Letterpress Inspiration The Wedding Issue
10/2012
Best Invitations The
for your wedding
Plus tips about timing, color palettes and themes presented by
we ♼ letterpress
#1
“I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance, A church filled with family and friends. I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for, He said one that would make me his wife.”
Hello!
-Author Unknown
We are so excited to be able to present the first issue of Letterpress Inspiration! This publication is all about letterpress printing and great paper products. In this first issue we present creative letterpress printed wedding invitations we collected from various studios that show you how different invitations can be and hopefully inspire you to create your own perfect ones. Additionally, we show you our favorite wedding styles (we still can’t decide which one is actually our favorite) and also added some tips about timing to make sure you feel well prepared for this huge task to organize your day! We hope you like it - Enjoy! Cheers, Kristin & Ben we ♥ letterpress www.weloveletterpress.com iii
we ♼ letterpress
Color Palettes & Themes Before you think about all the details of your wedding you might want to pick an overall theme and the colors you want to use for the decoration. So, when you close your eyes and imagine your wedding, what do you see? Blue ocean and sandy beaches? A rustic country wedding in a barn? Or an elegant location and a more formal wedding? Whatever it is and how crazy it might sound, if it feels right, go for it! And you will see how easy it is to pick accessories once you find your wedding style...
Cowgirl and boy meet with their friends in a barn full of haystacks to get married. The sun has a warm golden tone and it smells of fresh cut grass and farmer‘s life. On the long tables there are vases with bushes of colorful flowers and all guests wear boots and are in an easy going mood. It is almost as if they met in this barn to celebrate Thanksgiving or Midsummer but they are here to hear the „Yes, I do!“ from the couple before they dance and celebrate all night in the middle of haystacks, candles and country music and won‘t stop before the cock announces the next day...
The sun shines bright and the wind plays with the white cloth on the tables. Hundreds of flowers of all colors seem to celebrate with the newly wedded couple that is smiling happily. The guests talk and laugh while eating fresh strawberry cake and treats from the candy bar. See, over there, the first guests started dancing already and everybody is enjoying this perfect summer afternoon...
Barefooted she walks down the beach to her big love. The sand is warm and reminds her of the time when she was a child and played at the beach. Now she is grown up and can‘t believe she will be married in a few minutes, surrounded by her family and best friends. A dove is crying nearby and the blue balloons match the color of the ocean, flying in the fresh breeze only secured by soft satin twine at their guest‘s chairs...
It certainly feels like a special day when you get married and can‘t even tell if you still live in the same century like yesterday. You are beamed into a totally different world, the good old times. The oldtimer, the ladies‘ gloves and hairpieces as well as the smell of cigars that fills the air after the ceremony will make sure these memories will last a lifetime...
we ♼ letterpress
The Best Invitations The wedding invitations set the tone of your wedding. You decide how your wedding should look like. Do you want a romantic wedding or do you like it modern and colorful? In the next pages you will find inspiration for wedding invitations of all dierent kinds. And our studios are more than happy to create the wedding invitations you dream of...
Dana emailed to tell us that it was all so beautiful that it brought her to tears. Possibly the greatest compliment a designer can receive!
Dana & Stephan
The bride, Dana, came across Curious & Co. Creative’s Rachel ikat suite in the fall 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and knew it would perfectly suit her formal wedding; it was also the perfect nod to her Indonesian roots. As all of our Claremont Collection designs can be customized with the ink colors of a client's choosing, Dana chose to have the Rachel design with metallic gold ink as well as a custom coral ink, which brought an entirely new spirit to the suite. Furthermore, the team changed the fonts to incorporate a more ornate script; Dana & Stephan fell even more head-overheels with the design upon that change.
Info Design and print by Curious & Co. Creative (www.claremontcollection.com)
Margie & Morgan
A wedding on Queen Mary “I was so lucky my cousin asked me to design the wedding invitations & other goodies for her wedding. Margie Lavender and Morgen Fleisig are both architects in New York. Margie came down from NYC to Louisiana for a visit and we brainstormed design ideas. Since the wedding was on the Queen Mary cruiseship, we went for a vintage 1940s feel. Margie loved the water pattern so we used this throughout. The save the date cards were to be sent as postcards and the mustache and lips on the letters were inspired by a vintage poster Margie found.� - Kathryn Hunter, Blackbird Letterpress
Info “You can't have a
Invitations by Blackbird
Queen Mary themed
Letterpress (www.blackbirdletterpress.com)
suite without illustrations
Calligraphy of the bride and
Blackbird Letterpress is a fine art
groom's names by Betsy Dunlap
Rouge, Louisiana. Founded in
(www.bdunlap.blogspot.com)
traditional techniques and organic contemporary design. Original wedding
of cruiseships.”
printmaking studio in Baton 2003, the Blackbird team blends forms with new technology and
invitation design and stationery is all
Photos by Ben Christensen
letterpress printed in their studio. Their newest venture is the Blackbird Wedding Collection where you will
Photography
find new, fresh, and clean designs ready for customization. They also offer custom designed wedding pieces
(www.benchristensenphoto.com)
and announcements to business cards and other ephemera. Blackbird uses recycled and tree-free materials, soy based solvents, and low VOC inks- making a small footprint with a bold visual impact.
Rudolf & Ramona Fall in love through snail mail Ramona Todoca created these air mail inspired wedding announcements for her wedding this past March in Cluj Napoca, Romania. Ramona and her husband, Rudolf, have nurtured their relationship through an extensive snail mail correspondence between Hong Kong, NYC, and Romania, so the air mail theme is more than appropriate. The announcements are a postcard-style, onesided design, printed in red, blue, gray, and one blind impression (no ink) and will be available as a new wedding design of Campbell Raw Press this coming fall besides two other stunning invitation collections by independent Brooklyn designers, Ramona Todoca and Elizabeth Carey Smith.
Info Print by Campbell Raw Press (www.brooklynbookbinder.com) Design by Ramona Todoca (www.ramonatodoca.com)
Campbell Raw Press is a letterpress and bookbinding studio in Brooklyn, New York run by husband-wife team Maggie Campbell and Matt Raw. Maggie prints and binds everything and Matt handles everything about their online presence. The team oers a full line of letterpress wedding designs, as well as custom stationery, ready made greeting cards, journals, albums, and guestbooks. Campbell Raw Press specializes in timeless and elegant pieces that feature Maggie's original drawings and beautiful, simple typography.
Teanna & Jack (and Remy) A passport inspired wedding “These two people are some of the most amazing I have met in my life, and to be charged with the job of creating the stage for their amazing wedding had me both floored and over the moon. Teanna had a slightly muted but dreamy color palette with a pop of orange that was so easy to work with and the ideas were endless. After several months of back and forth (her in NYC, I in Virginia) proofs and decisions, I was able to tie in both their personalities, their dream wedding and of course, their beloved Aussie Sheppard, Remy.� - Brei Stevenson, Cucumber Press Studio
Budgets from miniscule
to
non existant have come my way. I have a mixture of basic and bespoke past work. Allowing the option of hearing the couple needs, desires and visions, looking at their budget, having an open and honest discussion has presented the ability to connect with people in a way that makes my work flexible and assorted.
Brei Stevenson about Cucumber Press Studio: After graduating from SCAD, I moved to New York City and started my design career. Along the way I longed for the more personal and intimate aspect of design and handmade products. While planning my wedding I found invitation design the most important aspect because I had to set the stage for the whole day with one piece. I was inspired to make the process easy for other brides and grooms. I learned letterpress, touched up on my sewing and have been blessed with some amazing couples over the past 3 years.
Info Design and print by Cucumber Press Studio (www.cucumberpress.com)
Show where you come from Tanvi & Jeremiah are as unique & special as any couple looking
Tanvi & Jeremiah
forward to a lifetime of love, happiness and purpose. They wanted their wedding invitation to truly represent who they are. The couple met with Dock 2 Letterpress. Tanvi had a list of what she needed but no idea what she wanted the invite to look like. After a few conversations, Tanvi trusted Dock 2’s design sensibility and knowledge of their collection. As a result a hand set henna pattern was crafted from movable type that beautifully represented Tanvi’s Indian heritage. That unique element was combined with hand set type and an exquisitely designed invitation was created that tells the story of Tanvi & Jeremiah. Their love story. From paper and ink, to type and design, Dock 2 Letterpress created Tanvi and Jeremiah’s wedding stationery to reflect their personal story, to welcome friends and family to the celebration of their marriage, inviting them to become a part of the rest of their love story. Dock 2 Letterpress formally extends this invitation to you to partner with them, to capture your love story, to create something special that represents your heart & your life at a moment that you will cherish & remember forever.
Info Design and print by Dock 2 Letterpress (www.dock2letterpress.com)
Angela & Shane Tying the knot in the picturesque Bay of Islands Angela originally from New Zealand met Shane from the UK whilst travelling. Being of Maori descent and with the ocean playing a prominent part in her childhood and upbringing Angela wanted to celebrate their marriage on the picturesque shores of the famous Waitangi Treaty Grounds, overlooking the beautiful Bay of Islands, one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent historic sites. Both bride and brides-maids were rowed to shore by Maori warriors in a traditional Maori war canoe. The turquoise colours of the ocean, invitations and brides-maid dresses, tied the entire celebration together perfectly.
Biplane Press design and print
“We designed and printed Angela & Shanes Wedding Invitations – one of the most challenging jobs we have ever printed, 7 colours!”
unique, personalised letterpress stationery for the discerning customer who demands a premium product that
Info Design and print by Biplane Press (www.biplanepress.com)
will impress all who receive it. Their eclectic Wedding Portfolio blends illustrations from their extensive library of vintage material with modern designs and fonts.
Christine & Justin
Modern and clean wedding invitations Christine and Justin wanted a simple wedding where people could feel comfortable and really enjoy the celebration. Their lively personalities were of inspiration to me as they gave me complete freedom to design their suite. Fun typography and simple graphics make this design perfect for Christine and Justin's cozy wedding.
“I absolutely love to design and letterpress is one of my passions. When you put the two together, for me, it's perfection.”
Kimberly about Honizukle Press: “Honizukle Press is a small studio with lots of heart. It's just me, doing all the designing, printing and dreaming. I've been creating greeting cards and personal stationery for some time now and am now starting to introduce wedding products that have been in the works for some time. Weddings are very special and I like to draw inspiration from a couple to tell their unique story while adding my own special twist to make a memorable impression.”
Info Design and print by Honizukle Press (www.honizukle.com)
“We love the imperfections of weathered and worn books, boots, quilts, labels and art, the quaintly sophisticated South and all our eccentricities — so it’s no surprise our stationery work always reflects that vintage sensibility.“
Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence is an internationally acclaimed wedding and event stationery boutique that has been featured by Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides Magazine, WellWed Magazine, Mississippi Magazine, and many of the most respected wedding and design industry blogs and websites. Few people realize that Lucky Luxe is tucked away here, but the fact that they are a Mississippi-based company is exactly the reason clients the world over choose to work with them—for the Southern hospitality their mamas taught them.
A romantic western wedding Amy shared her inspiration for the day:
“The look of the wedding will be romantic western. We'll have a rehearsal dinner with a kitschy Western theme on the eve of our wedding and invite guests to wear their cowboy boots. The actual wedding will be more formal and refined, though still with a rustic linen and lace style. The wedding will take place overlooking a pasture and the peaks of Glacier National Park, with a wooden barn and a log lodge as backdrops.”
Amy & Douglas
So Lucky Luxe imagined homemade cotton dresses, lace and simple fonts without any fussy language. The liners are made from vintage floral wallpaper in shades of sea glass blue, peaches and creams. They created handkerchief save-the-dates for the wedding with kraft paper envelopes, and since Amy was looking for something a little more refined but nothing too traditional, a metallic sand-colored envelope that looks like the glamorous sister to the kraft paper was used for her invitation suite. The small floral icons are from a circa-1900 cookbook that tie in with the vintage liners.
Info Design and print by Lucky Luxe Correspondence (www.lucky-luxe.com)
Thomas & Carey Welcome to Manhattan Careful research was taken to investigate the location, the Skylight West Rooftop in New York City for these wedding invitations. A theme was created illustrating the city skyline, setting a tone of liveliness, decadence, and all-out fun. Included in the illustration is the highly recognizable 'New Yorker' building, a highlight of the view from Skylight West. To further accentuate the late evening setting, the invite was designed in an extra-tall format, with a custom envelope of the same size, to give plenty of 'sky' to display the information in. And finally, to capture the high-end feel, One Plus One produced the suite on double-thick letterpress stock with painted edges, giving the design an eective yellow 'pop'. Working with fine papers and a variety of printing methods (including letterpress), One Plus One produces one-of-a-kind pieces from the first save-the-date to the last wedding favor. The team approaches weddings with unmatched enthusiasm, using vintage charm, clever storytelling and an aection for the unexpected to ensure a lasting impression for the couple and their guests, like in these invitations for Thomas and Carey.
Info Design and print by One Plus One (www.oneplusonedesign.ca)
Sabrina & John
A luggage tag invitation Sabrina knew she wanted something fun and lighthearted. Being a destination wedding, the team of Smudge Ink played with the idea to have her save the date die cut so that it turned into a luggage tag. The map on the front was also a playful way to tell the story of their relationship based on the places that were the most meaningful to their lives. There was even space on the back for guests to jokingly leave their twitter names and Myer-Briggs personality results as well as string for tying!
Sabrina works as an invitation consultant here at Smudge Ink. She enjoys working with couples on their wedding stationery so that it reflects their unique personality and style. It was challenging to all of a sudden have the tables turned on her!
Smudge Ink is a design and letterpress printing studio run by two longtime friends: Kate Saliba and Deb Bastien. Together with a small team, they have been creating fresh and fun correspondence since 2002. They got started by designing custom work for weddings and releasing a tiny greeting card line and have since grown to oer a full line of both letterpress- and oset-printed stationery and gifts. The team enjoys working closely with couples to design and customize their wedding stationery, and this year they seized the opportunity to release an entire wedding collection that anyone could view online and derive inspiration from. Smudge Ink oers a mix of designs to complement the wide range of wedding styles and come out with fresh and modern takes on the classics, while still honoring the tradition of handmade correspondence.
Info Design and print by Smudge Ink (www.smudgeink.com)
Bethany & A California wine country wedding Bethany's sister is an event planner that Rhonda Warren - founder of Color Box Design & Letterpress - has worked with on many projects, so it was nice for her to be able to work with her again along with her mother and sister. The Peter's family is from Memphis, but Bethany had her heart set on a California wedding, so there were several events involved the wedding itself, a welcome party, farewell brunch and a Memphis reception so that they could include more of their friends from home. The Color Box team made everything have a nice natural color palette to go along with the California wine country setting.
Wade
Rhonda Warren went to college and majored in graphic design and designed things. But what she loves
“As a child my family always made things. My mom made our clothes, my dad made his own water well drilling rig, I guess I thought that was what everyone did - so I made things.�
about letterpress is that she actually makes the finished product from start to finish and the sense of accomplishment. She’s been honing the craft of letterpress printing on her 2 Vandercook 4 presses. The ability to produce her own designs and illustrations. paired with the 3-dimensional feel of letterpress is what she loves. And she also loves working with brides and event planners to make a special invitation to set the tone for the couple's special day.
Info Design and print by Color Box Design & Letterpress (www.colorboxletterpress.com)
Rachel & Chris A destination wedding This wedding invitation was designed for a couple that had family on the east and west coast. They thought it would be fun to have everyone meet in the middle. New Orleans is a place that the couple traveled to together in the past. The bride's dress had ostrich feather detailing, and they were also going to be used as some of the decorations at the reception.
The design process starts with a conversation, we enjoy getting to know each couple, it allows us to better design a really personal piece.
Info Design and print by Wishbone Letterpress (www.wishboneletterpress.com)
Wishbone Letterpress is a
husband and wife team. Both of them
are graphic designers turned letterpress printers. Their design styles range from classic and elegant to fun and quirky. Wishbone Letterpress oers a small line of template wedding invitations that can also be customized with dierent colors or elements. They also print custom wedding coasters, favor packaging, envelope liners, and more. Digital printing is also available.
Emily & Don
We love running our presses for just about any reason but we especially love creating stationery for parties and special events be they of the wedding, fiesta, shower, or dance variety.
Info Design and print by Printerette Press (www.printerettepress.com)
Printerette Press was created by Catherine Polacek, a former clothing designer, who fell in love with the art of letterpress printing and jumped ship from her 9-to-5 for a life of ink and grease. Clanking away happily in a tiny studio in St. Paul, MN is the true star of the Printerette show: a 100-year-old 10x15 C&P.
Annie & Will Two historians get married Annie & Will are both historians, or at the time grad students en route to becoming historians, & so they were looking to create a suite with an undeniably vintage vibe; but a fun and whimsical rather than a cold or stuffy one. So Spoon&Sailor decided on
Info
1800’s advertising as an inspiration for their wedding ephemera, focussing on a playful mix of typefaces, ornaments, frames, line
Design and print by Spoon&Sailor (www.spoonandsailor.com)
work and antique engravings. The team used the lively typography & pop of color to give the invitation a more modern freshness & the witty nature of an Rsvp comprised of telegraphs and other outdated modes of communication to punch up the whimsy. “At Spoon&Sailor Letterpress, we like to party like it’s 1899.” Spoon&Sailor specializes in custom letterpress printing projects from wedding ephemera, save the dates, invitation suites, day-of-wedding paperie, special event invitations and personal stationery, to limited edition artists’ prints and special projects. Every single item that makes its way out the studio door is 100% handcrafted; all ink colors are custom mixed; each card is manually cut down to size on a turn of the century guillotine cutter; every one of the letterpress printed pieces has been handfed into a century old Chandler & Price platen press — often several times at that.
The Palmetto Press is a private press producing paper goods simply for the love of the art and dedication to continuing the hand craft of letterpress. Founded in October 2009 by Matthew Furr, The Palmetto Press was born from the purchase of a Chandler & Price Pilot (OS) press. Inspired by the arts and craft movement, the press advocates truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship in producing its works of self-expression. Owner, Matthew Furr is a recent graduate of the Graphic Communications program at Clemson University in South Carolina. Matthew is often accompanied by close friends Joel Engelberth and Megan Bolick, both Graduate Students at Clemson University.
Kim & Adrian
Sleepless nights When designing/printing for weddings Matthew Furr - founder of The Palmetto Press - is aware this special day only comes once and makes it his goal to make a perfect print each and every time. For this particular print, Matthew challenged himself by accepting free range from both Adrian and Kim. From the design to the bellybands, to the envelopes, this team put forth their best eort to create something beautiful for a dear friend. After two sleepless nights and a complete and total re-print, both Matthew’s friends and himself were completely thrilled with the outcome. The total came to 100 invitations, direction cards, response cards, bellybands, and envelopes. One by one the invitations were put together and sealed with love.
Info Design and print by The Palmetto Press (www.thepalmettopress.com)
we ♼ letterpress
Timing Tips
In preparation for your wedding you have many things to organize now - a venue, catering, invitations, flowers, rings, cake and your dress, of course! So, where to start? Here is an overview of the most important things and a suggested timing, so you have everything well under control...
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Letterpress Inspiration - The Wedding Issue edited & published by we ♼ letterpress October 2012
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