You might remember these super fun Kentucky Derby Day party invitations from Lauren Chism last year – I loved the preppy navy and green color palette and stripes! Well, Lauren and her husband decided to make their Derby Day party an annual tradition, and I’m thrilled to share this year’s invitations today!

From Lauren: When it was time to design invitations for our annual Derby Day party, I felt the pressure to design another fun invitation (self-imposed of course). I loved how last year’s invitations turned out, so I wanted these to be equally as special, without overlapping in style since we were inviting a lot of the same people. I kept the color scheme the same-ish with cobalt blue and kelly green, but that’s where the similarities ended.

I wanted to wow guests right out of the mailbox, so I planned the envelopes as much as the invitations. I used white digital ink for the addresses, which just popped on the kraft paper and each envelope had a mix of vintage postage that I curated from various Etsy shops. From the horses to the roses, I don’t think I could have found more perfect postage for a derby party.

Wait, it gets better on the inside… the invitations were square gate fold format, but I had the back facing up, so that when guests open the envelope, the first thing they see is “2nd Annual Derby Day.” When they flip it over, the cards were sealed with a little bow-tie sticker. The green stickers popped on the background of patterns, inspired by jockey silks.

On the inside, I utilized the unique format to layout the party details. From the mint juleps and southern snacks to requesting guest wear ‘derby attire’, I made sure I all the information was there but love how the layout was simple and fresh. We had fun with the puns too: calling our house ‘Chism Downs’ and asking guests to RSVP with yay or ‘neigh’. Now, we just need to make sure our party is as much fun as the invitations!

Thanks Lauren!

Lauren Chism Fine Papers is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can check out more of Lauren’s work right here!

Photo Credits: Lauren Chism Fine Papers