, from the menus to the table numbers:

You can check out more from Erica’s wedding on her blog, Barnyard Chic, as well as her professional website.  Thanks so much for sharing your wedding stationery Erica!

{image credits: invitation photos by Erica, wedding photos by Rochelle Mort}

1. Erlinda Denise says:

   02/23/2010 at 7:14 PM

   LOVE!!!!!!! The green was PERFECT! Very Chic to your barnyard.
   My ? is how to get the script in the envelope and the postcard rsvp.. did you do that yourslf as well??
   Forever,
   Erlinda Denise
2. chandra
   Twitter: oh_lovely_day
   says:

   02/22/2010 at 10:48 PM

   I love these. Also love that they sent one to President and Mrs. Obama- my husband and I did that as well and we got a very nice keepsake note from them a couple of months after the wedding!
3. Sarah Hearts says:

   02/22/2010 at 8:34 PM

   I love the bold vertical stripes! I am in love with Affair! I use it as much as I can!
4. Amanda says:

   02/22/2010 at 7:27 PM

   oh WOW!!! love love everything. it’s perfect.
5. Melissa says:

   02/22/2010 at 5:25 PM

   thank you so much!! it’s brilliant and worth every penny with all the swashes and flourishes!! +m
6. beautifulpaper says:

   02/22/2010 at 3:59 PM

   Hi Melissa!
   That font is called Affair by Alejandro Paul – its available for purchase through Veer.com.
    
   Hope that helps!
7. Melissa says:

   02/22/2010 at 3:57 PM

   so gorgeous!!! i love the script font (accommodations, oh darling, etc)…does anyone know what it is?
8. jessica @ budgetsavvybride says:

   02/22/2010 at 3:50 PM

   what a unique suite! I love love love it!
9. Brandi says:

   02/22/2010 at 1:34 PM

   I absolutely love what people are doing with the lining of envelopes — I’ll have to learn how to make such things myself. And the vintage hankie idea is absolutely adorable.
10. AmberLee says:

    02/22/2010 at 12:45 PM

    Barnyard chic! I love it. It is all completely beautiful. I am totally writing my zip codes like that next time I send a letter.

Trackbacks

1. Wedding Stationery on Oh So Beautiful Paper! Barnyard Chic | Eksquisite Design Blog says:

   07/02/2010 at 12:13 AM

   [...] Our invitations were featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper yesterday. Check out the post right here. [...]