Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas

We’re big fans of cocktail hour here on Oh So Beautiful Paper. At a wedding celebration, the cocktail hour kicks off the post-ceremony reception, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money to make a big statement. Just a few details, like personalized napkins or coasters, are a fun way to incorporate your personal style, stories, and tastes. Here are a few fun cocktail hour ideas for your wedding! – Annie

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

How gorgeous is this garland around the bar? | Photography: Tec Petaja, Design, Coordination, Paper, and Florals: Bash, Please via Style Me Pretty

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Love this wooden drinks menu with hand drawn illustrations and lettering. | Photography: Flora + Fauna, Signage: Paper Tangent, Event Coordinator: Flutter Fete via 100 Layer Cake

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Custom coasters add a personal touch. | Photography: Max Wanger, Hand lettering for Coasters: Bernadette Pascua, Event Planning: Bash, Please via 100 Layer Cake

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

These napkins are a modern take on monograms. | Photography: Our Labor of Love, Event Planning: Bash, Please via Style Me Pretty

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Mirrors with calligraphy bring glamour to the bar. | Photography: Tory Williams Photography via The Knot

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calligraphy bar accessories – like these napkins, drink stirrers, and bar sign – create a cohesive and elegant look. | Photography: Rebecca Yale Photography, Cocktail Napkins and Drink Stirrers: Laura Hooper Calligraphy, via Style Me Pretty

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

These paper maché letters are easy to personalize. | Photography: Kelly Stonelake Photography, Paper Goods: Hen & Co., Planning, Coordination, and Design: Going Lovely via Style Me Pretty

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Use a framed chalkboard to display your signature drinks options. | Photography: Our Love Is Loud, Bar Sign Calligraphy: Whimsy Design Studio, Event Design and Planning: Cammye with We Tie The Knots via Green Wedding Shoes

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

For the tropical or botanical-inspired wedding, these calligraphy leaf drink markers are a must. | Photography: Something Minted, Calligraphy: Pink by Peach, Wedding Planner and Creative Director: The Wedding Project Photography via 100 Layer Cake

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Custom drink stirrers carry on the theme of your wedding in a subtle way. | Photography: Milou + Olin Photography, Event Planning, Flowers, and Stationery: Bash, Please via Style Me Pretty

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Ice breaker! Guests will love reading these fun facts as they mingle. | Photography: Flora + Fauna, Signage: Paper Tangent, Event Coordinator: Flutter Fete via 100 Layer Cake

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Cocktail Hour Ideas / Oh So Beautiful Paper

You can’t miss this graphic, graffiti-inspired drink menu. | Photography: Jes Workman, Paper Goods: Boldhouse, Event Design: Art & Soul Events via Green Wedding Shoes

p.s. More cocktail hour and reception signage inspiration right here!

Printable Vellum Favor Tags

This post is brought to you by CJ Affiliate’s VIP Content Service. Thank you My M&M’S for sponsoring this post! All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

My girls have birthdays coming up in September, and I have party planning on the brain! And when it comes to party favors, I’m always in favor of something edible – ideally chocolate. So today I’m partnering with My M&M’S to create three DIY party favors with their adorable personalized M&M’s, complete with printable party favor tags from Courtney of Swiss Cottage Designs! For the packaging, I combined two of my favorite things â€“ anything iridescent and colorful vellum – to create three packaging options perfect for any occasion! So whether you’re planning a wedding or a bridal shower, baby shower or a birthday party, just pick your favorite printable tag and add some colorful M&M’s and you’ll be good to go! Oh, and keep reading below for a special discount from My M&M’S just for Oh So Beautiful Paper readers!

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

My M&M’S are the ideal personalized party favor. As a party guest, I always hope for something edible rather than a random personalized trinket, and who doesn’t like chocolate?? My M&M’S are completely customizable with photos or text, which means you can make them totally unique to your event. You don’t need graphic design skills to create the personalized M&M’s – just upload a photo or type in your selected text and My M&M’S will take care of the rest! I kept mine simple with short messages of “yay!” and “xoxo,” but I think it would be so sweet to include names for a wedding or bridal shower – or even a name and birthday for a kids birthday party!

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I used three different size party favors, each with different printable party favor tags: a long and skinny rectangular candy box, a square favor box, and glassine envelopes. Courtney and I kept the favor tag designs fairly simple with cute hand lettered messages and sweet little illustrations that could work for a variety of occasions. The favor boxes are both clear so you can see a little glimpse of the My M&M’S inside, while the color of the My M&M’S peeks through the glassine envelopes to give a hint of what’s inside. My M&M’S are the perfect solution for DIY party favors and candy buffets, especially since you can choose your own colors! I used a color palette of pastels – pink, lavender, cream, and light blue – with a bit of aqua and dark green. With 25 colors to mix and match, you can find the right color combination for any event!

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

For the long rectangle favor boxes, I used strips of transparent vellum in our color palette of pink, purple, and aqua – they look so great against the My M&M’S! I also found positively DREAMY opalescent vellum and a white vellum with iridescent dots for just a little extra sparkle. I printed Courtney’s designs directly on the opalescent and iridescent vellum, cut the printed vellum into 2″ strips, and layered that over another 3″ strip of vellum in a complementary color.

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I paired the square favor boxes with circle favor tags. For some favor boxes, I wrapped the boxes in 1″ strips of colorful vellum and sparkly iridescent twine. For other favor boxes, I wrapped the entire box in squares of iridescent cellophane and tied it up with sparkly twine. To turn the circle tags into gift tags, just print onto vellum and punch them out using a 1.5″ circle punch, then punch a 1/8″ hole for the twine. Or print the circle tags onto these labels and stick two labels together to create a tag!

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The glassine bags feature a layer of iridescent cellophane (DIY tutorial coming tomorrow!) with a colorful vellum tag and sparkly twine.

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I printed mostly black and white versions of the printable party favor tags, but I included some color versions in case you want to print them onto labels or white printer paper. Use full sheet labels for Little Wishes and cut down to 2″ wide, use these square labels for the Love is Sweet tags, and use these circle labels for the Best Day Ever tags. They’re all formatted in the appropriate templates for each label and ready to print! The color versions also look AMAZING printed onto the opalescent and iridescent vellum, I’m just saying.

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Here’s everything that you’ll need to make your own!

My M&M’S in your chosen colors – and My M&M’S is graciously offering Oh So Beautiful Paper readers a 25% discount through September 1, 2016 with the code OHSO!

Clear Rectangular Candy Boxes

Square Acrylic Favor Boxes

Glassine Bags

Colorful Vellum (I used blush, pink, purple, and aqua)

Iridescent Vellum

Opalescent Vellum

Prism Twine

Paper Trimmer

1.5″ Circle Punch

2″ Square Punch

1/8″ Hole Punch

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The favor boxes would look so cute stacked in rows on a table, while the glassine envelopes could be placed in a cute basket or pinned on a board for guests to take! I’m just completely obsessed with the combination of iridescent and pastels. These glassine favor bags, printable party favor tags, and colorful M&M’s will definitely be making an appearance at my girls’ birthday party in just a few weeks!

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Printable Party Favor Tags with My M&Ms / Design by Swiss Cottage Designs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Save 25% at My M&M’S through September 1, 2016 with the code OHSO!

Download all of the printable party favor tags below!

LITTLE WISHES: COLOR | BLACK + WHITE

BEST DAY EVER: COLOR | BLACK + WHITE

LOVE IS SWEET: COLOR | BLACK + WHITE

All printable artwork © 2016 Swiss Cottage Designs created exclusively for Oh So Beautiful Paper. All artwork is made available for personal use only and may not be altered, reproduced, or sold in any way. By downloading the patterns you agree to the terms of use.

Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

This post is brought to you by CJ Affiliate’s VIP Content Service. Thank you My M&M’S for sponsoring this post. While this was a sponsored opportunity from My M&M’S, all content and opinions expressed here are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations

I’ve had the pleasure of featuring every single birthday party invitation for Lisa from Good on Paper‘s eldest son, Lucas – and today Lisa is sharing Lucas’s SIXTH birthday party invitation. (Side note: whaaaaaat????) You can also see the invitations from previous birthdays: 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. I love the way Lisa makes each invitation feel fresh and special without being overly cutesy. One year Lisa went with a hide and seek theme, and last year was a wild animal theme! This year, Lucas chose a magic theme for his birthday party, and for his magic theme birthday party invitations Lisa created a vintage-inspired design with an old school magic feel. Lisa incorporated custom photo envelope liners, which have become a bit of a tradition for her boys’ birthday party invitations, and a custom rubber stamp that was used on the invitations and day-of party stationery!

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Lisa: Lucas decided on a magic theme for his 6th birthday party this year. I designed the invitations with a clean but slightly vintage feel, complete with custom photo envelope liners and a custom rubber stamp that was used on favor bags, dessert packaging for mochi ice cream, thank you cards, and our traditional donut hole cones. I stuck to a color scheme of black/white/red which reminded me of old school magic.The double thick invitations were mailed in kraft envelopes and sealed with wrap-around address labels.

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Magic Theme Birthday Party Invitations by Good on Paper / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks so much Lisa! And happy birthday Lucas!

Good on Paper is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of Lisa’s amazing work right here!

Photo Credits: Good on Paper

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save The Dates

Well, these save the dates are quite romantic! Created for her own upcoming wedding by Erin of Grace + Ardor Co., these illustrated European-inspired watercolor save the dates feature a gorgeous custom watercolor illustration of the reception venue, hand-torn deckle edges, and a gorgeous wax seal. And I love that Erin chose to go with a large scale format for her save the dates – all the better to show off that beautiful illustration!

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

From Erin: My fiancé, John, and I are getting married this September, and planning and designing a wedding has been something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a little girl. I spent the first few months of our engagement really researching and refining my aesthetic. Once I had that in place, I decided to collaborate with a fellow designer (and one of my bridesmaids), Tracey, to create my Save the Dates.

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Our wedding is going to be very soft, romantic, and European-inspired. Blush pinks and neutrals, lots of foliage, some deep merlot tones, and mixed metals are in the palette. The ceremony will be held at Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Pennsylvania: a gorgeous Early Gothic style structure set amongst beautiful gardens. Located next to that is the stunning Cairnwood Estate, in which our reception will take place.

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I also collaborated with an illustrator, Cheryl Geiger Sheeler, for the beautiful watercolor painting of Cairnwood Estate. This was scanned in to the computer and printed on Epson Watercolor Paper. We tore the edges of the paper by hand to give it a deckled edge, and the illustration bled off the edge to add to the natural, handmade feel.

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

For impact, the scale was larger than a traditional Save the Date at 8.75 x 15 inches, folding down into a Crane Lettra A9 envelope. The fold was secured with an antique gold olive branch wax seal. I wanted to save the beautiful impression that calligraphy gives for our main wedding stationery, so I decided to create address labels that wrapped around the side of the envelope as an elegant alternative. Everything came together so wonderfully, and I especially love the handcrafted details. I cannot wait until our big day in September to celebrate our love for each other!

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Illustrated European-Inspired Watercolor Save the Dates by Grace + Ardor / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks Erin!

Design: Grace + Ardor Co.

Watercolor Illustration: Cheryl Geiger Sheeler

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

Photo Credits: Erin Doyle, Grace + Ardor Co.

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday

This installment of Behind the Stationery features a stationer who creates some of the most beautiful acrylic and gouache work I’ve seen. Patricia at Our Heiday is a talented artist who left the world of law to grow a stationery company in LA. This sister act has found great ways to break out responsibilities and grow the team. I’m so excited to have them here! Take it away, Patricia. –Megan

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Hello, friends! Patricia here, founder and creative director at Our Heiday. We’re so excited to give you a little peek into what goes on behind the scenes at our studio in downtown Los Angeles. I started this company in June 2014 after leaving two years of law school at UCLA. A lifetime of reading contracts or writing legal briefs was not a commitment I was willing to make and so pivot I did! Our Heiday is named after my mom and her four sisters who fostered so much of my creativity growing up. I’m a self-taught artist who draws so much inspiration for my family’s endless repertoire of painting, graphic design, dance, and film. My sister and I were given drawing pads before we could even write properly and working with our hands was part of the daily.

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

I spent about 9 months prior to starting Our Heiday refining the first release and because my mom had run a robust wholesale business my entire life, I knew that was the direction I wanted to take the company. When the website launched, I expected nothing more than to grow organically, one shop at a time, one order at a time. After months of running solo (read: living room was a warehouse, dining table a worktable, floors a packaging station), our “Ooh Those Baby Toes” card was picked up by Anthropologie in March 2015 and this gave me so much momentum heading into the National Stationery Show that year.

So much changed after May 2015 – we had an incredible experience debuting at NSS and after running the booth with me, my sister, Donna, also left her career in teaching to join Our Heiday full time. Working with family, let alone your best friend, has been the most amazing shift!

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

We moved into a separate studio space (my husband is still singing praises) immediately after we returned from New York and hired two more employees so that I could focus solely on the creative side. These big moments have shaped so much of how efficient and effective we’re able to be day-to-day. Prior to having a team, I was shouldering all of the daily responsibilities of running a creative business and being able to delegate was one of the best things that happened after the show. Amber and Megan head up packaging and production, making sure that all of our orders are fulfilled quickly and carefully. Donna handles all of our operations, accounts, customer service, and communications so that no one slips through the cracks. We wouldn’t be here without our customers and it’s so important to us that every one of them feels invested in Our Heiday.

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Details, details, we love them. From the branding stamps on our shipping boxes to the labels on our wrapping paper, each element is meticulously thought through before we send our products.

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Every week, we have a team meeting so that everyone is contributing to the conversations about new product releases, systems that need improving, projects with upcoming deadlines. Donna lives in New York currently and joins us remotely unless she’s in town visiting. This will change when she’s back in LA this August!

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Having a team means I can focus most of my time on creative and high level growth. I spend my days painting and lettering new work and making sure that we’re always coming back to the core vision of the company. I’m so grateful that my hands have been freed to do what they’re best at; it’s been the ultimate blessing. We currently offer cards, art prints, gift wrap, phone cases and table decor items, but my goal has always been to become a lifestyle brand, offering a wide-spanning range of products that elevate the everyday. We’ll be showcasing a new line of desk products full of fresh patterns and a calendar for 2017, which was so fun to put together. Sneak peek below!

Behind the Stationery: Our Heiday / Photo Credit: Lily Glass Photography / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Thanks so much for joining along today! You can shop all of our products including the newest release on our website at ourheiday.com and follow along with us on instagram, facebook, and twitter at @ourheiday.

Photos by Lily Glass.

If you’re interested in participating in the Behind the Stationery column, contact Megan at megan[at]ohsobeautifulpaper.com!