Search Results for: bridesmaid
Aquamarine Watercolor and Letterpress Wedding Invitations
Whenever I look at a wedding invitation, I always look for that one special detail that stands out from everything else. Sometimes it’s hand lettering or calligraphy. Sometimes it’s the carefully chosen vintage stamps. In the case of these gorgeous aquamarine watercolor and letterpress wedding invitations from Shana of Iris and Marie Letterpress, it’s the beautiful and ethereal hand painted details that Shana added to each invitation. So perfect for an oceanside wedding!
From Shana: Abbey’s July wedding in Florence, South Carolina was hot, but these cool ocean blues and greens gave her guests a breath of fresh air before the big day. Each invitation and reply card was hand painted with acrylic paint using a special water technique. The design was letterpress printed on a 1920s Chandler & Price letterpress using Crane Lettra cotton paper for the invitation and Cards & Pockets Aquamarine envelopes for the reply envelopes. Three colors were used throughout the suite: medium dusty teal, dark dusty teal & grey-green.
The reply card and envelope featured the darker teal of the suite, where as the invitation and outer envelope featured the medium dusty teal that Abbey picked out. The dusty teal used matched her bridesmaids’ dresses perfectly! To go along with her chill vibe, the grey-green was used on the text of the invitation to compliment the blues going on everywhere else.
At the bottom of each invitation is the hazy water painting created uniquely for each invitation with subtle hints of a bright green. The grey-green ink really helped pull those bright greens out & made the invitation colors flow together. The really cool thing about hand painting each piece of paper is that each guest gets a different suite which in turn makes each invitation feel like its own art piece.
Abbey definitely was excited to see each suite come together and see how every invitation was different than the next. She also wanted to add a floral element, but didn’t want them to overpower the hand painted details. So we printed floral illustrations on top of the painted piece to add extra texture.
Can you spot the other little floral element peeking out from the stamp? Instead of having a plain corner of her reply envelope where a stamp would go, we opted to have a cute little flower coming out of the stamp for some extra personality. Flowers were also added to the outer envelopes by being printed to bleed off the envelope flap to give guests a little insight to what is inside.
There are so many fun elements going on in this one suite that you might think that this wedding definitely does not have a “relaxed” vibe. Heck yes it does! Don’t the blue-greens make you want to sit by the ocean? If I were to give this wedding a new theme it would be: relaxed by the ocean with a flower in one hand and sea glass in the other.
Thanks Shana!
Design and printing: Iris and Marie Letterpress
Envelopes: Cards & Pockets
Looking for more wedding invitation inspiration? Visit our wedding invitations archive for more custom wedding invitation ideas!
Paper Flower Ideas
Spring is my favorite season. I practically live for Spring during the dark months of Winter, especially here on the East Coast where the winter months can be bitterly cold. I love seeing new green plants emerge from the ground, buds begin to open on the cherry blossom trees and lilac bushes, and it all just keeps getting better through peony season in May and rose season in the Summer. Paper flowers offer a much-needed dose of color and floral inspiration to get me through to Spring – and they make gorgeous decorations for weddings and parties! Here are some of my absolute favorite paper flower ideas!
Paper flower wedding bouquet by The Lovely Ave
DIY paper flower bouquet by The House That Lars Built / Photo Credit: Jane Merritt
Carry a Beautiful Bouquet
As much as I love real flowers, crepe paper flowers are seriously stunning in their own right. And you don’t have to limit yourself to in-season flowers or worry about the cost of expensive out-of-season blooms!
Pastel paper flower backdrop / Photo Credit: Roberta Facchini via Wedding Chicks
Paper Flower Backdrop
Clusters of large paper flowers make an amazing statement wall for parties of all kinds and look incredible as a ceremony backdrop for weddings! Group them together as closely as possible for a beautiful and abundant layered look, or arrange them above cake and refreshments for added visual interest.
Paper flower birthday party decorations / Photo Credit: Lark Photography via The Makerista
Paper Flower Escort Cards (that double as favors!) / Photo Credit: Appetite Paper for Oh So Beautiful Paper
Paper Flower Escort Cards
I’m a big fan of wedding details that serve double duty. These crepe paper poppies in small glass bottles are beautiful escort cards – and can also go home with guests at the end of the evening as wedding favors! You could even group several together on a table for a whimsical centerpiece.
Giant paper flower bridesmaid bouquet / Photo Credit: Ashley Goodwin via Ruffled
Giant Paper Flower Bouquet
Why stick to a traditional floral bouquet? Giant paper flowers make an excellent statement bouquet for bridesmaids and brides alike!
Crepe paper flower crown by Castle in the Air via HonestlyWTF
Paper Flower Crown
This crepe paper flower crown would be so lovely for bridesmaids or flower girls in a whimsical or bohemian wedding! And I love the addition of tropical flowers like hibiscus.
Magnolia paper flower place settings / Photo Credit: Appetite Paper for Oh So Beautiful Paper
Paper Flower Place Cards
This is such a wonderful idea for holiday dinners or smaller, more intimate weddings. Create (or purchase) your favorite flower from crepe paper, then add a place card in the shape of a leaf!
Crepe paper flowers with watercolor calligraphy escort cards / Crepe paper flowers by Land of Flowers, Watercolor Calligraphy by Perch Paper Company / Photo Credit: Meghan Elliott Photography via Southern Weddings
DIY tea-dyed paper flower garland from The House That Lars Built / Photo Credit: Anna Killian
Paper Flower Chair Decoration
Looking for a special way to decorate chairs at a wedding or a bridal shower? Paper flowers to the rescue! Make a large single bloom and hang it on the back of a chair – or drape a paper flower garland between two chairs.
Paper Flower Garland by May Contain Glitter
Large paper flower chair decorations, Photo Credit: Roberta Facchini via Wedding Chicks (left) // Paper flower ceremony arch, Photo Credit: Rylee Hitchner via Green Wedding Shoes (right)
Create a Ceremony Arch
I love the idea of using paper flowers to create a ceremony arch. Make several sizes of paper flowers in your wedding color palette, then adhere to your ceremony arch using chicken wire and floral wire.
Fairytale illustrated giant flower ceremony aisle decoration / Photo Credit: Caramel Studio
Line the Aisle
Isn’t this something straight out of a fairytale? These giant paper flowers are illustrated rather than made from crepe paper or tissue paper, then mounted on stalks made from chicken wire and covered with green crepe paper!
Tissue paper flower nursery decoration / Photo Credit: Tracey Ayton via Glitter Guide
Decorate a Nursery
Last but definitely not least – can you imagine growing up in a room with giant paper flowers on the wall?! I honestly can’t imagine anything more beautiful or inspiring for a little girl’s room. And I love the added touch of Spanish Moss in the center of the flowers.
Black and White Calligraphy and Watercolor Wedding Invitations
Black and white is a classic combination any time of year – but the high contrast feels especially dramatic in the winter, don’t you think? Victoria of Design House of Moira sent over these black and white calligraphy and watercolor wedding invitations, with flourished calligraphy text in stunning platinum foil on vellum, monochromatic watercolor floral details in the envelope liners, and a super dramatic 2 inch black wax seal. Just gorgeous for a black tie winter wedding!
From Victoria: Winter weddings are often a palette cleanser after the spring and summer filled with pale blushes and French blues. I loved working with Rebecca on her winter wedding, which was held at the New York City Public Library. With hopes for snow on her wedding day, along with the neutral backdrop of the library, she chose a monochromatic palette of black and white with an accent of platinum foil for her wedding day. A true black tie wedding, her bridesmaids were in black gowns and the groomsmen in custom tuxedos.
With each bride we work with, the paper selection is such an important step in our creative process. For Rebecca, we suggested using a heavy weight vellum for her main invitation to reflect the semi-transparency of the snow she loves so much and her engagement ring of onyx and diamonds. Her entire suite was hand calligraphed and printed in platinum and black foil with some serious flourishing and formality throughout. All the calligraphy was designed diagonally across each piece.
The bride really loved all the artwork we create here at Design House of Moira, but was concerned that she would have to forgo watercolor details for her suite due to her limited color range. We suggested a monochromatic watercolor piece created entirely in black for her and we lined her mailing envelopes with the pattern. Her reply envelopes were lined with a heavy foil pattern created from the positive and negative space of her floral artwork.
The final suite included her invitation printed on vellum, the reply card printed in black foil on cotton paper, and her small reception card, printed in platinum foil on vellum and tucked into a tiny envelope for an added detail. The smaller pieces of the suite were bound in a remarkably smooth paper in the blackest of blacks, tied with metallic thread, and sealed with a custom 2″ black wax seal.
Her envelopes were all lined in her pattern, the back bore her return address in calligraphy and a wax seal sealed the envelope. Each envelope was hand addressed with matching calligraphy in black ink. The suite was finished off with two custom postage stamps designed with her artwork.
Thanks Victoria!
Design & Calligraphy: Design House of Moira
Foil Printing: Viking Printing
Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!
Photo Credits: Design House of Moira
DIY Watercolor Floral Pencil Pouch
A new era officially kicks off for my little family today: my oldest daughter, Sophie, starts kindergarten this morning! She’s super excited for the start of a new school year, but I’m trying not to be a blubbery mess – especially since my youngest daughter, Alice, starts preschool (at the same school!) a bit later in the week. Anyway, in honor of Sophie’s first day of kindergarten, I have a fun project for you today: a DIY watercolor floral pencil pouch!
A couple of weeks ago I rounded up eleven of my favorite pencil pouches available for purchase, but I couldn’t find a floral option that I really loved. Vibrant watercolor florals have a special place in my heart, so I teamed up with Courtney from Swiss Cottage Designs to create a colorful illustrated floral pattern for this DIY version! Of course, I styled these as pencil pouches, but you could also use it as a makeup or catch-all bag – or make a bunch of them to give as bridesmaid gifts! The whole process is a snap, so let’s get right to it!
Supplies
Printable floral watercolor pattern
Iron-on transfer sheets for white or light fabrics
Scissors
Iron
To make this DIY watercolor floral pencil pouch:
Step 1. Download and print our watercolor floral template onto iron-on transfer paper for white or light color fabrics. The instructions are different for each type and brand of transfer paper, so be sure to follow the printing instructions on the package.
Step 2. Cut out the floral pattern. It’s totally fine to cut loosely around the entire floral illustration, you just want to cut everything down to fit the size of the zipper pouch.
Step 3. Place the floral pattern on the zipper pouch and iron on according to the package instructions. Some will have you iron on face down, some face up, some require everything to cool before removing the liner, etc. – so just be sure to follow the exact instructions according to your package. It’s totally easy!
Step 4. Fill your floral pouch with pens, pencils, or whatever makes you happy and you’re good to go!
I just love how these turned out! So vibrant and cheerful – and so useful in so many ways. Download the printable floral watercolor pattern from Swiss Cottage Designs below!
PRINTABLE WATERCOLOR FLORAL TEMPLATE
p.s. Eleven awesome pencil pouches (for those of you who aren’t into DIY) and printable tropical envelope liners
All artwork © 2017 Swiss Cottage Designs created exclusively for Oh So Beautiful Paper. All artwork is made available for personal use only. By downloading the patterns you agree to the terms of use.
Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper