New Printable Wedding Invitations from e.m. papers

January 31, 2012

This is such a fun concept! Last year, Eleanor from e.m. papers designed a new wedding invitation every day for a month during her 31 Invites in 31 Days challenge (check out all of the designs), and she developed the concepts that received the most love from her blog readers and Facebook fans into full designs. Four designs – Thistle, Pink Rain, Love Joy Happiness, and Beetle – made the cut, and I’m excited to share them with you today. Eleanor is in the process of extending many of the designs into full suites, so look for additional pieces soon!

Thistle

Pink Rain

Love Joy Happiness

Beetle

e.m. papers’ printable templates are unique in that they use an Adobe Acrobat Form format to allow couples to enter their information directly into the template, rather than send it to be typeset (although Eleanor offers that service as well). You can literally download a design or suite, fill in your information, and go!

image source: e.m. papers

Plantable Wedding Invitations

January 30, 2012

Passport Wedding Invitation

Ooh, so many wonderful new wedding invitation designs being introduced lately, and these plantable pretties from Botanical Paperworks have really caught my eye. Their new designs are clean, modern and, of course, printed on plantable seed paper that grows wildflowers when planted. Each design can be personalized with your choice of paper, ink, and/or envelope colors for a wedding invitation that’s unique AND eco-friendly.

Shown above (clockwise, from top left) : Chevron, Watercolor, Tandem Bicycle, and Monogram.

image source: Botanical Paperworks

Unique Tiffany Blue Keepsake Wedding Invitations

January 26, 2012

It’s no wonder that Tiffany Blue is one of the most inspirational colors around for all things wedding. The beautiful shade of teal conjures feelings of sophistication and luxury, along with images of the unforgettable Holly Golightly nibbling on a pastry in her little black dress. Romantic. Classic. Perfect inspiration for a wedding invitation. And this Tiffany-inspired invitation by UAE/Dubai-based invitation design studio, Natoof, is just as unforgettable as the iconic character.

The Tiffany Blue-inspired wedding required an invite which complimented the wedding theme, and Natoof transformed the trademark Tiffany gift box into a gorgeous, magnetic enclosure invitation box, tied with pure white ribbon and embellished with silver keys that look like the gorgeous key pendants at Tiffany’s.

Inside, an incredible laser cut acrylic wedding invitation awaits the swoons of recipients, who will most certainly be tucking this keepsake away for future reference.

image source: Natoof

2012 Weddng Invitation Trends : Calligraphy and Hand-Lettering

January 23, 2012

We’re already almost a month into 2012, and I have a few trend features to share with you over the next couple of weeks. There are so many exciting things going on right now in stationery, and I can’t wait to share some thoughts about what I think will be big this year. First, one of my favorite trends (it’s been building over the past couple of years).

Custom Calligraphy and Hand-Lettering

Calligraphy and hand-lettering continue to be a major force in the world of custom invitations and, with many more extremely talented calligraphers and hand-lettering artists coming onto the scene, there are an incredible range of styles available to designers and their custom invitation clients.

Custom calligraphy and lettering can bring everything from upscale elegance to casual quirkiness to an invitation suite. We’ve seen examples from everywhere along this spectrum in the past year, and I think that we’ll see even more fantastic, custom suites in the coming year. However, if the budget for something completely custom just isn’t there, then you’re in luck because calligraphy and lettering-inspired fonts are springing up all over, too.

Above, Top Row : hand-lettered navy blue + yellow letterpress invitations (Perky Bros, Giada Coppi, Rohner Letterpress); sweet, hand-lettered letterpress wedding invitations (The Mandate Press); Aria letterpress wedding invitation (Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls for Bella Figura)

Bottom Row : Coronado letterpress wedding invitation (Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls for Bella Figura); sweet mason jar + fireflies wedding invitations (Brandon Kirk, Jacob Gerber, Lilco Letterpress); whimsical hand-lettered bridal shower invites (Mary Kate McDevitt)

The Long-Legged Fonts

Strangelove and Liebe Erika set the tone, and an entire generation of ultra thin, tall, condensed fonts has followed, bringing designers dozens of potential long-legged fonts with which to work. These fonts, which can be straightforward, a little bit scruffy, or sometimes loopy and swirly, are right at home in wedding invitations with a bit of casual whimsy. They are warm and sweet, with a homespun appeal, and they’re certain to charm.

Above, Row 1 : Liebe Erika by Ulrike Wilhelm/LiebeFonts and Strangelove by Marcus Sterz/FaceType Row 2 : Hello I Like You by Cindy Kinash/Cultivated Mind and Baronessa by Juraj Chrastina Row 3 : Shiva by Ryoichi Tsunekawa/Flat-It and Berimbau by Ricardo Marcin & Erica Jung/Pintassilgo Prints Row 4 : Populaire by Ricardo Marcin & Erica Jung/Pintassilgo Prints and Firefly by Miranda Hopper/Canada Type Row 5 : Mr Moustache by Georg Herold-Wildfellner/FaceType and Nivel by Ewen Prigent/La Boite Graphique

Calligraphy Fonts

The classic script font is beautiful, stately, and not going anywhere anytime soon, but over the past year a number of gorgeous fonts by calligraphers and hand-lettering artists have made a big splash in the wedding invitation world. The creative hand can be clearly seen in these lovely faces – the unique edge of the pen used to create the forms, swashes and curls that are anything but buttoned-up, and a decidedly hand-formed feel that appeals to just about everyone.

Above, Row 1 : Carolyna and Carolyna Pro Black by Emily Conners/Emily Lime Row 2 : Emily Lime by Emily Conners/Emily Lime and Belluccia by Debi Sementelli & Brian J. Bonislawsky/Correspondence Ink Row 3 : Bookeyed Suzanne and Bookeyed Jack by Crystal Kluge & Stuart Sandler/Tart Workshop Row 4 : Alana by Laura Worthington and Parfumerie Script Pro by Sabrina Mariela Lopez/Typesenses

image source: various

Kristen + Thomas’ Classic Modern Wedding Invites

January 17, 2012

I love to see classic wedding invitations that incorporate a playful, modern touch, and Kristen and Thomas’ gorgeous invitation suite, designed by Lion in the Sun, is a great example of this blend of classic and modern.

Kristen and Thomas were looking for a classic, elegant invitation with a twist. The invitation features a hand-calligraphy-like font on a slight slant in charcoal thermography on oyster white card stock, a modern take on a traditional wedding invite. Our favorite part is the details card, which ties in the classic calligraphy on the top but features an illustration of the couple’s faces that literally personalizes the whole thing. We also love the pop of red from the rustic heart design, and the bright yellow envelope liner really makes this invitation stand apart from the rest!

image source: Lion in the Sun

Sideshow Press Wedding Invitation Templates

January 16, 2012

Sideshow Press does such amazing design work, and I’m so excited to see this, their first ever collection of customizable wedding templates. They designed each of the four sets with a different type of bride in mind, and the result is a sophisticated collection of letterpress wedding suites that will appeal to couples across the style spectrum.

Options include save the date cards (card, envelope, and envelope liner), invitation set (invite, outer and inner envelopes, envelope liners, rsvp card and matching envelope, reception card), weekend materials (butler card and matching envelope, table number, and program cover), thank you notes, and matching envelopes.

Woodlands Suite

Town Square Suite

Hunt & Gather Suite

Great Gatsby Suite

image source: Sideshow Press

Love Note Wedding Invitations

January 11, 2012

Elum’s new Love Note wedding invitations seem to have been designed especially for an invitation crush, and you can bet that I’m all aswoon over this incredibly clever suite. The Love Note suite evokes nostalgic memories of homeroom romance and notes passed between young sweethearts.

Each piece in this affordable letterpress wedding suite, a part of Elum’s Umi Collection, looks like it’s drawn onto paper – a page torn out of a spiral notebook, an index card, a postcard, a sheet of loose leaf notebook paper – while playful typography and graphic doodles conjure a sweet, whimsical feeling.

image source: Elum

Woodsy Laser Cut Booklet Wedding Invites

January 10, 2012

I am head over heels for these unique, woodsy wedding invites by Cape Town, South Africa-based wedding invitation design studio, Seven Swans. The laser cut invitation card is awesome, as is the sewn booklet containing the card and a beautiful photo of the happy couple. Such fun and unique wedding invitations!

image source: Seven Swans

Brian + Allie’s Sunny Silkscreened Wedding Invitations

January 09, 2012

It was crush at first sight when I spotted Brian and Allie’s unique, silkscreened and stamped wedding invitations over at FPO. The couple, who met while doing volunteer work at an orphanage in Mexico, wanted a design that would represent their eclectic personalities and incorporate a little bit of Mexico, as well as sunflowers, which were featured prominently in their ceremony. The result is a gorgeous invitation suite, designed by Kyle Marks, which exudes a rustic warmth and charm. Everything in the suite was silkscreened, hand stamped, and hand cut, giving each piece a unique, handmade feel. Find out more about this sunny wedding suite over at FPO.

printing by Interval Press; custom rubber stamp by Rubber Stamp Champ

image source: FPO

2012 Wedding Invitation Collection from Bella Figura

January 03, 2012

Fugue by Kamal (foil stamping swoon)

Wow, is the holiday break over already? I hope that you enjoyed the season and were able to take some nice, relaxing time with family and friends!

Before I signed off for the holidays over on Paper Crave, I shared some of the awesome designs from Bella Figura’s amazing 2012 wedding invitation collection, and I would be remiss in my duties as an invitation fiend if I didn’t share some of the beautiful designs from the new collection over here, too. Foil stamping and foil edging in 12 color options, new neon letterpress ink colors, and gorgeous designs by independent artists and designers – what more could one ask for in a modern wedding invitation collection?

Here are just a few of my faves, and be sure to head over to Bella Figura to check out the entire swoon-worthy collection.