Katie + Alex’s Elegant Chicago Map Wedding Invitations

I love starting the week off with something pretty – and it really doesn’t get prettier than these Chicago map wedding invitations from Melissa and Amy of Atheneum Creative.  Katie and Alex wanted their home city of Chicago to serve as the focal point for their wedding invitations, so Melissa and Amy worked with an illustrator to create a custom map showcasing key landmarks for the couple and serving as an inner envelope.  Such a great idea!

From Melissa and Amy: Katy and Alex were looking for a unique way to introduce and share their story—starting right with the invitation.  Chicago is home to both the bride and groom; it’s where their relationship began and it is where they will share their fist kiss as husband and wife.  The city means so much and holds so many memories for them, what better way to tell their story than with a custom illustrated map of their personal Chicago landmarks (such as their high rise apartment, the bench they got engaged on, the church and reception location, and many others).

Keeping with their yellow and gray color theme, we kept the cards simple and understated to let the map become the star.  We wanted the map to be the first thing you see when you open the envelope, so we shaped it to serve as the inner envelope—wrapping the whole package in yellow twine. It was really great to hear about all the details in the city that meant so much to the couple and we were really excited to bring that story to life for them.

Stunning!  You can see more from Atheneum Creative right here!

Concept and Design: Atheneum Creative
Map Illustration and Calligraphy: Elizabeth Porcher Jones
Letterpress Printing: Side Show Press

Photo Credits: Atheneum Creative

{happy weekend!}

The week following a holiday weekend always flies by, doesn’t it?  I can’t believe it’s Friday already!  Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes, blog anniversary congratulations, and all around positive vibes this week!  We’ve had nonstop rain here in DC and much of the East Coast, so I’m planning to spend the weekend curled up indoors with a good book and maybe a movie or two.  But in the meantime…

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Welcome to the newest Designer Rolodex members!

That’s it for me this week!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and don’t forget to enter the wedding invitation giveaway with Paisley Quill (the contest ends tonight at midnight)!  I’ll see you back here on Monday!  xoxo

Photo Credits: Magic Spice Cake by Janet Hill Studio

Susie + Bradford’s Modern Chevron Stripe Wedding Invitations

The design world has been crazy for chevron stripes for a while now – and it’s easy to see why!  The zig zag pattern is clean, modern, and a lot of fun.  I love the way Richele from Richie Designs incorporated chevron stripes into these wedding invitations.  Richele used chevron stripes in the envelope liners and mailing labels, which pairs perfectly with the crisp green and white color palette and sans-serif type!

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Green-White-Gray-Chevron-Stripe-Wedding-Invitations-Envelope

Thanks Richele!

You can see more from Richie Designs in the Designer Rolodex right here!

Photo Credits: Richie Designs

Jenna + Daniel’s Desert Cactus Wedding Invitations

Designer Alison Iven sent over these beautiful invitations that she created for her best friend’s wedding in Arizona.  I love the hand lettering and the desert botanical illustrations!  The bride loves tea, so in addition to the invitations and rsvp card Alison incorporated tea bags with the bride and groom’s initials and wedding date to help serve as a reminder for guests.  The entire suite was packaged together in a green vellum inner envelope with a cactus illustration on the belly band.  So pretty!

Cactus-Green-White-Wedding-Invitations

From Alison: I was very excited and honored to design invitations for my best friend, Jenna, for her wedding at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona.  The venue was a major inspiration for the couple and they wanted the invitations to reflect a laid back Southwestern elegance.

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Cactus-Green-White-Wedding-Invitations

I created pen and ink illustrations of different types of cacti and custom lettering using only one color for flexible printing options and to keep the cost down.

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Cactus-Green-White-Wedding-Invitations

Pieces include invites and envelopes, RSVP cards, return address stamp, thank you cards, tea bags, and table numbers.

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Cactus-Green-White-Wedding-Invitations

Thank you so much Alison!

Photo Credits: Alison Iven

p.s. Today is Oh So Beautiful Paper’s 3rd anniversary!  Have you entered the celebratory giveaway with Paisley Quill yet??

Hand Lettered Baby Shower Invitations by Scout’s Honor Co.

How cute are these hand lettered baby shower invitations from Scout’s Honor Co.?  The entire design was originally hand painted using gouache (a technique similar to watercolor) before being scanned and printed for the final layout.  I love the contrast of the soft blue hand painted type against the bright red envelopes.  Just lovely!

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You can see more from Scout’s Honor Co. right here!

Photo Credits: Scout’s Honor Co.