02/14/2013

Sally + Ben’s Sweet and Simple Illustrated Wedding Invitations

I’m a big believer of beauty in simplicity, and these beautiful illustrated wedding invitations from Diane of Bells & Whistles are a wonderful example! Designed for her sister’s wedding, Diane was inspired by the natural beauty of the wedding venue on the South African coast. Diane combined modern fonts with delicate hand lettering and illustrations, all in an off-white and navy color palette. So pretty!

From Diane: Sally and Ben’sÂ ceremony was held in a quaint little church in Southwell on the coast of South Africa. The reception took place in the town hall of Kasouga, where Sally’s family have gone since their childhood. Their theme had a rustic setting while still maintaining a sense of elegance and incorporated a natural color palette with navy accents.

These aspects and elements from the decor are what inspired me when designing. I created hand lettering to accompany the font and incorporated illustrations of the main flower of the wedding (the protea), the church, and the town hall.

I wanted to capture the intimacy, simplicity and beauty of the day. I also loved Ben’s idea to put the meaning of each guests name on their escort cards as they made lovely keepsakes and great conversation starters.

Thanks Diane!

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Bells & Whistles

02/13/2013

Stationery A â€“ Z: Engagement Congratulations Cards

The act of becoming engaged is a celebration in itself, followed quickly by a string of excited phone calls and bubbly toasts. If you have friends or family that have recently become engaged, we’ve pulled together a few clever and sweet cards â€“ each one is a great way to send congratulations, especially if you’re not close enough to see the glint and glistening in person.Â â€” Tashia

Smock

Mr Boddington’s Studio

Ink and IronÂ (left); andÂ Greenwich LetterpressÂ (right)

And Here We Are

Check out even more wedding occasion cards in the shop galleries right here!

{images via their respective sources}

*Smock is a sponsor of Oh So Beautiful Paper

02/12/2013

Sierra + Brendan’s Hand-Lettered Wedding Invitations

Wedding invitations should always reflect the style and tone of the wedding itself, whether a formal black tie affair or an intimate casual gathering. Sierra and Brendan wanted to avoid any impression of stuffiness in their wedding invitations, so they worked with artistÂ Jesse WellsÂ to create a sweet illustrated design. The invitation suite even features a keepsake print for their guests!

From Sierra: We wanted the centerpiece of the invitation to be a limited edition letterpress print as a wedding keepsake for our guests.Â Jesse Wells designed both the print and invitations. A tent in our backyard that weâ€™d lit with a hanging light fixture inspired her design. My husband and I are both writers and avid readers, so she depicted us reading together.

The invitation itself and the RSVP card borrowed visual elements from the print. We also wanted to keep the invitation design simple. Our wedding was held in a friend’s garden, so we wanted the invitations to have a handmade look, but also look clean. Jesse WellsÂ provided the hand lettering and printed the invitations at the Virginia Art of the Book Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Green was our wedding color, so youâ€™ll notice she used a couple different green inks.Â I helped cut the paper afterward.

Thanks Sierra!

Design: Jesse Wells

Photo Credits: Sierra + Brendan

02/11/2013

Amy + John’s 3D Decoder Surprise Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone! We’re starting the week with these unique 3D invitations from Amy ofÂ Saint Gertrude Design + Letterpress. After several years together, Amy and her now-husband decided to finally tie the knot. With their friends and family already gathered together to celebrate their daughter’s 2nd birthday, they handed out decoder glasses and surprised everyone with a wedding! How fun!

From Amy: Despite being a wedding invitation designer, I’m not your typical ‘get married’ kinda gal. I love a weddingâ€¦ but as a guest. The idea of ever being a bride was such a daunting prospect that my partner and I just kinda skipped over it, made a home together, had our daughter and were living in happily unmarried bliss. But 2012 dealt us a few blows and what came out of a really rough year was the realisation of the strong and unconditional love we had for each other. The only thing that stood in the way of us ‘being married’ was ‘getting married’.

On the 29th of December, our daughter Hazel’s 2nd birthday, we hijacked her party and got married. I wanted to create invitations that held a hidden message and also had a very subtle theme of ‘written in the stars’. Our guests received these invitations in the mail and on a beautiful summer day, a small crowd gathered in our back yard for what they thought a kid’s birthday party.

At 2:30, we handed out some envelopes, inside which were the invitations but this time they came with 3D decoder glasses that revealed this birthday was also a wedding. My friend and photographer captured some beautiful moments of our families realising what was going on. Our unsuspecting sisters were our witnesses and we danced our first dance (to John Lennon’s ‘Across The Universe’), not on a dance floor in front of 100 people, but in our garage with just the last few guests standing.

Thanks so much Amy, and congratulations!

Design and Letterpress Printing: Saint Gertrude Design + Letterpress

Check out theÂ Designer RolodexÂ for more talÂentedÂ wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂersÂ andÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Luke Lornie Photography

02/04/2013

NYIGF Winter 2013, Part 7

I love a bit of sparkle in my wardrobe, so I couldn’t resist taking a closer peek at some of the jewelry exhibitors at the NYIGF winter market â€“ and today I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you! First up, I was absolutely thrilled to run into Laura of Prismera â€“ I’m a huge fan and already own several of her nature-inspired pieces. I’m completely in love with all the color that she has incorporated into her collection, from soft pastels to bold hues.

Prismera

Over in the Handmade section of NYIGF, I stumbled into a shared booth featuring several jewelry lines. I was completely awed by the bold, graphic lasercut jewelry, coasters, and paper prints (!!) from Molly M Designs, along with the delicate fine jewelry from Hortense and modern collections from Paper Wings.

Molly M Designs

Hortense

Paper Wings

I was beyond smitten with these adorable bow rings and necklaces by Kiel Mead. I prefer the gold and silver versions, but the colorful options are so cute, too!

Kiel Mead

I just had to get a closer look at the gorgeous rings and stunning raw diamond necklaces from Rebecca Overmann â€“ so beautiful! The first ring below would make such a wonderful engagement ring or anniversary gift, don’t you think?

Rebecca Overmann

My friend Laurel Denise makes the most beautiful jewelry, from delicate necklaces and bracelets to leather cuffs. She also has a wonderful collection of small vases with sweet phrases printed on the front â€“ they make such sweet gifts!