Category: Wedding Invites

Setting the Stage

January 4, 2012

Sophisticated theatre meets playful circus in this fun invitation suite for Kara and Brad. Married last summer in Baraboo, Wisconsin, Kara and Brad wanted to create a suite that emphasized their unique wedding venue.  Known as “America’s Prettiest Theatre” the Al Ringling theatre is one of the oldest in the country and famous for its origins {helloooo Ringling Brothers!} as well as its architecture. We decided to start with kraft cardstock to give the suite an overall rustic feel. With the invitation we played up the circus vibe with funky fonts and a nod to the classic moving picture with our fun little logo. The RSVP capitalizes on the truly unique architecture of the venue as well as creative movie lingo in the accepts/regrets section. For colors, the teal and black keeps things sleek while still adding a bit of whimsy to the final product. Not to mention I love how the teal stripe liner really pops in the black envelope. Here’s to Kara and Brad and another inspired wedding suite!

Jackson Hole Invites

October 24, 2011

Ah yes, Jackson Hole. This amazing location has been on my vacation hit list for sometime now. Being able to work on this custom invitation suite was a way to visit without all that pesky travel. This lovely set of wedding invitations is the sister to this save the date {remember me?} The bride wanted to keep the fun vibe from her save the date but kick the sophistication up a notch. We went with letterpress printing on a warm colored, thick stock. We used the edge painting technique as a way to add a little something extra. I love how this invitation incorporates illustration, fun type and edge painting but still feels very clean and classic.

The rehearsal dinner invitation was sent separately and was printed flat. For this, we went back to the fun illustrative feel of her save the dates.

A little cowboy flair to start the week with. {I wish I could use that sentence every Monday!}

Delicate & Lovely :: Lucia & Ken

September 28, 2011

I feel so lucky to have worked with Lucia and Ken on this project. From day one Lucia was the nicest, sweetest and most easy going bride. She had great ideas but was also very open to the process. She fell in love with the watercolor // calligraphy collaboration with the ridiculously talented Love, Jenna. We used that as our baseline but then added some fun bits & pieces to compliment the idea. Jenna’s calligraphy is, of course, the star of the invitation. It’s plays really nicely off the soft, delicate watercolor. The ombre liner was hand painted and really makes everything cohesive. All four pieces of the invitation suite went inside the glassine bag to keep everything together. We created a custom logo for the glassine bag and return address. It was created based on the couples save the date picture. {it was taken minutes before Ken dropped to one knee!} The back of the map acts as a guide to Amagansett with a sentence or two about each location on the front of the map. I love how this invitation suite evokes the feeling of beach culture without being so obvious “beach.” The entire process was a pleasure.

{stay tuned for Ken & Lucia’s day of elements- so pretty and creative!}

Vermont Love :: Rachel & Zac

September 20, 2011

Rachel and Zac were married this past weekend at Rachel’s family home in South Hero, Vermont. From the beginning, Rachel and Zac knew that they wanted to capture the essence of Vermont in all their printed pieces. They are a really fun, sweet couple with a distinct vision! We did a custom map of South Hero for their save the dates followed by this lovely, simple invitation suite. The invitation is letterpress while the RSVP and Details card were printed flat. I really love that we kept everything in black and white, it really adds to the crisp, clean vibe the couple was going for. Rachel and Zac wanted to create an icon that we could use on the invites as well as on the day of pieces. We came up with the idea of the two cows nuzzling. The RSVP card is a post card that has a picture of Rachel’s Grandfather’s barn on the backside. This barn has been in her family for years, this is also where the couple held their Welcome Dinner the night before their wedding. Overall, I think this suite is very personal, light and reflective of their location and the couple themselves. Congrats you two!

Farm Fresh :: Kelly & Sean

September 13, 2011

Working with Kelly and Sean was like working with your brother and sister. Right away we were cracking jokes and making fun of one another- it was very refreshing. Kelly and Sean are getting married in Maine and are making it a big ol’ party. They really wanted the invites to feel simple and clean yet creative and reflective of who they are as a couple. We used the brown kraft bag to hold everything together so it sat neatly in the envelope. We wanted to create a “seal” that they could use throughout their wedding day but we didn’t want it to feel like a stuffy monogram. We ended up using an illustration of their dog, Angel, and creating a cool linked initial icon at the bottom. Each bag was hand stamped with a custom rubber stamp. For the RSVP, I purchased some vintage seed packet artwork to help drive home the “farmers’ market” vibe we were going for. On the back, we had a standard RSVP post card for guests to send back. For the rehearsal dinner invitation, we wanted it to feel like it was written out on a chalkboard. I hand wrote everything with a graphite pencil {to get a better texture} and messed around with it in photoshop to create the board effect. I love the fresh simplicity of this invitation suite. It also really makes me want to hit up a farm stand for some corn.

Illustrated Love: Jorie & Hal

August 1, 2011

Sometimes you get to work with those clients who are just so easy, fun, creative and cool.  Jorie and Hal are all of the above. Everything we worked on got comments like “this is so uber rad…” or “Rock out!!!!” It is so great to work with clients who are just as enthusiastic about the work as you are. Makes for some really amazing work.

Jorie and Hal are getting married in Vermont and are having an indie classic {just made that term up- roll with it} wedding on her Mom’s property on Lake Champlain. Jorie really wanted the invites to feel warm, engaging and above all fun. This couple has lived all over together and love the adventures they have shard. We decided to tell their story through a panel invite suite. Each panel shows a different time in their life as a couple, ending with them on the property where they will be married.

What I love most about this suite is that it’s one piece of paper. It’s very compact and a great fit for the low key Bride & Groom looking to keep it simple. The RSVP is a post card that you trim and send back to your guests- love that. So many fun bits in this suite: from the rainbow socks Jorie is wearing with her kickball uniform to the little map details on the back. I am really happy with how this turned out. Good luck Jorie & Hal!

 

Destination: Mexico

May 10, 2011

Now, would this have been a little bit more timely to share on say… Cinco de Mayo? Sure, but last week got away from me so we’ll just share this on Diez de Mayo! I have a few destination Brides I have been working with lately and I have to say, this seems like the way to go! Low stress indeed. Tessa and Paul got married in gorgeous Riviera Maya. She really like the way my Chicago Invites looked and wanted to recreate that feel for her Mexican inspired invites. All the artwork is hand illustrated and the type on the front of the invite is hand drawn. She wanted her guests to get excited and feel inspired when they received their invites. I love how bright and bold they are, perfect for a Mexican destination wedding.

 

Letterpress + Vintage

April 26, 2011

Millie and Joe could quite possibly be one of the most creative couples I have worked with. They came to me with a vision of what they wanted to see and acted as top notch creative directors throughout the entire process. It was a lot of fun working closely with them to bring their distinct vision to life. On this particular suite, we mixed letterpress and flat printing to allow for luxury where it was needed but a pop of color and fun on some of the other elements. I love how both printing methods play off one another here. Their invite is letterpress and incredibly classic. At the top and bottom there is a ghost printed lace pattern with clean, simple type making up the main copy. My favorite element is the little pie at the bottom, so sweet! {no pun intended} Millie and Joe got engaged on The Highline {in NYC} and wanted to use a photo as the front of the reply post card. I did some fancy photoshoping to give The Highline postcard that vintage, overly saturated feel while still keeping the back fresh and modern.  In addition to the other elements we included a personalized map that makes up Millie & Joe’s NYC. It marks all the places of importance to them as well as showing their guests some key spots in Manhattan & Brooklyn.  As a final detail, I created a custom rubber stamp of the pie to hand stamp all the hang tags for the invite suite. This added an organic element to help tie together the entire look. Millie was inspired to use clear envelopes and incredibly beautiful vintage stamps for this suite. Such a unique touch. I sincerely love the end result and couldn’t have asked for a sweeter, more creative couple to work with. Congrats you guys!

Letterpress + Watercolor= Pretty

April 13, 2011

I don’t need to express how gorgeous letterpress printing is because it really speaks for itself. It’s a classic way of printing that exudes elegance, charm and personality. Danielle and Matt are having an amazing wedding at the Angel Orensanz {on the Lower East Side in NYC} and they wanted their invites to reflect the venue, their style, the location while still being classic and reflective of their black tie wedding. We kept the invite design type based and peppered fun phrases throughout to keep it light. On the details card, we were able to incorporate a few hand drawn illustrations that play a part in Danielle and Matt’s big day. My favorite part of the suite is the belly band and envelope liner. The first thing you will notice about the Angel Orensanz is the lighting. They have the venue lit up in these amazing shades of purple, pink and blue. Danielle knew she wanted to incorporate that into the invite somehow. I hand painted the watercolor print with the venue colors and think it adds a really soft, personal touch. We are going to carry this watercolor print throughout the day of elements to tie everything together. I love the way everything with this suite turned out from the letterpressed envelopes to the illustrated images. It all works well together and really sets the tone for what is going to be an amazing wedding!

Chicago Wedding Suite: Lacey & Flynn

January 14, 2011

I am pretty in love with this wedding suite. Not only is Chicago one of the best cities around, it’s well known for it’s civic pride and Lacey and Flynn have this in spades. They love Chicago- it’s where they met, where they will get married and where they bought their first home. They really wanted the city of Chicago to be the star in their invitations.

All the graphic elements in the suite are hand drawn and we used their wedding colors to create the palate. What I love most about this suite are all the details. They are HUGE Cubs fans, so we made their reply card a little nod to their cubbies. My personal favorite is the weekend guide for their guests. Lacey and Flynn wanted to share “their” Chicago with everyone, so they came up with a top 5 list of things to do while in the city. They also complimented the list with a few classic Chicago songs–a custom playlist? Fantastic!

Photos of Chicago wedding suite by Susan Pittard