07/26/2018

Beach Wedding Escort Card Ideas

For many of us, summer vacation means spending at least a few long summer days on a beach somewhere. Well, if you can combine a beach vacation with a wedding â€“ all the better! For those of you planning a beach wedding, here are some creative beach wedding escort card ideas and seating chart display ideas that will fit right in with your coastal setting. Think driftwood, sea glass, macramÃ© details for a tropical location, or even oyster shells for a New England affair!

Obsessed with the white calligraphy on driftwood! | Event Planning & Design: All Who Wander Events, Calligraphy: A Fabulous Fete via I Do Y’all

This macramÃ© leaf escort card display adds a tropical vibe. | Photography: Jillian Mitchell, Event Design & Planning: Nicoella Events via Green Wedding Shoes

How cute are these tiny boats? | Photography: Wendy Laurel, Event Design & Planning: Maui’s Angels Destination Weddings & Events, Calligraphy: Miss B Calligraphy via The Knot

Gold details add an elegant touch. | Photography: Harwell Photography, Event Design & Planning: Eva Clark Events via Style Me Pretty

Love these colors. | Photography: Rebecca Fishman of Birds Of A Feather, Event Design & Planning: La Boheme Events, Paper Goods: Prim And Pixie via Style Me Pretty

How can you resist a message in a bottle?! | (Left) Photography: Rodeo and Co. Photography, Event Design & Planning: Monica Johnson via Southern Weddings / (Right) Photography: The Ganeys, Event Planner at Carlouel: Kelley Williams via Trendy Bride

This Italian marbled paper is gorgeous. | Photography: Cambria Grace Photography, Event Design & Planning: Foret Design Studio via Ruffled

Who needs table numbers? Each seashell represents a different table! | Photography: Kate Osborne Photography via Brides

Surfboard turned seating chart. | Photography: Natalie Schutt Photography, Event Coordinators & Stylists: Details, Darling via Wedding Chicks

White calligraphy and sea glass are a dreamy combination. | Photography: Jade + Matthew Take Pictures, Event Design & Planning: Gray Harper Event Maker, Calligraphy: LowCountry Paper Co. via Green Wedding Shoes

Doesn’t a beach wedding sound dreamy? A beautiful wedding plus beach vacation? Yes, please!

p.s. MacramÃ© wedding inspiration and citrus wedding inspiration!

07/05/2018

Nine Ways to Incorporate Calligraphy Into Your Wedding

If I have a weakness for anything, it’s calligraphy. As far as I’m concerned, calligraphy is magic and elevates everything it touches to a work of art. Today I’m sharing nine ways to incorporate calligraphy into your wedding, for those of you in wedding planning mode who are as calligraphy-obsessed as I am!

Calligraphy by Script Merchant / Photo Credit: Kayla Barker

1. The Invitations and envelopes

First things first â€“ the wedding invitations! When most of us think about wedding calligraphy, we think of envelopes with beautifully calligraphed addresses. And I’m definitely all in favor of going all out for the envelopes, but you can also use calligraphy for your entire wedding invitation! Depending on your budget and guest list size, you could ask a calligrapher to hand write each invitation entirely in calligraphy or brush lettering â€“ like these hand lettered Sumi ink invitations â€“ or commission something called spot calligraphy, where a calligrapher writes out a few words (usually your names and maybe the venue or location) and digitally scans the lettering to incorporate into the final invitation design. There are calligraphy styles to suit every type of wedding: classic and elegant, modern, bohemian, whimsical, and plenty of examples of spot calligraphy in our wedding invitation archive!

Minimalist wedding invitation design by Jenny Sanders

Semi-custom invitation design by Anne Robin Calligraphy

Photo and Calligraphy by Lauren Saylor of A Fabulous Fete

2. Wedding Welcome Signs

Large signs are the perfect way to welcome guests to your wedding! Wedding welcome signs can be made out of anything from large pieces of plexiglass to reclaimed wood to an oversized tropical leaf. Looking for even more wedding sign inspiration? You’re in luck! I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to this topic right here!

Photo Credit: Barrie Anne Photography via Glamour and Grace

3. Ceremony Backdrop

I love the idea of using a favorite quote or a meaningful phrase written in gorgeous calligraphy to serve as a wedding ceremony backdrop! Text can be painted onto fabric (white cotton curtains or even a bed sheet would do the trick!), written onto a roll of art paper, or even printed using a service like Spoonflower!

Calligraphy by Neither Snow / Photo Credit: Erich McVey

4. Seating Charts & Escort Cards

Seating charts and escort cards serve the extremely helpful purpose of letting your guests know where to sit at the reception â€“ but they can also be beautiful! The difference between a seating chart and escort cards is that a seating chart is usually organized by table number, with the names of each guest at that table below, while escort cards are individual cards alphabetized by guest name that help escort guests to their table. Either way, your guests’ names will look absolutely amazing in calligraphy!

Photo Credit: Blush Wedding Photography via Style Me Pretty

Calligraphy by Neither Snow / Photo Credit: A Bryan Photo

Calligraphy and watercolor by Holly Hollon, Styling by Ginny Au, Photography by Erich McVey via Once Wed

5. Place Cards

A seating chart or escort card will get your guest to the appropriate table, but if you’re planning on assigned seating at your wedding, you’ll also need place cards. I love these simple color-dipped place cards with deckled edges â€“ or beautiful calligraphy tags pinned to gold spray painted faux fruit for a fall wedding. Plenty more place card ideas right here!

Color-dipped place cards with deckled edges by Wildfield Paper Co. / Photo Credit: Callie Hobbes Photography via Style Me Pretty

Calligraphy by Ashley Buzzy / Photo Credit: Rustic White Photography

6. Drink and Dinner Menus

Planning to offer a signature cocktail? Share the options with your guests with a beautiful calligraphy bar sign! And individual dinner menus can even double as place cards by writing the name of each guest at the top!

Calligraphy by Meant to Be Calligraphy / Photo Credit: Rebekah J. Murray via Wedding Chicks

Calligraphy by Chelsea Petaja / Photo Credit: Tec Petaja via Once Wed

7. Table Runners

This one is a bit outside the box, but wouldn’t a calligraphed table runner be the perfect addition to the head table for a romantic wedding? Similarly to a wedding ceremony backdrop, ask your calligrapher to write your wedding vows or a favorite poem onto a roll of butcher paper or art paper, making sure that the text appears only on each side of the table so that it isn’t covered by your centerpieces!

Calligraphy by Rachel Jacobson / Photo Credit: Milton Photography via 100 Layer Cake

8. Chair Signs

I love the idea of creating special signs for the bride and groom’s chairs at the wedding reception. Calligraphed signs (or fabric banners) could be the answer! They also look amazing with a little posy of flowers to accent the sign.

Calligraphy by Li Ward / Photo Credit: Dylan Howell and Sarah Byrne

9. Favor Bags

Last, but not least, send your guests home with a sweet little favor bag! Ask your calligrapher to make you a rubber stamp with your names or initials in calligraphy, then stamp it on cotton muslin bags and fill with your favorite treat!

Photo Credit: Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty

04/19/2018

Soft Neutral Vineyard Wedding Invitations

Soft neutral hues never go out of style. Michelle of Honey Paper designed these soft neutral vineyard wedding invitations inspired by the gorgeous venue nestled in the California mountains. Add in some vinyeard-inspired botanical illustrations, gold wax seals, and curated vintage postage and you’ve got the recipe for one seriously elegant and refined wedding invitation!

From Michelle: Between the San Rafael and Santa Ynez Mountains the summers are warm and rainless, dense with thickets of shrub and stippled in gray pine, wild cotton and a long list of oaks. The narrow, steep ranges are considered young at five million years old. Alluvial soils of the valley bear the plants of myth: bay laurel, rosemary, grape and olive. The Santa Ynez Valley is vintner’s and an artistâ€™s dream. Gravelly soil bakes white in the sun while the slender olive leaves shake and bristle like birds in flight. The villa at Sunstone Vineyards and Winery was built under a seafaring sky in the heart of this beautiful place.

When the Rice family founded Sunstone Vineyard and Winery it became one of the first organic vineyard estates in the region. Everything about their venture has remained true to the story of the land, from practicing sustainable viticulture to incorporating hillside caves among dense blankets of wild grasses and evergreen. Antique wooden beams, once privy to the smells and sounds of a Victorian lavender factory, were brought from England and integrated into the architecture. The villa is a testament to the materials and practices of the old world integrated seamlessly to meet modern standards. Thick walls of local stone were finished with imported French limestone and elegant terra cotta roof tiles. The villa is an architectural gem that simultaneously preserves the past and shapes the future.

We wanted the stationery to capture the essence of the light at Sunstone. We paired a pale clay-colored ink with soft white paper. Each piece of the suite and day-of details, including menu and escort cards incorporate the silhouette of slender olive leaves and branches. The subtle design is reminiscent of a sun print – light waves patiently breaking down the fragile color bonds leaving only traces of color. The envelope and invitation enclosure are a nod to sandstone – a rock whose only memory is of the sea. Each invitation was wrapped in a buttery white ribbon and completed with a golden wax initial seal.

Fine linens and freshly cut greenery were arranged on long tables with wooden benches and tawny pillows under the shade of the high walls. The wedding cake arrived: three tiered, quartz on sky on the softened teal of mountain bluebird. All of the details came together in this inspiring land of rocky outcroppings, sandstone, shale and limestone. A place where the sun leaves a trace of its brightness behind.

Thanks Michelle!

Design and Calligraphy: Honey Paper

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Ashley and Erik Fine Art Photography

03/21/2018

Calligraphy, Hand Lettering, and Typography Wedding Inspiration

We’re obviously pretty big fans of all things calligraphy, hand lettering, and typography here at Oh So Beautiful Paper. And weddings offer endless opportunities to incorporate a bit of text into your wedding dÃ©cor, from welcome signs to ceremony backdrops to dinner menus. Here is some calligraphy, hand lettering, and typography wedding inspiration that you can incorporate into your big day! – Annie

A wooden sign with sans serif type and script makes the perfect backdrop. | Photography: Harmony in Happenstance, Event Design: Bashology, Hand-Cut Wood Letterings: Bashology via Green Wedding Shoes

Hand lettering adds a whimsical touch to escort cards. | Photography: Mi Belle Photography, Event Planning: Bash, Please via Style Me Pretty

Watercolor and calligraphy is a killer combination. | Photography: Henry + Mac, Event Planning: 42* North, Calligraphy: Jenny Sanders via Style Me Pretty

These graphic gold napkins prove it’s all in the details. | Photography: Gina Paulson Photography, Event Coordinator & Stylists: ae creative via Wedding Chicks

Favors are an easy way to add a personal touch. | Photography: Bradley James Photography via Weddingbells

Love the hand lettering on this simple and elegant menu. | Photography: Samantha Davis, Event Planning & Coordination: Marry Me In France via Wedding Chicks

How fun are these personalized paper flags?! | Photography: Jesse Chamberlin of Our Labor of Love, Event Planning: Bash Please via 100 Layer Cake

You really can’t go wrong with a gorgeous laser cut wooden sign. | Photography: Christine Sarah Photography, Event Design & Planning: The Bloom & Co., Handmade Sign: Feather and Birch via Green Wedding Shoes

This graphic black and white menu is anything but boring. | Photography: Mackensey Alexander Photography, Event Planning: Ivory & Beau via Junebug Weddings

A dose of calligraphy at each place setting is also the perfect memento. | Photography: Jessica Kettle Photography, Event Design & Planning: Amorology, Paper Goods: Peanut Press Creative via Green Wedding Shoes

p.s. Fun acrylic sign ideas for weddings and photo booth backdrop ideas!

02/05/2018

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal

Ethereal calligraphy, soft deckled edge paper, and bold red wax seals? Yes, please! We’re loving these romantic deckle edge wedding invitations by Tricia of Fourteen-Forty! The clean, minimalist design is absolutely dreamy on the beautiful handmade paper â€“ and the pop of red in the wax seal is so fun!

From Tricia: When my good friends Clara and Edward came to me for their invitations, all kinds of inspiration and ideas came to mind. They wanted something romantic and modern and throughout the process, was pleasantly surprised again and again by their attention to design and detail. In the end, this deckled edged suite was truly a labor of love!

Up until now, our clients have always preferred a cleaner edge and thus we always hand tore our invitations. Clara and Edward fell in love with deckled edges and so we used them for both the invitation pieces and envelopes! We just love the texture and naturally frayed edges of deckled edge paper. After testing all kinds of combinations we decided ivory and lead gray were the perfect combination: subtle and modern. Their names were calligraphed and printed in gold foil. To top it off we added a vellum overlay tied to the invitation by gold string and a bold red wax seal.

It was clear from the start that calligraphy, both hand and digital, would play a large role in their suite. Each envelope was hand calligraphed and completed with an array of vintage stamps inspired by the coupleâ€™s personal interests. The bright colored stamps were a fun contrast to the subtle sparkle of the gold ink. For their day-of pieces we knew we couldnâ€™t say goodbye just yet to the red wax seal and so we sealed both their menus and escort cards! Each escort card was sealed with the guestsâ€™ table number. On the day, it was so much fun seeing a hundred red seals side by side!

We wanted to make sure that the details didnâ€™t end there and so we also tied each program with the same gold string we used for their invitation. While it isnâ€™t necessary to match your day-of pieces to your invitations, in this case, we were so glad Clara and Edward were excited to bring back aspects of their invitations on the day.

Thanks Rachel!

Design: Fourteen-Forty
Calligraphy: Papersoul
Floral Design: Days of May Florals

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Fourteen-Forty