Letterpress Appreciation Day is here! Why today you might ask? This date is in honor of the 0.918-inch height of a letterpress form: type high. We’re over the moon to be celebrating one of our nearest and dearest print methods. Take a peek at some letterpress based invitations below to commemorate this special day!

Vienne V.2:

Camber:

Delft:

Birgitta:

The invitations have arrived and you’re ready to rock and roll! But what’s the next step?

Before you assemble and stamp your invitations, you’ll want to make sure you’re sorting your invitations in the proper order. To make it easy, we’ve broken down the process into 5 easy steps:

1. Layer your pieces in order largest to smallest – start with the invitation or the largest card on the bottom, then layer any medium-sized cards (like a directions card, events card, or accommodations card) on top of the invitation. Continue with smaller cards – a reception card followed by a reply card envelope and reply card would go next. Any petite cards – like a website card – would go on the very top.
2. Insert all of your pieces printed side up into your inner envelope. The pieces should slide into the envelope with the flap pointing to the right.
3. Tuck your inner envelope, flap down, into your outer invitation envelope. This way, when your guest opens your invitations, the first thing they’ll see is their addressed inner envelope.
4. Use the bottle of envelope moistener provided with your invitation order to wet the gummed edge of your outer invitation envelope. Use enough to moisten the seal, but don’t overdo it – you don’t want soggy envelopes!
5. After you’ve sealed your envelopes, we recommend placing a heavy book or two on top of the stack to ensure all of your envelopes are securely sealed. We don’t want the invitations coming unsealed in the mail!

And that’s it! Happy mailing! Be sure to say tuned for our next post giving you the 411 on anything and everything postage related.

Evangelina and Ian envisioned these gold foil wedding invitations with a blush belly-band that we brought to life. All thanks to the help of our friends at Proper Notice! They decided to use an all-over script font to mimic the look of hand calligraphy. This script was paired with gold matte foil for the entire invitation. The same color palette carried over to the reply card and tag kept everything cohesive. A blush envelope liner, as well as belly-band, added a softer touch to this set. A small tag adhered to the belly-band carried their married monogram letter. Finally, they opted for a clean liner without any pattern to keep the set simple.

Foil stamping color: Gold Matte |  Fonts: Katie Rose & Scala | Design: Custom Library | Paper: 2 ply Bella Cotton | Size: F-8 | Customization: 48037 | Proper Notice

Grace and Matthew worked with the Scarlet Letter to create their gold foil save the date tri-folds. They opted for an elegant monogram with an intricate cartouche surrounding it. All the wording printed in Gold Matte made for a cohesive look. A sweet photo of the bride and groom personalized the save the date even further. Accommodation information and other important details allowed guests to get a jump on saving the date in more ways than one! Finally, the envelope also printed with a Gold Matte foil return address tied everything together.

Foil: Gold Matte | Digital color: CMYK | Fonts: Supplied | Design: Customer Supplied | Paper: 1 ply Bella Smooth Cotton White | Size: A6-T | Customization: 48090 | Scarlet Letter

Mary and Kyle worked with the Dandelion Patch to bring these ornate gold foil wedding invitations to life. The intricacies and flourishes within the monogram set the tone for an elegant affair to come. Black letterpress ink allowed the monogram as well as other important elements to stand out. They opted for a simple reply card also in black letterpress using the same fonts to keep everything cohesive. The envelopes themselves created contrast against the invitations in Bella Black. The envelope liner featured an illustration of the venue where the happy couple married this past May.

Foil stamping color: Gold Matte | Letterpress colors: Black | Fonts: Copperlove + Impression | Design: Custom Library | Paper: 2 ply Bella Cotton | Size: F-8 | Customization: 47426 | Dandelion Patch

Leah and Walter envisioned watercolor wedding invitations with botanical accents. The palms framed the wording printed in Pewter letterpress ink. Pewter works beautifully as a neutral within a more colorful palette. They opted for right justified names in Adora script for the bride as well as the groom. Moravia underneath kept the rest of the wording clean and agreeable. To keep within the green family, they used a small square details card in Bella Holly with White Matte foil wording. Lastly, an envelope liner kept the watercolor theme consistent. A big thanks to Union Street Papery for bringing these watercolor wedding invitations with botanical accents together!

Letterpress: Pewter | Foil: White Matte | Digital color: CMYK | Fonts: Adora & Moravia | Design: Custom Created | Paper: 1 ply Bella Smooth Cotton White + 1 ply Holly | Size: SQ-6 | Customization: 48887 | Union Street Papery

Write on Sarasota helped us bring these tawny foil save the dates with a vellum overlay to life. The couple married at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Florida this past May. A venue surrounded by palm trees and Floridian flair. Their tawny foil save the dates matched the vibe of their venue with palms placed throughout. A small foil palm tree motif kept the save the date clean yet still appropriate. The vellum overlay added design interest giving a peek inside to the save the date. With the gold grommet at the top, this save the date became interactive for the guest receiving it. They opted for our Capri digital ink on the vellum overlay which added a pop of tropical color to the Tawny foil. Finally, the envelope liner also features a similar palm pattern in Capri as a nod to the vellum overlay.

Foil color: Tawny Matte | Digital: Capri | Fonts: Burgues Script AT Sackers Gothic & Didot | Design: Custom Library |Paper: 2 ply Bella Smooth Cotton | Size: A6 | Customization: 48110 | Write on Sarasota

Molly and Taylor worked with Sincerely Yours Diane to create this shale and umber letterpress invitation set. This warm color palette combination worked harmoniously with the jute envelopes. Each piece uses a touch of sprawling Melika script as well as the legible Moravia block. The invitation stole the show with the script taking up the upper half of the design. Molly and Taylor’s names stood out from the rest in Umber letterpress ink. Finally, cards featured touches of botanical elements mimicking the envelope liners.

Letterpress colors: Shale + Umber | Fonts: Melika + Moravia | Design: Custom LIbrary | Paper: 2 ply Bella Cotton | Size: F-8 | Customization: 47627 | Sincerely Yours Diane

The ring is on your finger, the date is set, what is the next step? Sending out save the dates. These type of announcements set the tone for the big day to come. It’s important that the aesthetic of the save the date reflects that of the wedding. Whether it be a beautiful photograph or simple yet enticing typography on the page, a save the date speaks volumes! We sat down with our consultants at our Bella Figura Manhattan store to get their expert opinion on all things save the date related:

Q: When should a couple send out their save the dates?

A: They should consider sending out their save the dates six to twelve months prior to their wedding. Twelve months for destination weddings and for the majority of guests traveling from out of town so that everyone gets a more than fair heads-up! 

Q: When should a couple place their save the date order?

A: Think about placing a save the date order a month and a half before the desired mail date. Keep in mind — calligraphy, custom artwork, beveling, and engraving print methods add time to the turnaround that is important to factor in. It’s always better to order sooner rather than later to avoid any added stressors as well. We want this to be an enjoyable, seamless experience for everyone involved!

Q: What kind of save the dates typically come through the shop?

 A: We are seeing a lot of typography based save the dates as well as hand-drawn venue motifs. We are seeing fewer save the dates featuring photos than we used to, but remember, it’s completely up to you and your desired aesthetic. Trends come and go!

Q: What should a couple keep in mind when they are dreaming up their vision for save the dates? 

A:  As mentioned, save the dates are the first impression your guests will see of your wedding. You want it to set the tone whether it be formal, elegant, fun, or casual. It is the prologue of a beautiful story that will be written.

Q: Any helpful hints/tricks you would like to share for couples creating save the dates? 

A: When sending out save the dates, a helpful trick would be to make sure the website has room blocks listed, travel and registry information. In additional start getting guest addresses early as that seems to be the hardest part of the process!

Stay tuned for the continuation of this series as we will move onto the timeline of the invitation suite next!

Smudge Designs worked with Lisa and Benjamin to create these gray watercolor wedding invitations with gold matte foil. They married at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto this past August. A modern venue such as this requires an equally modern design aesthetic for their wedding invitations.

Inspired by our Wythe design, they opted for a cool color palette with a cloudlike watercolor background texture. A different watercolor pattern created a different tone for each card within the set as well. All of these cards kept the same color theme with moody gray tones throughout. This allows the invitation to stand out from the rest of the suite. A thick yet fun brushstroke font gives the gold matte foil a chance to shine brightly overtop due to the gray watercolor. Finally, an envelope liner mimicked the pattern from the Saturday Dinner as well as Monday Brunch cards. This easily ties everything together without being too overwhelming to the rest of the suite. Thanks again to Smudge Designs for helping us bring this set to life!

Gray watercolor wedding invitations: Foil: Gold Matte | Digital: CMYK | Fonts: Supplied | Design: Wythe | Paper: 2 ply Bella Smooth Cotton | Size: F8 | Customization: 43803 | Smudge Designs

Stefanie and Michael worked with Bella Figura – Manhattan to create these gold save the date tri-folds. The photo in the middle panel sweetly highlighted the bride as well as groom to be who will marry in the big apple this summer. Inspired by our American Beauty design, they used a thin border that mimics the invitation design with a letterpress border. They opted for a single rule rather than the double as per the sample to keep the design a bit more simple as well as clean. Black ink acted as a neutral shade to the overall color palette. Touches of gold matte foil act as a classic accent to an otherwise neutral color theme. Finally, wedding details on the right panel allow the guests a sneak peek into the wedding to come.

Gold save the date tri-folds: Letterpress color: Black | Foil stamping color: Gold Matte | Digital printing: CMYK |  Fonts: Aster + Baskerville | Design: American Beauty | Paper: 1 ply Bella Smooth Cotton | Size: A5-T | Customization: 40709 | Bella Figura NYC – Manhattan

Union Street Papery helped us bring these silver shine foil invitations with blind deboss accents to life. The typography in silver shine foil framed the blind debossed quarter. Bembo kept everything legible while a script font added a softer touch to this otherwise clean design. The Bella Black paper allowed the foil to pop and shine brightly. Whereas the Blind Deboss captured the intricacies within the quarter design. The envelope liner used a supplied pattern to add some color to these silver shine foil invitations. Finally, a vellum gatefold also uses the pattern from the envelope liner to tie the set together.

Blind Deboss | Foil stamping color: Silver Shine | Fonts: Bembo + Lile Dahliya | Design: Custom Library | Paper: 2 ply Black | Size: F8 | Customization: 47719 | Union Street Papery