I love the mix of classic elegance and youthful whimsy in these illustrated storybook wedding invitations and save the dates from Jen at Shipwright & Co. Inspired by the illustrations of Ludwig Bemelmans (creator of the Madeline books) and with a color palette inspired by natural plant dyes, the invitation suite features illustrations of animals dancing at dusk and nighttime, surrounded by beautiful woodland flora. Just gorgeous!

From Jen: Ashley and Mike met in New York and had many dates at Bemelmans Bar, which is named in honor of Ludwig Bemelmans – creator of the Madeline children’s books. The walls are covered with his illustrations, featuring many animals frolicking in the woods. Ashley and Mike wanted to capture that magic and whimsy of those illustrations in their invitations, and we were super excited to oblige as we are big fans of classic children’s book illustrations.

The save the dates capture the animals dancing at dusk on the barn where Ashley and Mike tied the knot, and the invitations move into a nighttime world, layered in three colors with the handwritten text filling up the full moon. These pieces are all about the details. Each animal and plant was chosen especially for each spot. We also love their color scheme, which was inspired by natural plant dyes.

Thanks Jen!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Shipwright & Co.

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Emma K. Morris