09/10/2019

Dusty Blue and Pink Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper

It’s September, which means the days of cool weather and fall foliage are just around the corner. I’m loving these dusty blue and pink wedding invitations on handmade paper by Lauren Clements of LineAve Calligraphy for a fall wedding â€“ or a wedding any time of year, really. Lauren’s beautiful calligraphy and illustrations are absolutely beautiful against that gorgeous handmade paper by Farmette Press. And those Louisiana themed vintage postage stamps are the perfect finishing touch!

From Lauren: I loved designing my own wedding stationery! The invitation suite is letterpress printed on handmade paper in blue, pink, and cream tones. The design also incorporated a minimal line drawing of the church with some greenery accents. I used vintage stamps in a Louisiana theme to tell a story.

Our wedding ceremony took place at St. John Berchmanâ€™s Cathedral in Shreveport, Louisiana with aisles lined with fresh pomegranates and olive branches. The detail-packed outdoor reception was set on the lot of our future home.

The idea was a small, rustic, European-styled seated and plated dinner under the oak tree with 90 guests. The forecast called for a 90% chance of rain, and it wasnâ€™t wrong. The tent that was supposed to cover a small seating area was enlarged to cover the entire event, and not an ounce of detail was lost. It was truly an inspirational ending to the dreaded â€œwhat do I do if it rains on my outdoor wedding?â€ question that I googled for 2 weeks straight. Guests kicked off their shoes and had the best celebration in mud up to their ankles. The photos turned out absolutely beautiful despite the FLOOD. Quality vendors are so important from hair that frizzes gracefully, to makeup that stays put, hot food that is served in a downpour, and of course, THE TENT that single-handedly saved the day.

As a stationer and calligrapher, I obsesses over detail. I designed and created my own save-the-dates, invitation suite, seating chart, and endless â€œday ofâ€ details like programs, menus, favor tags, flower cones, corn hole boards and bean bags, custom ice cream signs that incorporated our dogs, and cocktail napkins. The gate to the property and the Catholic church we were married in were both incorporated into the wedding stationery, adding a personal and special touch to the invitation suite and day-of stationery.

Thanks Lauren!

Calligraphy and Design: Lauren Roberts Clements of LineAveCalligraphy

Handmade Paper and Letterpress Printing: Farmette Press

Photo Credits: Laura Caraway Photography

02/11/2019

Navy and Leather Bachelor Party Invitations

These navy and leather bachelor party invitations by Kristin of Lustre Theory are a fun way to start the week! Beautiful deep blue and copper envelopes with calligraphy by Seniman Calligraphy, vintage postage stamps, and yes, plenty of leather details throughout the suite. Leather is such a fun way to add some texture to wedding invitations and party invitations, especially when paired with such beautiful jewel tones!

From Kristin: I designed this unique stationery suite for an editorial shoot coordinated by A Lively Affair in Norfolk, Virginia. The shoot was inspired by the idea of an upscale fall bachelor party incorporating textures of leather, wood, and metal. The cigar and magnolia leaves, along with the leather pieces, help add the perfect southern touches.

The invitation design was inspired by all the different textures mentioned above, from the leather outer envelope to the copper textured liner and dark navy inner envelope. Itâ€™s not often I get to design a stationery suite geared towards a primarily male event, which made this one extra exciting. I wanted the invitation design to have old southern charm combined with classic elegance. The beautiful envelope calligraphy by Seniman Calligraphy is the perfect contrast to the typography selections in the square invitation and rsvp card. We added vintage postage stamps to carry the color palette through to the envelope and add a touch of whimsical, outdoorsy artwork.

The invitations and RSVP card are letterpress printed in dark navy blue ink. Both are finished with a metallic copper edging process and pressed on extra thick white cotton paper. It was important that the invitation card and rsvp card have a strong typographical presence but an overall simple design layout. The leather pieces are all handmade to specification by HJ Leather Arts, a local craftsman in Norfolk. They include an outer main envelope, an invitation band and an event place card.

Thanks Kristin!

Invitation Design: Lustre Theory

Envelopes: Cards & Pockets

Calligraphy: Seniman Calligraphy

Letterpress Printing: Fino Print

Leather pieces: HJ Leather Arts

Photo Credits: Angela Elise Photography

01/28/2019

Organic Tropical Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper

Did you ever think you would hear the words organic and tropical together in an invitation suite? Well, today’s the day! Shana from Iris & Marie Letterpress sent over these beautiful organic tropical wedding invitations on handmade paper, inspired in large part by the texture of the Spanish moss at the wedding venue. The entire suite was printed on gorgeous handmade paper from Farmette Press â€“ I just can’t get over those natural deckled edges! â€“ in the most beautiful shades of blue and peach. So dreamy.

From Shana: These organic tropical wedding invitations started out with a little flamingo and some handmade paper, and from there the rest just fell into place! I was inspired by the Spanish moss texture at the venue and brought that into the suite using Farmette Press handmade paper. Loren’s paper is very textural, not perfect, and very organic looking â€“ exactly how Spanish moss feels to me.

Also inspired by the coast, we added a hand drawn little flamingo friend to the invitation along with custom spot calligraphy by Paulene at Leen Machine Calligraphy. Paulene’s calligraphy added another element of texture with the hand written look that the lines have. The color palette is very spring-y and beachy with all the shades of blue and bits of peachy neutrals.

We wanted to keep the colors lush, but still spring-like for the Savannah wedding. The overall suite has a rustic vintage feel with layers of organic textures throughout the suite, including the twine used to tie the suite together and keep everything in place. The calligraphy and text layout reminds me of script from an old document and the twine lends itself to that as well.

While there is a lot of texture going on, the overall design is pretty minimal. I kept the text small and to a minimum to let the paper speak for itself. The design is centered in the middle of the invitation to let the edges flow around the words and act as a frame. The leaves on the back envelope flap give the invitation a “fan me with your tropical leaves” vibe and, in my personal opinion, makes it all a little more regal. I absolutely love how these organic tropical wedding invitations came together â€“ from the speckles in the handmade paper to the Spanish moss to the bride’s gorgeous red hair!

Thanks Shana!

Invitation Design and Printing: Shana at Iris & Marie Letterpress

Calligraphy: Paulene from Leen Machine Calligraphy

Paper: Farmette Press

Looking for more wedding invitation inspiration? Visit our wedding invitations archive for more custom wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: JB Marie Photography

01/02/2019

Best of 2018: Invitations + Gatherings

Happy New Year! My kids go back to school today, which means I finally get to go back to work â€“ yay! I’m planning some big changes here at Oh So Beautiful Paper this year, so I wanted to start the year off by looking back at some of my favorite features from 2018. And of course, I had to start with some of my favorite invitations and gatherings from the year. It’s also sort of a mini trend round up of the year and a peek forward at some trends I’m anticipating for 2019. Let’s take a look!

Deckle Edge Paper and Vellum

If I had to describe 2018 invitation trends in just two words, it would probably be vellum and handmade paper. Both are incredibly romantic on their own, but are even more powerful in combination. I’m excited to see more of these trends in 2019!

Romantic Calligraphy Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper by Plume Calligraphy

Minimalist Type-Driven Wedding Invitations on Handmade Paper by Every Little Letter

Soft Neutrals

After several years of really bright color, neutrals made a comeback in a big way this year â€“ along with a return to classic type-driven designs. I’m loving the subtle tone-on-tone effect of mixing several neutral shades together and playing around with different ink colors.

Neutral Modern Minimalist Wedding Invitations by Owl Post Calligraphy

Understated Blush and Teal Wedding Invitations by Designed by Jaclyn

Minimalist Patterns and Colorful Paper

I found myself very drawn to abstract shapes, minimalist design details, and incorporating colorful paper into invitation designs â€“ like the simple hand painted brush stroke on our Friendsgiving invitations and white foil on deep green paper for the Paper Party 2018 invitations. These weren’t big trends in 2018, but I think the colorful paper in particular will be a major trend in 2019. We’ll see!

Minimalist hand painted Friendsgiving invitations by Bare Ink Co. / Styling by Oh So Beautiful Paper

Paper Party 2018 Modern Minimalist Invitations / Design by Ramona & Ruth, Printing by Bella Figura on Legion Paper Colorplan paper, Styling by Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pastel Mudcloth Wedding Invitations by Twinkle & Toast

Those are my favorites for 2018, but let’s talk! What do you think? Did I miss any of your favorite trends? Do you agree with me on the trends going into 2019? If you’re a stationer, are you excited to incorporate colorful paper into some of your designs â€“ either for invitations or other custom stationery? I really want to know!

12/11/2018

Deep Blue Modern Ocean Wedding Invitations

Anyone else majorly feeling bold and deep blue tones right now? It’s just such a fantastically moody hue, and it pairs so well with all of my other favorite colors, from mustard yellow to our color of the moment coral. These deep blue modern ocean wedding invitations from Lustre Theory make quite the bold statement with imperial blue envelopes, a hand painted watercolor jellyfish envelope liner, and watercolor hand lettering! Gorgeous calligraphy by Seniman Calligraphy is the perfect finishing touch.

From Kristin: I live and breathe the details whenever I design an invitation suite, and this one is no different. For me, it’s a chance to put a piece of detailed art directly into someone’s hands and make them feel special, even if just for a moment. It’s so personal! This wedding invitation embodies a modern ocean design theme. We chose a strong, deep blue for the design, which was printed on Moab Entrada Rag Bright 300 paper stock and paired with a dark Imperial Blue square with euro flap from Cards & Pockets for the envelopes.

We chose white calligraphy ink with a modern flair by Seniman Calligraphy for the main envelope, main envelope back flap, and RSVP envelope. A perfect white wax seal completes the main envelope. We chose stamps with modern ocean designs and a connection to the downtown Norfolk, Virginia waterfront location. You will see a shell, a tug boat, and an Oscar de la Renta fashion stamp that looked too much like deep blue water to not include.

The watercolor jellyfish on the envelope liner was hand painted and digitally reproduced by me to match both the color and sea theme. You’ll see black, shades of gray, blue, and purple within the watercolor. The lettering on the invitation and RSVP card mirrors the watercolor texture on the liner. I wanted the invitations to be simple and clean but also bold and well designed.