Invitations and Announcements from Pounding Mill Press

January 12, 2011

Today, I’m crushing on the portfolio of Pounding Mill Press, a studio that specializes in invitations, announcements, and save the dates that are a bit out of the ordinary. One of my favorite projects from their portfolio is this utterly sweet grasshopper-themed birth announcement. I just love the grasshopper patterned envelope liners, as well as the custom return address stamp and super cute baby photo!

Here’s a selection of recent custom projects that Pounding Mill Press has created. I’m really digging their custom laser cut work:

Decoder save the dates … so clever!

image source: Pounding Mill Press

Golden Laser Cut Rose Wedding Invitations

January 11, 2011

Oh, how happy I was when I heard from Miriam from Dubai-based Natoof Design, who let me know about this absolutely gorgeous golden wedding invitation suite, designed by Natoof for a wedding with a rose motif as its central theme.

This elegant gold and white wedding suite features delicate laser cut rose patterns on the accordion fold invitations, which allow recipients to peek through to see golden metallic paper, while a coordinating laser cut “window” envelope gives invited guests a peek at the invites.

A pocket within the invitation holds rose-themed VIP entrance cards, and the Arabic calligraphy wording is gold foil stamped, giving this suite a rich, sophisticated feel.

Natoof Design also created coordinating, gold foil stamped gift tags, and rose pendants to embellish gifts that the bride gave to her invitees along with the invitations.

image source: Natoof Design

Whimsical Vintage Inspired Invitations by Designfest

January 10, 2011

I’m completely enamored with these wonderfully whimsical, vintage inspired wedding invitations by Designfest. The mix of cute type, hand-lettering, and illustration gives the invites a charming organic feel, and they’re just so darn sweet. I’m digging the coordinating customized tags, too. Super cute!

Designfest gives you a lot of flexibility when you purchase this suite. You can receive the invitations and extras as printable files, or they can handle the printing for you. Colors can also be customized to match your color palette, and minor size changes can be accomodated, as well.

image source: Designfest

Letterpress Fill-In Invitations from Tumbleweed Press

January 07, 2011

Sweet bunting, froggies, and ethereal butterflies feature in this oh so lovely line of letterpress fill-in invitations from New Zealand based shop, Tumbleweed Press. The beautiful collection includes fill-in letterpress birthday invitations in several styles, as well as a delightful baby shower invite. You can purchase the invitations at Tumbleweed Press’ Big Cartel shop or at their Etsy shop.

image source: Tumbleweed Press

Envelopments Destination Wedding Invitation Sample

January 06, 2011

It’s so fun and inspiring to browse around the Envelopments “Featured Recipes” portfolio, a showcase invitations of all sorts that have been created using the Envelopments product line. I also like that they list every element used in the design underneath the sample photos, so you will know exactly what you’re looking for when you contact your local Envelopments designer/dealer.

One of my favorite wedding suites in their mix & match recipe box is the Brynne & Logan sample, a destination wedding invitation suite that features a pocket card filled with information that guests will need for an entire destination wedding weekend, plus additional coordinating goodies like a bottle of wine with a personalized label and favor boxes filled with edible treats.

image source: Envelopments

Lauren + Alex’s Unique Cape Cod Map Save the Dates

January 05, 2011

Oh, what a unique and creative take on map save the dates! Ice Cream Social, creators of this unique design, had me at “printed on canvas”, and these custom Cape Cod map save the dates will undoubtedly be keepsakes for those lucky enough to be invited to Lauren and Alex’s New England style June wedding.

It’s so wonderful to see such an elegant take on a nautical theme, with navy and white striped ribbon, rope elements, and ship’s wheel imagery featured in a subtle, sophisticated way in the belly band detail. And the canvas map itself is like a little treasure map that will lead you to the fun and festivities.

image source: Ice Cream Social

Modern Purple Invitations by Julie Hanan Design

January 04, 2011

This modern wedding invitation suite by Julie Hanan Design immediately caught my eye. I love the way that Julie has used different shades of purple – everything from the deepest royal purple to lavendar to magenta – to create a suite that’s both modern and eyecatching. Metallic invitation and response card envelopes in a coordinating magenta shade add a touch of sparkle and shine.

And if purple’s not your thing, then have no fear! The colors, as well as the fonts and accents, in this invitation suite can be customized to your needs.

image source: Julie Hanan Design

Modern Wood Veneer Invitations by Ditto Paper

January 03, 2011

I was working my way through the Winter 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings over the holiday break when I was stopped in my page flipping tracks. There, on page 324, was an ultra chic, minimalist modern wedding invitation suite by Ditto Paper that took my breath away. The main pieces of the suite are printed in white and orange ink (awesome!) on wood veneer (double awesome!), and the result is ultra modern perfection.

A glance at the other custom invitation designs in Ditto Paper’s portfolio tells me that this creative duo is already a force to be reckoned with in the invitation design world. I can’t wait to see what they’ll create next!

photos by: Sarah Maingot (wood veneer), Johnny Miller (bbq wedding, bottom left), and Raymond Hom (french-inspired, bottom right)

2011 Wedding Invitation Trends : Style and Inspiration

December 22, 2010

This is my last post before the holiday break, and I’d like to thank all of you who have visited Invitation Crush during the first few months since it launched. I’m excited about what’s to come in 2011, and I’ll see you back in January, when I’ll be sharing many more awesome invites! Happy Holidays, and here’s to a happy, healthy 2011!

Several style trends started to come to the forefront as 2010 went along, and I think that their influence will only grow throughout 2011. A few of these styles have threads connecting them. For example, I think that patterns will explode in popularity in 2011, at least in part, as a result of the trend in designs influenced by both early 20th century and mid-century style. And I believe that the majority of the predictions that I’ll be sharing represent an overall trend in revisiting the past and getting back to more personal, meaningful ways of creative expression.

Vintage Ephemera Inspired

This was a HOT trend in 2010, and I think it will continue through 2011. Airmail, old school playbills, telegrams, late 19th and early 20th century ephemera, and posters from the Old West served as the inspiration for some of the most beautiful, original wedding invites of 2010, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come in 2011. I think that we’ll also start to see designers taking more inspiration from the typography, layout, and illustration in vintage books.

Shown above (left to right): Old-Fashioned Hitchin’ letterpress wedding invites by PTARMAK; Train-Themed letterpress wedding invitations by Lunalux; Vintage Love Letter / Airmail Inspired letterpress wedding invitations by Lucky Luxe; Erin + Jeremy’s vintage ephemera-inspired invitations by Hello! Lucky; Lone Star save the dates by Jennifer James of Two Paperdolls; Carolina letterpress wedding invitations from Curious & Co.’s Claremont Collection

Mid-Century Modern

This is one of my personal favorites, and I’ve already seen signs in design competitions and 2011 line previews that lead me to believe that mid-century-inspired designs are going to explode in 2011. Flags + banners, burst medallions, great typography, and whimsical illustrations will be well represented.

Shown above (left to right): Herald letterpress wedding invitations by Ben Whitla for Bella Figura; Preppie wedding invitations from Dizzy Wizzy; Emily + Dan’s Retro Teal and Red invitations by Erin Jang; Album Cover Invitations by Alyssa Zukas and Joshua Korwin; Mid-Century Modern Typographic wedding invitations, designed by Drew Hodgson and printed by Studio on Fire; Parisian Grammar School wedding invitations by J. Bartyn Design for Minted

Ultra Clean and Modern

One and two color designs with sleek typography and understated patterns and emblems are a perfect match for the art of letterpress, which offers additional dimension through luxe papers and its trademark tactile appeal. But clean, modern designs will gain popularity in the non-letterpress arena, too, as couples search for options that are both beautiful and subtle.

Shown above (left to right): Parallel invitations by Elum; ultra modern invitations from Beyond Beyond’s Made Collection; Charleston Stitch letterpress invitations from Delphine Press; Cocktail Hour wedding invitations by Ariel Rutland for Minted; Beautiful Blue Patterned letterpress invitations, designed by Curious & Co. and printed by Cleanwash Letterpress; Grey + White letterpress wedding invitations, designed by Chris Hannah and printed by Blush Publishing

Pattern

I’ve already touched on pattern’s increasing popularity, particularly in talking about the trend in patterned envelope liner designs, but we’ll be seeing pattern in all shapes and forms in 2011 – herringbone, diagonal stripes, plaid, houndstooth, chevron, used as everything from the main graphic element to the embellishment for the cover of storybook style invitations to the decoration on the reverse of the main invitation.

Shown above (left to right): Labyrinth wedding invitations by Elum; Modernist letterpress wedding invitations from Anemone Letterpress; Purple Plaid wedding invitations by Kate Miller Events; Aubergine + Fuchsia patterned wedding invitations from Wiley Valentine; Black and White letterpress wedding invites by Bespoke Press; Winter Wedding invitations by Paisley Quill (photo by West Park Photography)

Hand-Lettering and Calligraphy

Hand-lettering and calligraphy can add anything from whimsy to elegance, depending on the style chosen. And more great calligraphy and handwritten fonts are coming out, too, which means that designers who don’t specialize in these disciplines can still create invitations with a hand-lettered or hand calligraphed look. I think that we’ll see a mix of both hand-lettering + calligraphy and calligraphy style typography used as the main visual element that carries throughout wedding invitation suites.

Shown above (left to right): Kevin + Satsuki’s patterned and hand-lettered invites; Ruthie + Dylan’s hand-lettered wedding invitations by Anna Bond/Rifle Paper; Balsam Calligraphy letterpress invitations by Patricia Mumau for Bella Figura; Hand-Lettered wedding invitations, designed by Anchalee Chambundabongse and printed by Studio on Fire; JP + Kiera’s dreamy pink + gold typographic wedding invitations; Whimsical Hand-lettered invitations by Chelsea Petaja of Oh My Deer

Booklet and Storybook Invitations

Guidebooks, storybooks, booklets, passports – storybook style wedding invitations allow the couple to tell their story and/or give guests information, usually in a clever and often funny way. It’s like designing a little book that you can fill with whatever you’d like, and I can understand the appeal of these types of invites, which I think we’ll be seeing more of in 2011.

Shown above (left to right): Jordana + David’s modern storybook invitations, designed by Love the Card; Stitched Booklet wedding invitations, designed by BBDO New York and printed by Studio on Fire; Bollywood Meets French Canadian booklet invitations by Blank; Modern Stripe storybook wedding invitations by Seamless Creative; Vintage Guidebook wedding invitations by Urban Influence; Raquel + Gerry’s passport wedding invitations by Lion in the Sun

images from their respective owners

2011 Wedding Invitation Trends : Color

December 21, 2010

Today is 2011 wedding invitation color trends day, and let me tell you, I had so much fun putting this together. I’ve organized my picks into separate palettes, keeping in line with the style trend predictions that I’ll be sharing tomorrow, so if you see a couple of the same colors repeated it’s because I felt that they worked well in multiple trend palettes.

I have to thank wedding color trend guru Michelle Mospens, who put together two fantastic wedding color trend boards for 2011. I’ve incorporated several of her color predictions into my trends ideas, and I’ve definitely made use of Pantone’s top 10 fashion + home 2011 spring color trends, too.

Honeysuckle + Tropical Hues

Pantone recently announced that honeysuckle, a warm pink, is their 2011 color of the year, and as someone who loves many shades of pink, I give it a big thumbs up. I’m so excited that honeysuckle is such a versatile color, too, pairing wonderfully with tropical hues like blue curacao, coral rose, chartreuse, and beeswax for tropical/destination, spring, and summer wedding invitations, and equally as well with neutrals like light charcoal and midnight for classic, upscale invites.

Gaga for Gray

Gray will continue to be a powerhouse neutral in 2011, and more taupe-y grays and grays with hints of brown will show up in ultra upscale, one and two-color letterpress wedding invitations. The growing trend in minimalist modern invitation designs will see shades of gray paired with muted shades in every color of the rainbow, from soft, barely there peachy pinks to bold colors like papaya. I have to admit that, though I’m a big fan of honeysuckle, it was love at first sight when I spotted the silver cloud/silver peony combo in Pantone’s 2011 spring palette.

Berry Lovely

Do purples and pinks really ever go out of style? Purple is the color of royalty, and with the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, I see many couples to be being drawn to the rich hue in 2011. Soft lavender and thistle look beautiful in one-color letterpress designs, and bolder shades are attention getting on their own or paired with the aforementioned gray, as well as navy blue. Pinks will also be in full force in 2011, and I see a trend toward peachy pinks like hibiscus, peacherine, deep peony, and the previously mentioned silver peony.

Vintage

The early 20th century (Art Nouveau and Art Deco) and mid-century will continue to be inspirational eras in 2011, and along with the growing style trends, we’ll see lots of muted palettes inspired by these eras. Minty teal and poppy is always a great choice for mid-century modern designs with a bit of whimsy, and muted navy, khaki gray, and poppy are wonderful for the growing trend in airmail-inspired designs. Black on white or cream makes a bold statement for vintage ephemera-inspired suites, while khaki gray and light leaf look wonderful in natural, Art Nouveau designs.

Nautical and Marine

2010 was the year of the nautical-inspired wedding invitation, and the trend will continue in a more subtle way in 2011, which means that we’ll be seeing a lot of “something blue”. Midnight and muted navy will stand on their own, particularly in letterpress designs, paired with a white or cream stock. Kelly green, moccasin, and khaki gray provide a lovely contrast and represent the earth, the sand, and the sun in beach and nautical-inspired designs.

Don’t Forget Metallics

Metallics were HUGE in all things stationery during the latter part of 2010, and I think that we’ll be seeing even more of them in 2011. Silver, gold, and warm copper will be showing up in both classic and unexpected ways, and shimmery shades will be incorporated in cardstock and envelopes, as well.