Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Ahhhh…. navy and white is such a beautiful and classic combination. Add in some modern botanical illustrations from one of our talented Designer Rolodex members, Kim of Bright Room Studio, and you’ve got some seriously gorgeous navy and white illustrated floral wedding invitations! I love that Kim and the bride and groom decided to letterpress print the entire suite in a single color – navy blue – which just completely elevates Kim’s beautiful illustrations and lettering. So pretty!

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

From Kim: Working with Allie and Michael on their invitations was so much fun. I knew it was going to be a great project when I received a design brief written by the groom! He put so much thought and time in to sharing their story, aesthetic and things that were important to them (including their favorite cocktails and guilty pleasures!) that it made the creative process so much fun and made their invitations incredibly personal and special for them.

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

We started with the cute map save the date. I love creating maps, especially when I get to incorporate illustrations of the architecture and buildings, combined with places that are meaningful to them. They met “the old fashioned way” – at a bar! – so we definitely wanted to incorporate that cute detail, along with the wedding venues. We did the map in a gorgeous blue, which became a design theme for the rest of the suite.

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

For the invitation, we wanted to keep it sophisticated but still personal. We chose symbols to represent their heritage: an olive branch for her Greek background and a thistle for his Scottish roots. I illustrated each branch and used it throughout the invitation through patterns, graphic details and the monogram. We letterpress printed the invitation to really make the leaf details pop.

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

The monogram tag is such a great example of what you can do in the design process. I showed them one design with this leaf pattern and one with the monogram and they couldn’t decide, so we found a way to incorporate both ideas throughout the suite. The monogram was also a perfect detail to use in other elements on their wedding day, such as the sweet notecards, menu and program.

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

We continued the monochromatic palette through everything, which kept the design cohesive and sophisticated. The little branch details and modern calligraphy style tied the smaller pieces together. What resulted was a lovely invitation that felt personal to them and gave their wedding a beautiful look throughout.

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Navy and White Illustrated Floral Wedding Invitations

Thanks Kim!

Design: Bright Room Studio

Printing: Mercurio Brothers Printing

Bright Room Studio is a member of the Designer Rolodex  â€“ you can see more of Kim’s beautiful work right here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Bright Room Studio

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration

‘Tis the season! Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial start of summer, and with wedding season officially underway, we thought it would be a good idea to round up some outdoor wedding stationery inspiration. So for those of you planning an outdoor affair this summer, check out a few ideas for day-of wedding stationery ideas for a carefree outdoor summer wedding! â€“Annie

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Forget trying to balance a plate during cocktail hour and opt for paper cones instead. | Photography: The Ganeys, Event Planning & Styling: Ever After Vintage Weddings via Ruffled

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Framed table numbers look so elegant. | Photography: Lisa Hoshi, Event Design & Planning: Houlfa Rekik, Stationery: Callyane via Boho Weddings

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

How cute are these seed packet escort cards? | Photography: Ashley Crenshaw of Gypsy Jane Photography via Exquisite Weddings

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Paper lanterns are an easy way to instantly brighten up a space. | Photography: Steve Cowell Photo via Ruffled

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Those summer nights can get chilly! | Photography: Lovers of Love Photography, Event Coordinator: Michelle Garibay Events, Calligraphy: Outside The Bloom via Wedding Wire

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Windy day? No big deal. Wooden place cards won’t blow away! | Photography: Kristen Booth, Producer & Art Direction: Green Wedding Shoes, Event Design: LB Event Planning, Calligraphy: Calligraphy Nerd via Green Wedding Shoes

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Take a paper table cloth from boring to playful with hand lettering and illustrations. Plus, easy clean up! | Photography: Kathryn McCrary, Coordination: Candice Beaty, Paper Goods & Hand Lettering: Jenn Gietzen Of Write On! Design

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Draw inspiration from your surroundings, like this wooden escort card display. | Photography: Lindsay Hackney Photography via Junebug Weddings

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Terracotta place cards are perfect for a garden wedding. | Photography: Jessica Kettle, Event Design & Planning: Amorology Wedding, Calligraphy: Betlem Calligraphy via Green Wedding Shoes

Outdoor Wedding Stationery Inspiration / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Rather than worrying about individual menus, create a bright and graphic wooden sign that no one will miss. | Photography: Melissa Ryan, Hand Lettering: Wylie West Creative via Wylie West Creative

Are you planning an outdoor wedding? Let us know in the comments – and be sure to share your wedding theme or style inspiration!

Modern Calligraphy Summit Spring Enrollment!

If you missed out on the chance to enroll in the Modern Calligraphy Summit last year, I’ve got great news: enrollment JUST reopened! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the Modern Calligraphy Summit is the most comprehensive package of online calligraphy classes that I’ve ever seen. There are two installments so far – Modern Calligraphy Summit 1.0 and Modern Calligraphy Summit 2.0 – which together offer more than 18 hours of online calligraphy instruction from some of the most talented calligraphers on the planet. Enrollment for both installments ends at 11:59 pm PST on Monday, May 21 and won’t be back until further notice, so jump in now if you’ve been waiting to enroll. Enroll right here!

Modern Calligraphy Summit / Wildfield Paper Co.

Photo Credit: Wildfield Paper Co.

If you’ve heard me talk about the Modern Calligraphy Summit before, I probably sound like a broken record, but it really is just the most amazing group of online calligraphy classes from every single calligrapher that I would want to learn from in person if I had the opportunity. The classes including brush lettering, invitation design, envelope layouts, basic copperplate, writing on non-traditional surfaces, digitizing watercolor illustrations, and so much more! And as much as an in-person workshop would be totally amazing, it’s just as incredible to be able to learn from so many talented calligraphers from the comfort of your own home. The Modern Calligraphy Summit also includes handy templates and handouts, a private Facebook community to support you as you learn, and two bonus LIVE Q&A sessions with the instructors in January. And of course LIFETIME ACCESS to all the amazing content, so even if you can’t start the course material right now you can pick it up at your convenience – or go back and watch the videos as many times as you need to practice and get the hang of things!

Modern Calligraphy Summit 2.0 / A Fabulous Fete

Photo Credit: A Fabulous Fete

The Modern Calligraphy Summit offers the opportunity to learn from more than a dozen of the most talented calligraphers in the world, including Anne Robin Calligraphy, Annie Mertlich of Wildfield Paper Co., Ashley Buzzy Lettering & Press, Alissa Mazzenga of Feast Fine Art & Calligraphy, Design House of Moira, Laura Hooper Calligraphy, Fozzy Castro-Dayrit, Calligrafikas, and Nicole Miyuki, Katherine Ross of Script Merchant, Lauren Saylor of A Fabulous Fete, Jenna Rainey of Mon Voir, Karla Lim of Written Word Calligraphy, Sharisse DeLeon of Pieces Calligraphy, Younghae Chung of Logos Calligraphy, and Molly Knabel of Poppy and Mint Design. Each of these ladies has some serious talent and hard-earned knowledge – and they’re generous enough to share their insights and tips with us!

Enroll in the Modern Calligraphy Summit right here!

This post contains affiliate links. By clicking on these links, you’ll help support Oh So Beautiful Paper while also learning the beautiful art of calligraphy! I only recommend products that I truly love and trust that you’ll love, too. My full disclosure policy can be found here.

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration

You guys, I am SO excited for today’s post! I’m a big fan of anything rainbow (who isn’t??) and I love the look of white ink on bright colors, and this idea brings those two favorite things together! This concept came out of these DIY colorful watercolor envelopes that we did two years ago (!!), and I’m so excited to partner with Sakura of America to bring this rainbow watercolor wedding stationery inspiration to life. I enlisted Molly from Alchemy Calligraphy to work her calligraphy magic using Sakura’s Gelly Roll® Classic™ White pens (now available in three different weights!) on pieces of handmade paper that I painted with Sakura’s Koi Water Color Field Sketch Travel Kit. I’m so excited to share the results with you, along with the how-to so you can create beautiful rainbow watercolor stationery at home!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Okay, so there are two super exciting things happening here: first, the Sakura Koi Water Color Field Sketch Travel Kits allowed me to mix my ideal rainbow color palette. Since so many pieces of paper were involved, I wanted to translate my rainbow inspiration into several different hues of each color, from the palest pink to the deepest blue and plenty of non-traditional hues in between. I’m seriously loving the terra cotta color under the quote piece below, especially paired with shades of pale pink, peach, and deep blue. So good! And second, the different weights of the Gelly Roll Classic White pens are the perfect tool for creating different lettering styles and illustrations on the watercolor paper – and the white ink is totally opaque, so it’s super clear and crisp!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

I mean, if you’re going to send out colorful watercolor envelopes, you probably want to incorporate some color into your wedding stationery, right? You can also totally use these ideas for baby showers, birthday parties, or any other event! Every party needs a bit of color and texture, no matter the size of the party! You can go full rainbow like I did, or focus on a few colors from your own color palette – with watercolor, you can easily mix your any color, so the sky is the limit! And the opaque white ink ties everything together so the entire look is cohesive.

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

To create the rainbow watercolor wedding stationery, we used Sakura’s new 48-color Koi Watercolor Field Sketch Travel Kit to mix and paint dozens of different colors on handmade paper in varying sizes. I used Sakura’s refillable water brush to mix the paint colors in the detachable easel, then a larger, wider brush to paint the watercolor onto the paper in smooth strokes – leaving the tiniest white border around the edge. Also, the amount of water that you use helps determine the vibrancy of the colors. I used less water when I wanted really deep or bright colors, and more water when I wanted a lighter or more pastel color. Keep a test sheet of paper handy so you can test colors first before painting, since the colors can look different in the pan than on paper!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

So much rainbow gorgeousness! I had place cards, menus, and table numbers in mind when choosing paper sizes, so we used mostly 2.5×3.5″ pieces and a few 5×7″ pieces. The key to achieving really bright and vibrant colors is to use handmade cotton rag paper – mine came from Fabulous Fancy Pants and Silk & Willow. I tried painting on store-bought watercolor paper but just really wasn’t able to get the colors that I wanted! The handmade paper totally did the trick.

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

That mustard yellow right there is just singing to me! So good!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Once everything is fully dry, you can start lettering! The Gelly Roll® Classic™ White pens come in three different weights – 05 fine (0.5mm), 08 medium (0.8mm), and 10 bold (1.0mm) – so you can really have fun with different lettering styles and calligraphy. Fine lines are perfect for elegant calligraphy on a wedding invitation, while the medium and bold lines are fun for more non-traditional lettering on place cards and menus. You can also mix different lettering styles, from script to serif to all caps – the most important thing is to have fun with whatever styles you choose!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Is there anything better than beautiful watercolors combined with soft deckled edges? It’s just the perfect combination!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

I love the way Molly from Alchemy Calligraphy added these sweet botanical illustrations to the table numbers! Such a fun way to dress up a simple table number design. I love the way the white ink pops against the watercolor, and the texture of the handmade paper also adds such a special and unique touch.

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

I feel like this quote would be perfect for a guest book, right? Ask guests to leave a note with their favorite marriage advice or even their own favorite quote about love!

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

Rainbow Watercolor Wedding Stationery Inspiration with Sakura Koi Watercolors and White Gelly Roll Pens

So much fun rainbow watercolor wedding stationery inspiration, right??? You can pick up your own 48-color Koi Water Color Field Sketch Travel Kit here and Gelly Roll Classic White pens here – you’ll have so much fun creating beautiful and colorful stationery for your wedding or event!

 

Supplies: Sakura of America 48-color Koi Water Color Field Sketch Travel Kit and Gelly Roll Classic White pens

Calligraphy: Alchemy Calligraphy

Handmade Paper: Fabulous Fancy Pants and Silk & Willow

 

Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

This post is sponsored by Sakura of America. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Inspiring Calligraphers: Stephanie Hino of Double Dipped Calligraphy

Hello everyone! We all know double dipping is a no-no when it comes to party dips, but when it comes to fancy lettering, let’s just say you’re going to say a big yes to the pretty work of Double Dipped Calligraphy. Stephanie Hino, the artistic force behind the collection, shares a peek at her work and her inspiration. Let’s dip in, shall we? Jen

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

On what inspires her lettering style, Stephanie shares: “The thing that attracted me to modern calligraphy was the movement of the letters and words across a page. Whenever I’m working on something, my goal is to make my lettering look effortless and organic. The tension between creating free flowing words while also demonstrating restraint is a beautiful thing!”

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Forty Eleven Photo

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

Photo Credits: Alexandria Monette Photography

On her favorite project, Stephanie shares: “I love trying new things that I haven’t seen before. One of my favorite projects was the Hangar 21 grand opening from last summer. There were several vignettes at the event that I was able to contribute to, each unique and so fun. The hand painted, clear acrylic chargers and tropical leaf menus were a couple of my favorites.”

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

On doing calligraphy on non-paper surfaces, Stephanie says: “While I’ll always be a paper lover, it is so fun to work on other surfaces. Some favorites have been greenery, leather jackets, and acrylic. I acquired a laser machine in the last year and it’s been a whole new journey of possibilities. Acrylic has especially been a popular choice recently, whether I’m writing directly on it, engraving, or cutting my lettering out of it.”

Inspiring Calligraphers: Double Dipped Calligraphy

On top of all the beautiful lettering work, can we talk about these amazing color palettes, too? So pretty! Thanks again to Stephanie for sharing a peek inside her work!

All images via Double Dipped Calligraphy except where noted.