Search Results for: wedding program

Wedding Invitations — Brown Sugar Design

I’ve been a huge fan of Brown Sugar Design since I came across their portfolio while researching for my own wedding last year.  Husband and wife design team Whitney and Jonathan create beautiful (and completely custom) wedding invitations, using just about every printing method possible.

Whitney and Jonathan were kind enough to send over a few photos from their portfolio, so let’s get right to it:

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Brown-sugar-design-letterpress-blue-brown-pocket-wedding-invitation
{allie + paul}

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Brown-sugar-design-orange-letterpress-wedding-invitation-detail

Brown-sugar-design-orange-letterpress-wedding-invitation-enclosures

Brown-sugar-design-orange-letterpress-wedding-invitation-program
{jill + nick – love the gorgeous orange + chartreuse in this letterpress invitation design}

Brown-sugar-design-gray-yellow-teal-wedding-invitation-invite

Brown-sugar-design-gray-yellow-teal-wedding-invitation-rsvp

Brown-sugar-design-gray-yellow-teal-wedding-invitation-suite
{missy + garrett – featuring a fabulously bold yellow, gray + teal color palette}

Brown-sugar-design-green-botanical-wedding-invitation-suite

Brown-sugar-design-green-botanical-wedding-invitation-invite

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{sonya + michael}

This invitation, which incorporates a vintage map as a key design element, is one of my favorites from the Brown Sugar Design portfolio:

Brown-sugar-design-map-wedding-invitation-band

Brown-sugar-design-map-wedding-invitation-suite

Brown-sugar-design-map-wedding-invitation-passport

Brown-sugar-design-map-wedding-invitation-reception

Brown-sugar-design-map-wedding-invitation-enclosures

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Brown-sugar-design-map-wedding-invitation-wishcards
{linnea + paul – they used these post cards as “wishing cards” so that each guest could write a wish for the bride + groom’s new life together}

I’ve got one more invitation suite from Brown Sugar Design to share with you a bit later today.  In the meantime, you can check out more from the Brown Sugar Design portfolio right here.

{photos via Brown Sugar Design}

{pink + green wedding invitations}

Cathie recently sent over these sweet pink and green wedding invitations that she designed and printed for friends that she's known since elementary school.  The bride wanted a green and pink color palette for the invitations – so Cathie developed this sweet bird-theme invitation design:

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In addition to the invitations, Cathie also designed the ceremony programs and candy favor labels:
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Such a sweet wedding invitation design – you can check out more of Cathie's illustration and design portfolio here.  Thanks for sharing Cathie!
{photos by Cathie}

Jennifer + James Sunflower Wedding Invitations

I am so excited to be featuring today’s real invitations and wedding stationery, designed by Lisa from Good on Paper for James and Jennifer’s beautiful sunflower-filled wedding:

Sunflower Wedding Beaulieu Garden Napa Valley

You might have seen this wedding, designed by the amazing Gloria Wong, in the latest issue of MS Weddings, but Heidi and Judy from Gertrude + Mabel Photography were kind enough to send over photos specifically of the paper elements:

Jennifer-James-Invitation-Activities

The bride, Jennifer, also shared the inspiration behind Lisa’s beautiful designs:

We loved the casual, rustic style of an outdoor wedding.  We definitely wanted a beautiful outdoor setting that made our guests feel like they were on a mini vacation (even if they only drove up from San Francisco).  Beaulieu Gardens was a perfect romantic choice for us since it had so many different locations for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception (where we loved dining underneath a canopy of trees).

sunflower wedding centerpiece floral arrangement table signs

Also, it had a very vintage feel to it, and so we were inspired by the look and feel of the South of France.  Our planner used old vintage suitcases as props, a lot of wooden signs, rusted copper and tin containers to hold the flower arrangements, casual french-inspired table cloth runners, mason jars, and sunflowers.

sunflower wedding escort place cards sunflower wedding place card twine

Nancy also did a great job weaving in elements of the two of us.  For example, I love to eat and cook.  For setting arrangements, we labeled each of the tables an herb that I normally use in my cooking.

sunflower wedding wooden herb table name signs sunflower napa valley wedding ceremony programs

We also created a “marketplace” that looked like a farmer’s market (since I love to frequent them) and gave away sunflowers, fresh fruits, flip flops, and a recipe box filled with 12 of my favor recipes to make and a little package of thyme (my favorite herb).

Jennifer-James-Menu

sunflower wedding letterpress recipe card

For the invitations specifically, we worked with Lisa to incorporate the wedding themes too.  The main page had sunflowers that were drawn on them (which was the main flower we used in the wedding).

sunflower letterpress wedding invitation

Lisa also incorporated herbs into the other cards such as the reply card since it tied back to my love of cooking.  We had purchased a herb picture book so that Lisa could get inspired.  Also, everything was very casual with the invitation.  We chose to write everything in lower case for the invitations and all other printed material at the wedding.

I love that Jenny’s love for cooking is reflected throughout the invitations and wedding – resulting in a very personal design and feel to the invitation – and the way Lisa designed the invitation suite to convey central theme without each element being too matchy-matchy.  Plus, the sunflower and herb motif seems like a perfect fit for a wedding taking place just as summer transitions into fall.  So lovely!  Thank you so much to Jennifer and Lisa for sharing these invitations – and to Heidi and Judy from Gertrude + Mabel for providing such lovely photos!

{all photos by Gertrude + Mabel}

Trimming the Budget without Sacrificing the First Impression

Labels

Images from Martha Stewart Weddings (right styled by Rebecca Thuss)

Hello, everyone! It's Maddy from the Inspired Bride blog, here to once again fill in for Nole.

Everybody is thinking of ways to save money nowadays, and the first things to go are the ones that aren't in the "absolutely necessary" column. For a lot of brides, that means sacrificing hand calligraphy – while it's gorgeous, it also can rack up quickly if you have lots of guests. Here are some suggestions on how to cut the calligraphy without losing the great first impression it makes.

Make an investment in a commercial calligraphy face and print your envelopes. Please don't go down the free font route! I've pleaded this case on my blog before because, as a graphic designer, it can be a little painful to see. There's a reason they're free – typographically, they're generally not up to par with pay fonts, and when that craftsmanship is not there from the get go, you won't be leaving the impression with your guests that you want. There are plenty of typefaces available for affordable prices, and I've covered some on the Inspired Bride. A great resource for affordable fonts is MyFonts – I would recommend you start there. Remember that the more you use the fonts, the better deal you're getting, so consider using them on favors, place cards, and programs, as well – anywhere you would have originally considered using calligraphy.

Do the wrapping label. Normally, it's considered a faux pas to put labels on an invitation, and in most cases I'd agree – however, the trend of making a wrapping label (as shown above), I think, is incredibly modern and gives an added element of "specialness". Plus, it just looks great – I loved the look so much, I nixed the hand calligraphy on the envelopes of my escort cards and used wrap labels instead in my own wedding two months ago.

DIY, literally. I came across a brilliant idea a few months back, but I definitely would recommend this only for those of you with steady hands and a heck of a lot of time and patience. This blogger had the brilliant idea to print her envelopes with a slightly darker ink on dark envelopes to use as a "trace line". She then went back over the slightly visible letters with an opaque white ink pen to give the quirkiness of hand calligraphy to the letters without being a trained professional.

Decorating with Paper: Not Just for Kids’ Birthdays Anymore

Martha

Image from Martha Stewart Weddings

Hello, guys! It's Maddy from the Inspired Bride again, popping in once more to cover for Nole while she's out.

Slowly but surely, I'm starting to see more and more couples stop thinking about paper details in their weddings as favor tags and programs. I'm obviously thrilled about this emerging trend, as a paper fan girl and as a wedding blogger always looking for fresh ideas for her budget-minded readers. Martha showed us how to blow it out with her fantastic paper decor wedding in this summer's issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, but not all of us have a host of stylists at our command to help us decide when we're crossing that really fine line between "fashionable" and "five year old's birthday party". Here's some thoughts I have, from a full time art director's perspective:

Choose a sophisticated color palette. It sounds obvious, but it's important. I think the fact that the image from Martha above is toned down in color and uses picks from a similar family with fresh pops of white helps it read more "classy festive". That's not to say you can't use bright colors, but think about editing – for example, your color palette may be the oh-so-hip red, white and aqua, but if you use all three colors, your guests might start wondering where the Patriotic Pin the Tail on the Donkey is. Instead, consider the aqua and white only – calm and refreshing, and still ties in. If you're looking for more depth, consider using a similar color like a deeper aqua shade in the case of the example scenario.

Thuss

Image from Rebecca Thuss for Simple Silhouettes


Play with scale shifts. Bigger isn't always better. Try incorporating paper decorations in similar shapes but different sizes to add variety and texture without going overboard. The change in size will help break the decor apart visually, too, so it won't be aesthetically overwhelming.

Layer. While it's true you don't want to go overboard, it's not good to underwhelm either. I think the best example is Martha's wall of paper garlands in pink, peach and white above – if you have only a few hanging up, they'll look like sad little streamers. Layered the way they are, they start to mesh together and become an interesting visual of color and texture. You stop reading them as paper garlands and start seeing them as more abstract forms. In the case of Rebecca Thuss' bunting set she did for Simple Silhouettes, the dynamically strung layers helped break up the strong graphic quality of the flag shape that helps make it look surprisingly sophisticated and festive.

Don't be afraid to incorporate pattern. To take it to another level, try using papers with prints on them. Solids are great staples, but to add a little more personality and to take it one step further away from the dreaded "birthday party aesthetic", try bolder, modern patterns that tie back into your event.