We were so excited when Kate Ignatowski reached out to us about working together on a modern, New Orleans inspired shoot. The inspiration started with the venue — a hip new spot called 501 Union in Brooklyn. Kate envisioned a wedding with a New Orleans styled vibe with lots of candle-light and Spanish moss to go with the modern, refined elements of the space. We created a custom version of our Good Show invitation suite in black and camel inks, which included invitations with lined envelopes, save the dates, menus and place cards to match her mood board. Calligrapher Patricia Mumau hand calligraphed the place cards and a Cognac tasting menu for the shoot, and even addressed the envelopes in her amazing new Murdock hand! The shoot was featured today on Ruffled, so be sure to check it out to see even more gorgeous images. Many thanks to Kate for inviting us to be a part of this amazing collaboration!
Shoot Location: Brooklyn, NY / Photographer: Kate Ignatowski / Floral Design + Concept: Mimosa Florals / Venue: 501 Union (kara @ 501union.com) / Wedding Dress: Jillian Fellers / Hair: Andy Tseng / Makeup: Anny Chow / Wedding Cakes: Momofuku Milk Bar / Rentals: Patina Vintage Rentals / Assorted Decanters + Glasses: Anthropologie & West Elm / Invitation Suite: Bella Figura / Calligraphy: Primele Creative Studio / Couple: Emilia and Wil Schobeiri
Save the dates are a helpful resource for your guests and a great way to set the tone for your upcoming wedding. With 325+ designs (and counting!) we have something for everyone – and if you don’t see something that is perfect for your wedding, we can work with you until you’ve found it. With hundreds of designs and limitless combinations of ink colors and embellishments, we thought it might be helpful to show some ideas and options fit for any budget – from conservative to wildly extravagant.
We can’t get enough of the dazzle and flash of foil stamping – but truth be told, the look and feel of letterpress printing on our luxurious cotton paper is hands down our favorite. Just one color – dark or light, pale or bright – can be perfect for your save the dates. In addition to being more budget friendly than multiple ink colors and foil stamping, choosing one letterpress ink gives you a bit more flexibility if you haven’t settled on a color palette for the wedding.
Hayden | Nassau | Roosevelt | Duncan
To further personalize your save the dates and make them truly unique to you, consider adding hand calligraphy from one of our insanely talented calligraphers. We have lots of styles available from the traditional to the whimsical to every style in between. Contact them to address your envelopes in the coordinating calligraphy style for the ultimate presentation.
Rustic Thicket | Good Show | Simple Charms | Laurent
With over 60 letterpress inks and nearly 20 metallic foil colors, the options to customize your save the dates in your wedding colors are virtually endless. Print in two letterpress colors, two foil colors, or opt for one of each – our letterpress inks and foil colors pair perfectly together.
Clarus | Parker | Serendipity | Viceroy
Love letterpress printing and/or foil stamping but having trouble working it into your budget? Try downsizing your save the date to our petite A5 size (the size of a standard reply card). What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in sheer sweetness. There are no rules when it comes to save the dates, so don’t let the smaller size fool you – these can be just as formal and just as traditional as their larger counterparts.
Capri | Tisbury
For the ultimate splurge in save the dates, you can’t go wrong with foil stamping, letterpress printing and diecut shapes. Combining two or more of our printing options and embellishments will wow your guests and set the tone for your ultra modern or over the top, glamorous wedding.
Seraphina | Urbanic | Faunus
Ever wonder how long it takes a calligrapher to hand address a set of envelopes? Curious which ink color is used most often when it comes to calligraphy addressing? We sat down with Bella Figura calligrapher Kelle McCarter to learn about the ins and out of her business, how she got her start, and her favorite way to dress up an envelope.
How did you get into calligraphy? I fell in love with calligraphy and lettering art when I discovered the fabulous work of French artist Francois Gervais. When I moved to Denver seven years ago, I joined the Colorado Calligraphers’ Guild, with the goal of incorporating calligraphy into my graphic design business. I was fortunate to study with renowned artist and calligrapher Laurie Doctor, who was president of the CCG at the time.
Where do you do your addressing? I am blessed with a beautiful space in which to do my work. I have a window view of the Rocky Mountains from my Denver studio. And, having two Golden Retrievers always by my side makes it the most pleasant of work environments.
How long does it take to address an envelope or a set of envelopes? It takes about one hour to complete eight to ten envelopes because I rule pencil lines and erase them after I hand letter each envelope. I call the process “painting lettering” because each envelope is a miniature piece of art that can not be rushed.
What’s your favorite way to dress up an envelope? I adore envelope liners. They are a simple, yet beautiful, way to incorporate another layer of design, color and texture into the presentation of an invitation. Wax seals can be beautiful and modern with a bright colored wax and a simple calligraphy monogram or initial. Also, vintage or themed postage stamps can add character and interest to any envelope.
For my own wedding, I placed Marvel Comics postage stamps on the envelopes to match the commissioned comic strip wedding announcements that my husband and I sent to friends and family after our wedding.
How many ink colors do you offer? Because I work with gouaches (opaque watercolors), I can offer a beautiful array of color options- from opera pink to leaf green, two of my favorites.
What are your most popular ink colors for envelope addressing? Black is the most popular, as it should be. It is classic and elegant always, regardless of the invitation color. A rich antique gray and sepia brown are popular, too. For save the date envelopes that are less formal than the invitation envelopes, white ink on a colored envelope is striking.
What’s your most popular style? “Maura” is the most popular calligraphy that I do. I think it is because it is a blend of modern and classic lettering.
Many thanks to Kelle for giving us a behind the scenes look at her studio! Visit her website to learn more and to work with Kelle for your wedding calligraphy! Be sure to shop Kelle’s collection, too – her designs are currently on sale for 10% off!
Studio & envelope images courtesy of Zorn Photography
We’re not-so-secretly obsessing over Cristina and Michael’s inspired take on our Eleanor wedding invitation design. The Carlisle style hand calligraphy is fresh and modern, while classic Black letterpress ink meets rich Gold Matte foil and a natural jute envelope pairs up with a dramatic floral liner.
letterpress ink: black | foil stamping: gold matte | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | foil edging: gold matte | hand calligraphy: carlisle style | envelope: jute | liner: elegant garden pattern in black ink | customization #: 18275 | Candi Stern Stationers
We were so happy to see Mindy & Travis’ elegant rustic Virginia wedding on Style Me Pretty recently. We worked with the couple for their letterpress invitations and menus, and combined the border from our Romantic Floral design with hand calligraphy by Debi Zeinert in our Classic Calligraphy style. A soft color palette using our French vanilla and pewter letterpress inks looked stunning our luxurious ivory paper. The elegant, romantic look of the invitations set the tone for their gorgeous celebration, which featured various shades of pink, creams and blush. Mindy and Travis enhanced their already gorgeous barn venue by hanging romantic bistro lights and displaying elegant floral arrangements. The end result? Breathtaking.
Mindy and Travis, congratulations! We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
Photography: Jen Fariello Photography | Ceremony + Reception Venue: Castle Hill Cider | Cinematography: Zachary Shields of Toast Wedding Films | Floral Design: Southern Blooms by Pats Floral Designs | Event Design + Planning: just a little ditty | Calligraphy for invitations, envelopes, menu + place cards: Debi Zeinert of The Blooming Quill | Personalized Paper Accessories (napkins, stickers + straws): foryourparty.com | Cake + Desserts: Cakes by Rachel | Caterer + Rentals: Harvest Moon Catering | Extra Rentals: Stonegate Event Rentals and Festive Fare | Lighting: Blue Ridge AV and Lighting | Artist: Rich Flynn | Reception Band: The Dickens | Hair: Lucas Shaffer | Makeup: Renee Smith | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids Dress: Amsale | Grooms Tuxedo: Custom, Astor and Black | Flower Girls’ Dress: OliviaKateCouture
Ofeibea and Louis customized our Santa Fe wedding invitation design for their Ghana wedding by pairing bright, bold letterpress inks with Copper Shine foil and kraft envelopes. The allover letterpress printed patterning on the pocketfold carries over the textile-like look (and feel!) of this design.
letterpress inks: day-glo + surf | foil stamping: copper shine | fonts: meadow + dima | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | foil edging: copper shine | pocketfold: bella cotton white, letterpress printed in day-glo + surf | envelope: kraft, foil stamped in copper shine | customization #: 19276 | The Village Invites
We are excited to share today’s modern romantic wedding that was featured recently on Style Me Pretty! Nasseem and John picked our chevron-styled Darla letterpress wedding invitations, and by customizing the colors to navy and pewter inks, the invitation suite paired perfectly with the rest of the modern accents used throughout their wedding day. Do you see those adorable matching Darla letterpressed cards at the table setting? Nasseem and John made a donation to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation in lieu of favors and we happily printed free letterpress favor cards for helping others in need.
Thank you Nasseem and John – we loved seeing your dream wedding come to life. We hope you have a lifetime of happiness together!
Photography: Heather Saunders Photography | Floral + Event Design: Parsonage Events | Event Planning: TwoFoot Creative | Venue: The Whitney | Shoes: Kate Spade | Dress: Oscar de la Renta | Sweets Table: Sweet Heather Anne | Envelopes + “Please Seat Me” Sign: Molly Jacques Illustration
Rachel (of Rachel Zimmerman Design) created this rustic custom design for her son’s Bar Mitzvah invitations. With a bold monogram at the top of each card we know this day is all about – Corey. A careful (and brilliant) selection of two custom letterpress inks really made this design come to life.
ink: pms orange 021U + pms warm gray 10 | fonts: submitted | paper: 2-ply white | invite size: a7 | envelopes: jute | edge painting: pms orange 021U | customization #: 17599 |
Our Ursula design (by Aimee O’Boyle) features a combination of letterpress and foil stamping printing. We love the subtle font changes and choice of our jute envelopes to make this perfect for a garden wedding celebration.
letterpress ink: coral | foil: gold matte | fonts: jubilant + tropez | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f-8 | liner: diego pattern in coral | customization #: 17065 |
This design, courtesy of Sweet Paper, takes everything we love about the Deveril suite – it’s simple elegance and marries it to a beautiful custom liner. The result speaks for itself!
ink: black | fonts: impression + danube | paper: 2-ply white | printing: letterpress | edge painting in garden | liner: custom pattern in garden | invite size: F-8 for inner envelopes | customization #: 16150 |
Our popular Charmed New York (by Jessica Tierney) letterpress wedding invitation design looks stylish with the addition of antique gold letterpress. Thanks Village Invites for sending this big city invitation suite our way.
inks: antique gold + black | font: sans capitals + nysa + impression | paper: 1-ply ivory | invite size: A7 for inner envelopes | liner: elegant chainlink pattern in black ink | customization #: 16482 |
This wonderful Dash (by Ian Koenig) letterpress wedding invitation set was sent to us by our friends at Aileen Invitations. What really ties this set together is the jute envelopes and the beautiful simple lace envelope liner.
inks: charcoal | fonts: quill + later | paper: 2-ply white | invite size: F8 | corner rounding | customization #: 14820
