Understated Blush and Teal Wedding Invitations

The serif typography in these understated blush and teal wedding invitations is such a wonderful reminder that a well-curated serif typeface can make a stunning and modern statement. Designer Jaclyn Lee Bergmann, of her namesake Designed by Jaclyn, designed these beautiful invitations for her own special wedding celebration, with a gorgeous blush and teal color palette that is totally having a moment right now, rose gold and matte white foil, and dreamy vellum envelopes!

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

From Jaclyn: As a visual designer, it was important to me that our wedding stationery reflect our personalities, relationship, and the laid-back elegance of our wedding day that we hoped to convey. Plus, it was such a personal (and indulgent!) experience to design for our very own wedding and our invitation suite now serves as the perfect reminder of that magical day.

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

While we were inspired by our redwood grove venue with its organic feel, we opted for something a bit more modern that both blended with and balanced out the rustic space. To do so, we paired clean lines, modern typefaces, and a hint of floral detail with a modern color palette of blush tones, rose gold, and rich dark teal to create our take on a fresh, modern elegant wedding invitation suite.

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

A clean design for our main invitation let the gorgeous blush paper and rose gold foil shine, while the addition of our floral wedding logo added a lighthearted touch. Along with the main invitation we included a details card that featured a nature-inspired image from our engagement shoot and a screen-printed RSVP card in a rich dark teal hue. Together, the three pieces resulted in a playful range of texture and color.

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

To complete the suite, a printed vellum enclosure featuring our wedding logo held the three pieces together and added an elegant texture to the invitation. The printed vellum was folded to create a layered geometric look and allowed the recipient to see the layered stationery pieces upon receiving the invite. Lastly, each vellum enclosure was then sealed with a simple, yet bold rose gold sticker and slipped into an envelope.

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

We carried the layered approach of our invitation suite to our day-of wedding stationery as well, including our wedding programs and guest place cards. Our wedding programs featured three pieces of varying sizes and color paired with a simple rose gold paperclip, which when layered together created a clean, geometric look. While for the place cards, we layered blush and dark teal shapes to create a unique name tag for each guest.

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

Our wedding stationery perfectly emoted the laid-back, modern elegant spirit we had envisioned for our wedding day and we love how it came together!

Understated Teal and Blush Wedding Invitations by Design by Jaclyn

Thanks Jaclyn!

Design: Design by Jaclyn
Printing: Czar Press

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

Photo Credits: Jaclyn Lee Bergmann 

Inspiring Calligraphers: Michele of Meant To Be Calligraphy

Hey everyone! I’m excited to share a peek today into the work of Michele Hatty Fritz of Meant To Be Calligraphy. There’s lots of pretty calligraphy here to check out, but I also love Michele’s insights that show her true passion for lettering. She not only creates calligraphy — she also teaches classes on calligraphy and brush lettering. So let’s take a look at this inspiring calligrapher! – Jen

Calligraphy Wedding Sign / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Vicki Grafton Photography

How did Michele become a calligrapher? She started out working with words in a different way, as a journalist. “I spent the first part of my career as a journalist, covering entertainment, pop culture and food for a national magazine and later as an editor for The Washington Post,” says Michele. “But in 2009, I was ready for a change, so I quit my job at the Post to become a full-time, professional calligrapher and launched Meant To Be Calligraphy.” She does have some fun memories from her past work!  “I’m probably the only calligrapher you will ever meet who has interviewed Coldplay before a big show in Manhattan, John Mayer in a swanky New York hotel, Patrick Dempsey on a race track in Florida, Josh Duhamel on the beach in Santa Monica after a joint surfing lesson, J.K. Rowling over lunch in Boston and Maroon 5 on their tour bus here in DC.” Ha, so fun!

Calligraphy Escort Cards on Mini Envelopes / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Whitney Neal Photography

Rather than one style, Michele offers a slate of 30 signature styles — ranging from fun and playful to classic and elegant — through Meant To Be Calligraphy. “Being able to write across a range of styles allows me to give my clients a lot of options from which to choose and helps my work remain fresh and interesting as I go from project to project.”

Calligraphy Wedding Vows / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fogarty Photography

Calligraphy Escort Card Display / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Calligraphy Chalkboard Wedding Ceremony Sign / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credits: Abby Jiu Photography

Michele, like most calligraphers, has been asked to write on more than just paper. Calligraphy works just about anywhere and Michele’s written on it all — chalkboards, mirrors, antique windows and doors, cutting boards, ceramic plates, glass bottles, painted canvases, clay pots, oyster shells, rocks, magnolia leaves, apples, pumpkins, and just about every other vegetable with a relatively smooth surface.

White Calligraphy on Produce Place Cards / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Lisa Blume Photography

Calligraphy Wedding Seating Chart / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Vicki Grafton Photography

On other calligraphy projects, Michele shares: “I also do in-person appearances where I have customized everything from valentines to New Years resolutions for party guests, and occasionally I’ll even bring along an engraving tool and a pair of safety glasses and turn glassware and the like into on-the-spot, custom party favors.”

Calligraphy Chalkboard Wedding Sign / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Ready Luck Photography

Michele’s passion for lettering started young — and runs in the family. “My father worked as a hand lettering artist for General Motors for his entire career,” says Michele. “He is the person who taught me my letters. I have very vivid memories of being two or three years old and he would draw letters with dots and then let me connect them. I was obsessed and I used to beg him for more dot letters!” Her mom also encouraged the craft by enrolling Michele in her first calligraphy class when she was just six or seven years old. “I was hooked from the very first lesson and continued to seek out instruction as I grew older,” says Michele.

Calligraphy Return Address Stamp / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Nole Garey

Michele also creates custom products for everyday use as well, like return address stamps and personalized stationery.

Michele credits her parents as the inspiration behind her decision to offer calligraphy classes. “I really wanted to honor my father’s legacy as an artist and honor my mom’s as well. She taught all sorts of crafting workshops when I was growing up and she definitely inspired me to want to share my knowledge, too.”

Happily Ever After Calligraphy Wedding Getaway Car Sign / Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Holland Photo Arts

Michele has had people travel from all over the country (including a few international students!) to take part in her calligraphy workshops. “It’s amazing to me that I am already in my seventh year of teaching and it is one of the great joys of my life to watch my students both fall in love with lettering and learn how to master it during the course of our time together,” says Michele.

Such a cool story behind her work. Thanks again for sharing a peek into what you do, Michele! You can find her over at Meant To Be Calligraphy and on Instagram.

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by Rit Dye. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Spring is just around the corner – and I couldn’t be more excited! Every year I look forward to the explosion of spring flowers, from pale pink cherry blossoms and purple lilacs (my absolute favorite) to yellow daffodils and colorful tulips in nearly every shade of the rainbow. Oh, and fluffy peonies in every shade of pink? Yes, please! Today I’m paying homage to my favorite season with a DIY rainbow watercolor crepe paper backdrop that is perfect for spring weddings, birthday parties, and everything in between. This gorgeous pastel backdrop makes me so happy every time I look at it. Oh, and my secret ingredient for creating this gorgeous backdrop? Spray bottles filled with Rit All-Purpose Dye!

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Backdrop with Rit All-Purpose Dye

Rit Dye is one of my favorite tools for DIY projects! It’s really the perfect solution for adding pops of color throughout your wedding ceremony and reception, from ribbons for floral arrangements to napkins and table linens to dresses! Rit All-Purpose Dye is perfect for washable fabrics with natural fibers, like cotton, linen, wool, silk, and ramie – or even for materials like nylon, rayon, paper, and wood. I’ve used Rit All-Purpose Dye to dip dye envelopes, create dip-dyed muslin favor bags, and even to dye my own Shibori-style pink dinner napkins! And did you know that there’s also Rit DyeMore for synthetic fibers?? You can use Rit DyeMore for polyester, polyester cotton blends, nylon, acrylic, or acetate – or even faux fur! I’ll need to try that one next!

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

I was super excited to experiment with multiple Rit All-Purpose Dye colors to create this gorgeous watercolor-inspired backdrop. I mean, it’s a proven fact that rainbows make everything prettier. And a pastel rainbow? Even better! This pastel backdrop is made from a few rolls of white crepe paper spray dyed with fine mist spray bottles filled with Rit All-Purpose Dye. You can also use the same method to dye tissue paper decorations like honeycomb balls and tissue paper fans! Using spray bottles to create a super fine dye mist leaves the most gorgeous watercolor effect on crepe paper and tissue paper, and the result is completely unique wedding and party décor that you won’t find anywhere else!

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

The best part about this DIY rainbow watercolor crepe paper backdrop is that you can completely customize the colors to suit your wedding color palette! Rit All-Purpose Dye is available in 50 shades, like Petal Pink, Coral, Violet, Aquamarine, and Kelly Green. Or you can create your own colors using the Rit Color Library, which includes color formulas to create over 500 additional colors – including Pantone on-trend colors by season! There’s seriously SO much color inspiration in the Rit Color Library! I love, love, love our pastel rainbow backdrop (you can find the specific color formulas I used a bit further below!), but I could also totally see a gorgeous ombré backdrop in several shades of a single color. How gorgeous would that be??

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

Skill Level: Beginner

Approximate Crafting Time: 1 –2 Hours

Supplies

Rit All-Purpose Dye

2.5 oz Fine Mist Spray Bottles one bottle per dye color – I used a total of twelve spray bottles)

8-10 White Crepe Paper Rolls

Scissors

Protective rubber gloves

Rags or paper towels

Protective drop cloth

Measuring spoons

Gaffer’s Tape

Wood Dowels

Removable wall hooks

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Backdrop with Rit All-Purpose Dye

To make the DIY rainbow watercolor crepe paper backdrop:

Step 1. First, you’ll need to pick your colors! The Rit Color Library breaks all of the color formulas down by parent color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, and gray. I knew I wanted spring-inspired colors, so I went with shades of pink, peach, light purple, blue, teal, mint green, and sunny yellow. But I can’t wait to try this again with different color combinations. Burgundy and blush? Lavender and deep dusty blue? Sage green and rose? Yes, yes, and yes!

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

Step 2. Now that you’ve chosen your colors, mix your colors according to the recommended formula in the Rit Color Library, dividing the recommended dye amounts by 1/4. Don’t forget to wear your protective gloves! We’re using smaller amounts of dye than we’d need if we were planning to dye textiles, but because we’re turning the dye into a super fine mist, we still need the dye to be a bit more concentrated and intense. Dividing the color formula recipe by four seemed to do the trick for me! Shake dye bottles before pouring. Using a measuring spoon, measure the amount of Rit All-Purpose Dye and carefully pour the dye into the small spray bottles, then fill the spray bottle with hot water. Shake carefully to mix.

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye / Process

Pro tip: be sure to label your bottles as you go, otherwise you’re bound to lose track of what’s what (trust me on this). I used a bit of washi tape and wrote the color formula on a small piece of tape, then taped the written formula to each bottle.

Here are the exact color formulas that I used to create the backdrop:

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Backdrop / Rit All-Purpose Dye Color Formulas

Step 3. Unravel each roll of white crepe paper until it’s one big long sheet, then place each sheet on top of a protective drop cloth on the floor of your workspace. Before you start spray dyeing, be sure to test your colors on a test sheet of crepe paper – or even just on a paper towel – and let it dry completely. The colors will become more intense as they dry! If a color is too dark, pour out a portion of the bottle and add more water to dilute the color. If you need a color to be darker, I found it easiest to pour out the entire 2.5 oz bottle and start over – usually doubling the original quantity of each color (i.e., going from 1/2 teaspoon of kelly green to 1 teaspoon of kelly green to get the perfect shade of mint green).

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

Step 4. Using one spray bottle at a time, spray a very light coat of Rit All-Purpose Dye all over each sheet of white crepe paper, using each dye color in rainbow order. I switched things up a bit with the color order; sometimes I would start with pink or peach at the top and work my way down to lavender, other times I started with lavender and end with blue. Whatever order you choose, place analogous colors next to each other (oranges into pinks into purples) so the colors flow smoothly into each other and don’t end up looking muddy. For the best and most consistent results, make sure the crepe paper doesn’t get too wet and blot the nozzle with a paper towel or a rag after 5-8 pumps to maintain a fine spray mist.

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

Step 5. Once you’ve dyed all of your crepe paper, apply a couple pieces of gaffer’s tape to one end of each sheet and tape the paper to the floor. Then, pull on the other side of the paper to remove the stretch in the crepe paper and tape the other end to the floor. Allow the crepe paper to dry completely, around 30 minutes, then remove the gaffer’s tape. It’s gentle enough that it shouldn’t tear the paper as long as you’re very careful while removing it!

Step 6. To hang the backdrop, use a few pieces of gaffer’s tape to adhere the crepe paper to long wooden dowels and use non-damaging, removable wall hooks to hang the backdrop. For added depth and visual interest, layer the crepe paper sheets over each other – or even cut some of the sheets into a variety of widths and mix them all together!

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

Ta da! It’s such a quick and easy way to add a dose of color to a wedding or party – and you can use the same technique to turn any white paper decorations into a rainbow, from round honeycombs to tissue paper fans and fringe crepe paper garlands! I absolutely LOVE this idea for a wedding ceremony backdrop – which you can reuse as a photo booth backdrop for the reception! Just be prepared for this backdrop to inspire a bit of twirling from your younger guests.

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

DIY Rainbow Watercolor Crepe Paper Backdrop with RIT Dye

Pastels! Rainbows! Gah, I just love this DIY rainbow watercolor crepe paper backdrop SO much! But what do YOU think?? If you make this crepe paper backdrop for your wedding or party, be sure to share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #madewithosbp so I can see it!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Rit Dye. The opinions and text are all mine. Check out the 50 shades of Rit All-Purpose Dye right here and browse over 500 color formulas in the Rit Dye Color Library here!

 

Photo Credits: Meghan Marie Photography and Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal

Ethereal calligraphy, soft deckled edge paper, and bold red wax seals? Yes, please! We’re loving these romantic deckle edge wedding invitations by Tricia of Fourteen-Forty! The clean, minimalist design is absolutely dreamy on the beautiful handmade paper – and the pop of red in the wax seal is so fun!

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal by Fourteen-Forty

From TriciaWhen my good friends Clara and Edward came to me for their invitations, all kinds of inspiration and ideas came to mind. They wanted something romantic and modern and throughout the process, was pleasantly surprised again and again by their attention to design and detail. In the end, this deckled edged suite was truly a labor of love!

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal by Fourteen-Forty

Up until now, our clients have always preferred a cleaner edge and thus we always hand tore our invitations. Clara and Edward fell in love with deckled edges and so we used them for both the invitation pieces and envelopes! We just love the texture and naturally frayed edges of deckled edge paper. After testing all kinds of combinations we decided ivory and lead gray were the perfect combination: subtle and modern. Their names were calligraphed and printed in gold foil. To top it off we added a vellum overlay tied to the invitation by gold string and a bold red wax seal.

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal by Fourteen-Forty

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal by Fourteen-Forty

It was clear from the start that calligraphy, both hand and digital, would play a large role in their suite. Each envelope was hand calligraphed and completed with an array of vintage stamps inspired by the couple’s personal interests. The bright colored stamps were a fun contrast to the subtle sparkle of the gold ink. For their day-of pieces we knew we couldn’t say goodbye just yet to the red wax seal and so we sealed both their menus and escort cards! Each escort card was sealed with the guests’ table number. On the day, it was so much fun seeing a hundred red seals side by side!

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal by Fourteen-Forty

We wanted to make sure that the details didn’t end there and so we also tied each program with the same gold string we used for their invitation. While it isn’t necessary to match your day-of pieces to your invitations, in this case, we were so glad Clara and Edward were excited to bring back aspects of their invitations on the day.

Romantic Deckle Edge Wedding Invitations with Red Wax Seal by Fourteen-Forty

Thanks Rachel!

Design: Fourteen-Forty
Calligraphy: Papersoul 
Floral Design: Days of May Florals 

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

Photo Credits: Fourteen-Forty

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations

These beautiful wedding invitations combine two major trends for 2018: Pantone’s 2018 Color of the Year (Ultraviolet!) and a beautiful vellum overlay! Victoria of Design House of Moira created these vibrant purple watercolor floral and calligraphy wedding invitations with intricate floral illustrations on handmade paper. And that gorgeous hand painted envelope liner! Such a fun way to bring rich color to a wonderful winter wedding.

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

From Victoria: The bride was torn between two different design paths: a simple suite with monochromatic lettering and artwork and something more moody to reflect the winter wedding…so we did both! She wanted to keep the invitation formal, elegant, and subtle while still incorporating some of the darker tones that reminded her so much of winter.

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

Created on Arpa paper, a Spanish handmade paper with gorgeous, soft deckling on the edges for a natural and organic look, we designed the main pieces of the suite with modern calligraphy, simple type, and line botanical artwork. To bring in the moody feeling, we created watercolor artwork in deep plums and burgundies as well as a contemporary landscape tree painting reflective of the bride and groom’s hometown and the views from the bride’s parents home, where the wedding was held. We incorporated the darker tones into the vellum overlay, envelope liners, and custom postage.

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

The save the dates were a tri-fold design, slipped into a small envelope lined with the berry artwork and bound with a thin band of vellum printed in the floral pattern. The ceremony program design, a personal favorite of mine, consists of a vellum cover and is on a smaller scale at 3×5 inches. The booklet was stitched along the spine in pale blush thread.

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

The entire suite was mailed with custom postage featuring two different artwork styles: one with the darker plum tones and one featuring the line botanicals used throughout the printed pieces. Each of the three envelopes in the suite featured different envelope liners: the save the date opened to the plum artwork, the reply card to the line botanical art and the main invitation featured the landscape painting in dark purple and plum hues.

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

All of the line and watercolor artwork and modern calligraphy was created by hand for this suite by Design House of Moira.

Purple Watercolor Floral and Calligraphy Wedding Invitations by Design House of Moira

Thanks Victoria!

Design & Calligraphy: Design House of Moira
Arpa paper: Orange Art

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

Photo Credits: Design House of Moira