Sarah + Ben’s Summer Camp-Inspired Wedding Invitations

These invitations from Samantha and Whitney of Gus & Ruby Letterpress were created for a summer wedding at a summer camp on a lake in New Hampshire – which in cold and dreary early spring pretty much sounds like the best idea in the whole world! Since the wedding festivities stretched over a whole weekend, the invitation suite included lots of fun extras for wedding guests, from a custom illustrated map and schedule of activities to signs, menus, and tags for the day of the wedding, all letterpress printed on thick cotton paper. So awesome!

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (20)

From Samantha and Whitney: This custom suite was designed for a lovely couple getting married at a summer camp situated on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The couple wanted their stationery to reflect their love of the camp (where the bride’s family had summered for years!) and the great outdoors while also giving guests a hint at all the fun activities they had planned for the wedding weekend.

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2)

When guests arrived on the island for the wedding weekend, each received a custom letterpress printed folio with their names and bunk assignment calligraphed on the front. A custom illustrated map and legend was placed inside each folio, along with waterfall inserts of information pointed guests in the right direction for the various events.

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (11)

A clean and simple save the date featuring a belly band printed with a birch bark texture and custom seal set the tone while the primary suite featured custom illustrations depicting the camp and camp activities both in a palette of woodsy greens and natural browns. Hand-writing-inspired sans serif typeface mixed with a breezy script and classic roman font all helped to convey the elegant beauty of the outdoor venue while still having a natural, effortless feel.

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (18) Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (17)

Each invitation was mounted onto a solid green backing paper and then again onto an extra thick 100% cotton card letterpress printed with a pattern of hand-drawn trees. The duplexing gave the piece luxurious weight and an extra sturdy in-hand feel. All the pieces were lovingly letterpress printed by hand on our antique press (c. 1913) on beautiful, textural, super thick 100% cotton paper. The custom illustration was done by our talented friends at Brainstorm and calligraphy by the amazing Lindsay Letters.

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (15)

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (13)

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (19)

A double-sided schedule of events card featured more custom illustration showcasing the fun camp events taking place. All pieces in the main invitation suite were stacked and tied together with a very fine jute twine to create a little bundle for guests to pull out of the envelope. A fun chevron envelope jazzed up the kraft envelope that each invitation suite was mailed in.

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (4)

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (10)

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (16)

In each bunk, guests received welcome bags complete with letterpress tags and even water bottles featuring custom labels! At the wedding ceremony and reception, coordinating letterpress programs, escort cards, buffet signage, menus, and favor tags kept all event stationery and paper goods feeling cohesive.

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (9)

Summer Camp Wedding Invitations by Gus & Ruby Letterpress via Oh So Beautiful Paper (14)

So beautiful! Thanks Sam and Whit!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Gus & Ruby Letterpress

Custom Illustration: Brainstorm

Calligraphy: Lindsay Letters

Gus & Ruby Letterpress is a member of the Designer Rolodex – check out more of their beautiful work right here or visit the real invi­ta­tions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Brea McDonald Photography for Gus & Ruby Letterpress

Minted Weddings Brunch

Last week, Minted invited a small group of blog and magazine editors (including yours truly) to New York for a brunch introducing their new party decor and letterpress wedding invitation collections. You saw a tiny sneak peek on Friday – and more if you follow me on Instagram – but today I have the full set of photos to share with you! Even though it was a super quick trip, it was full of gorgeous inspiration and catching up with friends. Pretty much my idea of a perfect morning!

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (14) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (97)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (108)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (106) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (110)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (83)

The party decor – from the menus and signs to the bunting and drink flags – came from Minted’s Matthiola collection created by Meg of Moglea. The decor was styled specifically for the brunch by Jenny Batt of Hank + Hunt.

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (74) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (60)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (53)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (37)

Before we sat down to eat, Founder Mariam Naficy announced that Minted will reintroduce letterpress printing options, with a select range of wedding invitation designs available in up to 3 color letterpress. In addition, Minted will soon offer a digital rsvp service incorporating a couple’s invitation design, creating a completely cohesive experience for wedding guests.

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (59)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (32) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (41)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (68)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (63) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (94)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (34)

With some of my favorite ladies! From left to right: Vané of Brooklyn Bride, Ami of Elizabeth Anne Designs, Cyd of The Sweetest Occasions, Me, Anne Chertoff, Shira from Martha Stewart Weddings, and Natasha from Minted.

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (8) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (11)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (2) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (3)

Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (104) Minted Wedding Brunch via Oh So Beautiful Paper (101)

Just looking at these photos makes me so happy! It was a cold and wet day in New York, but the Minted team did such a great job of making everything bright and cheerful inside. The new party decor, digital rsvp service, and letterpress wedding collection should be available on the Minted website soon. A big thanks to Minted for inviting me to participate in this event!

Host: Minted | Venue: The Little Owl | Party Decor: Moglea for Minted | Styling: Hank + Hunt and the Minted Creative Team | Cake: Sugar Flower Cake Shop | Flowers: Maggie B. Hollingsworth of The Little Owl | Calligraphy: Barbara Callow

Photo Credits: Charlie Juliet

Minted provided my travel and accommodations in New York. All words and opinions are my own.

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