These invitations combine two of my current favorite paper trends: dreamy vellum and romantic deckled edges! Michelle Castle of Honey Paper designed these gray vellum wine country wedding invitations, with a beautiful vellum overlay on invitations printed on the dreamiest Italian paper with deckled edges. The juxtaposition of crisp vellum and textured paper in this suite is simply stunning. More please!

From Michelle: Guests gathered for an outdoor summer wedding ceremony and reception at The Velvet Bee Vineyard in one of California’s picturesque wine regions. The couple wanted their love and appreciation of the arts to be reflected in every aspect of their wedding day from the hand moulded paper of the invitations to the elegantly handcrafted ceramic dishes.

Texture and nostalgia were integral to the atmosphere. Sheets of white linen the color of cut radish covered the tables and each vase held the velvety, pinnate leaves of silver ragwort, clutches of white zinnia and thick downy roses. Bread and butter plates, saucers and glasses resembling 18th-century creamware enhanced the dreamy ambiance.

We used a combination of hand moulded Italian papers and vellum for the invitation suite and menus emphasizing the polarity of the textures. The dense, fibrous invitation and reply card were printed with a soft gray ink in a font suggestive of a carefully handwritten letter. The invitations were overlaid with wafer thin vellum printed with drawings of garden roses in gray and wrapped in silk ribbon, an orchestration of texture and tone. Creamy white wax seals impressed with a bee stamp finished the invitations. Envelopes were lined with a drawing of a single rose in gray repeating the botanical style of the vellum pieces. Envelopes were addressed in a thin line calligraphic script in gold ink.

A spectrum of gray, cream and white unified the paper details and ceramics – the slow, rich beauty of stone, slate, ash – gray and its association with the passage of time, memory, storms and wisdom. The menu repeated the vellum of the invitation and was printed with a pale, stone gray ink. Focusing on texture and the subtle tone on tone of transition from white to gray was a nod to the beautifully crafted Astier de Villatte ceramics at the table. Menus were placed atop plates with either gilt edges or beaded rims.

The polarity of the clay and glaze, as well as the lightness of the ceramic objects, was something we wanted the stationery and menus to reflect. The lucid, ephemeral quality of the vellum and the feathery edged moulded deckled paper carried those qualities from the invitation suite to the menus.

Thanks Michelle!

Design & Calligraphy: Honey Paper

Paper: Arturo Italian

Honey Paper is a member of the Designer Rolodex – check out more of their beautiful work right here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Cara Robbins Studio