11/23/2015

Classic Hand Calligraphed Wedding Invitations

Happy Monday everyone â€“ and welcome to a short week! We’ll be wrapping up a bit early this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, but before we go I have a couple of beautiful wedding invitations and a super fun DIY project that I know you won’t want to miss. First up this week, these gorgeous calligraphy wedding invitations by Melissa Esplin â€“ each of which was written entirely by hand. Yep, Melissa hand calligraphed each and every invitation for this intimate wedding, most of which were in turn hand delivered to family and friends. These are the kind of wedding invitations that make my heart beat just a little bit faster!

From Melissa:Â Every once in a while I have a dream client that lets me do my thing. I was thrilled to work with this bride on a veryÂ last-minute invitation for her rustic wedding just outside of Park City, Utah.

The calligrapher hired through the event planner fell through, so I was left with 14 days until the wedding to design and calligraph 30 wedding invitations and envelopes and 42 place cards. It came down to the wire; but because the bride kept it an intimate affair, most invitations were hand-delivered. Family and close friends already had the date saved.

I came across some issues with the felt-finish paper. It has a rough surface so gliding the pen across the top adds texture to the line. I would prefer a finer line, but considering the wedding took place at High West in Wanship, Utah; it fits.

The design itself is simple and classic. A flourished running hand for the text body and a flourished shaded script for the bride and groom.

Thanks Melissa!

Design and Calligraphy: MelissaÂ Esplin

Paper: Natural White Felt Finish

Ink: Old World Iron Gall Ink

Nib: Nikko G

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more talÂented wedÂding inviÂtaÂtion designÂers and the real inviÂtaÂtions gallery for more wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Melissa Esplin

11/20/2015

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving already?? I don’t even want to think about the fact that December is only just about a week away. It’s all going by too fast! A HUGE thanks to Kim from Bright Room Studio for helping out this week â€“ I was solo parenting all week and wouldn’t have made it through the week without her!Â I’m looking forward to a very relaxed weekend and finally having my husband back at home. But in the meantime…

Paris Illustration by Idlewild Co. via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This winter wonderland workshop sounds like fun!
A pretty faux floral table runner
I’ll take mine in rose gold, please
Giant prize ribbons!
DIY marbled place cards (perfect for Thanksgiving!)
Congrats to our friends at Postable on their shiny new website!
NEED
MAKE: Bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes
My favorite pin of the week

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Make these beautiful crepe paper feathers for your Thanksgiving centerpiece!
Handwritten holiday traditions
More beautiful 2016 calendars!
The story behind Bright Room Studio
Tips for working from home
Midnight in San Francisco wedding invitations (and a peek behind the design)
How to add personal details to your wedding invitations
This week’s Well Said Type in the whimsical text typeface Zahrah
Hostess gifts and cards just in time for the holidays
Fall details to incorporate into your wedding!

Thatâ€™s it for me this week! We’re saving this week’sÂ cocktail recipe for next week â€“ so check back just before we all head off for the Thanksgiving holiday! I hope you allÂ have a wonderful weekend and Iâ€™ll see you back here on Monday!Â xoxo

11/19/2015

How to Add Personal Details to Wedding Invitations

My favorite thing about creating custom wedding invitations is being able to incorporate personal elements in to each and every suite. No two couples are the same â€“ so why should their invitations be?! Here are a few favorite personal details to add to wedding invitations.Â â€“Kim from Bright Room Studio

Lovely venues:Â I love having the chance to illustrate wedding venues and incorporate the illustration on the invitation. The venue is such a big part of the wedding and featuring the beautiful buildings, wineries and venues is a perfect way to set the tone for your big day.

Puppy Love:Â Dogs and paper are two of my favorite things, so they make me REALLY happy when they are together on an invitation. I think its possible to still keep it sophisticated and chic while including yourÂ furry friend.

Maps:Â Maps are not just functional, they are also fun ways to add a little more about you two. Among the locations to your wedding, why not also note your first date spot, favorite place to grab a beer or point an arrow to your home town.

Fun Wording:Â Wording is another great place to inject some personality in to your invitations. I love the fun descriptions of the weekend events â€“ and this poem written by the groom kills me. If you want to keep the invitation wording more formal, RSVP cards and details card are a great way to add some more personality.

Bright Room Studio is a member of theÂ Designer RolodexÂ Â â€“ you can see more of Kimâ€™s beautiful workÂ right hereÂ orÂ visitÂ theÂ real inviÂtaÂtions galleryÂ for moreÂ wedding invitation ideas!

Photo Credits: Bright Room Studio

11/18/2015

Wedding Stationery Inspiration: Fall Wedding Details

Fall weddings are my favorite. I love the rich color palettes and warm details inspired by theÂ cool and crispÂ weather. Here are some simple ways to incorporate the season into your wedding. – Annie

Create a drink station with hot apple cider, fall florals, and bold signage. | Photography: Aster & Olive PhotographyÂ via The Knot

Use apples with paper leaves as escort cards. | Photography: Cassi Claire PhotographyÂ via The Knot

Use birch woodÂ to create unique place settings. | Source: HGTV

Bottle homemade apple cider and addÂ personalized tags forÂ favors. | Photography: ThisÂ Sweet Love PhotographyÂ via Weddings In Winnipeg

Create napkin ties by wrapping tree trimmings and cinnamon sticks with twine. | Source: Vintage House

AddÂ floral bundles andÂ watercolor place cards toÂ each plate. | Photography: Brittany Wood, Florals: Moon CanyonÂ via designlovefest

Add a copper wax seal to escort cards for a timelessÂ touch. | Photography: Sylvie Gil, Invitation Suite: Little Miss PressÂ via Style Me Pretty

Display menus andÂ other signs in metallicÂ hoops adorned withÂ florals. | Photography: Elisa Bricker, Paper Suite: Southall EdenÂ via 100 Layer Cake

Use deep, rich colors for the florals while keeping the paper goodsÂ more neutral (but still beautiful). | Photography: Danielle Poff Photography, Paper Goods: Little Miss PressÂ via Green Wedding Shoes

Add pomegranates, greenery, and blackÂ food label cards with gold calligraphy to the dessert table. | Photography: Taylor Lord, Design, Florals, & Stationery: The Nouveau Romantics, Calligraphy: Crown and CloverÂ via Green Wedding Shoes

What time of year is your favorite for weddings?

11/18/2015

Midnight in San Francisco Wedding Invitations + A Little Behind the Scenes

Emily and Eric’s wedding invitation design is one of my favorites! They were such a fun couple with a great eclectic design style. And todayÂ I wanted to add a littleÂ something extra and share a little from behind the scenes of this particular design.Â â€“Kim from Bright Room Studio

This design is completely hand-lettered, which means lots of sketching, drawing and scanning! I switch off between using tracing paper and just regular printing paper (often scrap paper from something else) for my lettering, depending on how much I want to sketch before hand. I also use a high-quality marker paper when I use a pointed calligraphy pen. This pile of scans became a bunch of different designs for the bride to choose from.

I typically explore a bunch of different design directions and present many different options to my clients. I think it really helps for them to see a variety of ideasâ€¦ some that are more formal, more rustic, or more whimsical, depending on the vision they initially share with me.Â I find that even the designs that the clients don’t choose help them hone in on their aesthetic. From there, we narrow it down, tweak, mix and match until the design is perfect. But not everything makes the cut! The ones that donâ€™t sometimes become elements of the RSVP or details card, sometimes are repurposed for other designs â€“ and sometimes just go to the design graveyard.

My clients and I work together to refine the invitation suite until it is perfect. To me that means that it is cohesive, unique, clean and special. We finesse the little details like envelope color and twine as that can really make a difference in the whole product.

Here is where we landed with Emily and Eric. I like to call this one â€œMidnight in San Francisco.â€ I love the personal details, unique textures and cool California vibe.

The design was digitally printed to Â showcase the depth of the watercolor textures. I love how the map has a subtle feeling of tie-dye, which winks at San Franciscoâ€™s Summer of Love.

The details really brought this together. The perfectly sourced vintage stamps, old postcard and subtly-rustic details made this eclectic suite come to life!