Jennifer + Charles’s Floral and Woodgrain Wedding Invitations

I’m finally starting to see some color around DC in the form of bright yellow daffodils and tiny pink blossoms, and this time of year I just want to hug anything floral in the hope that spring will arrive even sooner. Jessica from Moira Design Studio sent over these pretty floral and woodgrain invitations that she designed for a recent wedding. Each motif was hand painted, and the envelopes also feature lovely Moira Ink calligraphy. Pretty!

Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (7)

From Jessica: We have been obsessed with exploring other mediums in our design work (aside from our computer) and decided to get back to our roots and hunkered down with some paint and a jar full of brushes. Our timing was rather spot on, as this lovely bride approached us for a rustic and organic invitation with artistic roots – something unique and soulful.

Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

She was really looking for a piece to give an impression of the relaxed, homey and intimate feel of their wedding. The couple is to be wed under a massive, gorgeous old oak tree beside a nearly equally as old stone house. The entire reception area is surrounded by lovely old trees, crickets singing, and a fire pit to keep the guests toasty. A venue completely befitting to them!

Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (11) Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9)

Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

All the graphics for her invitation are custom painted, differing piece to piece and included clusters of blush flowers, trailing leaves, and rustic wood grain. The backs are also printed either with flowers or the wood grain pattern and envelope liners to match.

Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (6) Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

Each piece was printed on super thick cotton stock. All the envelopes were also printed with a matching motif, and we added a personal touch and addressed each envelope in calligraphy to boot… truly a suite to set the tone for their nuptials!

Floral + Woodgrain Wedding Invitations by Moira Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper (13)

Thanks Jessica!

Design: Moira Design Studio

Invitation Text Font: Lady Rene

Calligraphy: Moira Ink

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

Photo Credits: Moira Design Studio

Courtney + Paul’s Brooklyn Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! We’re kicking the week off with the totally awesome wedding invitations of Courtney from Swiss Cottage Designs! Courtney was inspired by her adopted home town of Brooklyn and her love of music to create a stunning black and white invitation suite with hand drawn illustrations, cute silhouettes, and even a miniature record rsvp card. So cool!

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (11)

From Courtney: We didn’t really have a theme going into our wedding but one thing that kept coming up was music and the colors black and white. Our save the date was based on the Rob Base song “It Takes Two” so we weren’t afraid to get a little weird. For the actual wedding, I used a line from a Biggie song that ended up being a repeating theme throughout our invitations and day-of pieces.

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (12)

I knew I wanted the invitation to be focused around a hand drawn illustration since that is what I love to do. We got married in the DUBMO neighborhood of Brooklyn which has some pretty awesome views. There is one iconic street that showcases the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building nestled below; I chose that as our main image.

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (10)

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (6)

The invitation was printed in two parts then duplexed to #220 and printed on Crane Lettra. One of the important things for me was to have the invitation sound like the way we both actually speak. We have a very dry sense of humor and we really wanted that to come out in our invitation text. The ridiculously talented Jenna of Love, Jenna Calligraphy addressed our black envelopes in white ink.

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8) Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (7)

My personal favorite detail was the envelope liner! My friend is a photographer and when looking through her pictures, I saw one of a guy with knuckle tattoos. I knew I wanted to incorporate that same idea into our suite somehow. One I realized that “BROOKLYN” fit on the knuckles, it was a done deal!

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9)

For the RSVP card, I created a letterpress printed mini-record complete with glassine sleeve. I paired this with a 4″ x 4″ square black envelope and had our return address letterpress printed in matte silver on the front. We also provided our guests with an insert with suggestions for spending a perfect winter weekend in NYC and Brooklyn. This was printed flat on kraft paper. I finished the suite with black + gold twine (from the awesome Knot & Bow) and had a die cut tag created to hold everything together.

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (5)

I love little silhouettes and created one of our hair to use throughout our suite as a continual theme. Overall, we wanted our invitations to feel classic, set the tone for our wedding, but most importantly to make our friends and family laugh.

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (4)

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2) Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

Brooklyn Wedding Invitations by Swiss Cottage Designs via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

So awesome – thanks Courtney!

Invitation Design: Swiss Cottage Designs

Calligraphy: Love, Jenna Calligraphy

Twine: Knot & Bow

Swiss Cottage Designs is a member of the Designer Rolodex – you can see more of Courtney’s amazing work right here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Courtney Jentzen | Swiss Cottage Designs

Friday Happy Hour: The Paloma

Tequila has something of a rough reputation in America, but it’s really undeserving of that repute. So let’s turn to Tequila’s home, Mexico, for some inspiration to soften that reputation a bit. This week’s cocktail is the Paloma, a sweet, tart, fizzy, and oh-so-refreshing drink. Try one and you’ll see why this is Mexico’s most popular Tequila cocktail. – Andrew

The Paloma Cocktail Recipe via Oh So Beautiful Paper (4)

Cocktail Recipe Card: The Paloma by Caitlin Keegan for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Illustration by Caitlin Keegan

The Paloma

2 oz Tequila
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
Grapefruit Soda
Salt

Combine the Tequila, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a highball glass. Fill with ice and top with grapefruit soda. Garnish, if at all, with a lime wedge and enjoy.

The Paloma Cocktail Recipe via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9) The Paloma Cocktail Recipe via Oh So Beautiful Paper (1)

Mexican grapefruit soda may not be the easiest ingredient to find in the States, so I like to use Izze sparkling grapefruit juice in my Palomas. The key is to use something that’s a little sweet, a little tart, and a lot fizzy; you might want to punch up the lime juice to 3/4 oz if using a sweeter soda like the Izze. The Paloma should be earthy and vegetal from the tequila, sweet and tart from the lime and soda, a touch salty, and perfect for a sweltering Mexican (or DC) summer day.

The Paloma Cocktail Recipe via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8)

La Paloma? That’s the Dove. Why’s that? No idea, and no idea who invented this fantastic drink either. This one’s story is lost, I suspect, to the blurry pages of I’ve-had-one-too-many-to-write-this-down cocktail history. And that’s ok. Because it’s just good. So go try one. It’s almost summer, right?

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

{happy weekend!}

Whew! From a less-than-24-hour trip to New York on Tuesday (more on that next week) to a photo shoot yesterday for a special upcoming project, not to mention preparing for our big move in less than two weeks, it’s been a whirlwind of a week! Also, Sophie turned SIX MONTHS OLD! I can’t believe how fast her first year is flying by, and right now we’re just trying to soak up every second. This weekend will be filled with packing, packing, and more packing, but we’re also hoping to enjoy some of the wonderful spring weather that has been peeking through lately. But in the meantime…

Oh So Beautiful Paper Instagram Photos (3) Oh So Beautiful Paper Instagram Photos (1)

Oh So Beautiful Paper Instagram Photos (2) Oh So Beautiful Paper Instagram Photos (4)

Photos by me via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

We have a fun cocktail coming up for you this afternoon, so check back a bit later for the recipe!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

p.s. Stationer friends! Save the dates for this year’s Paper Party during the week of the National Stationery Show went out earlier this week. If you’ll be exhibiting at the Stationery Show, attending as a retailer, or will otherwise be in NYC that week and would like to attend the party, please email us to be added to the invitation list!