Archive for August, 2011
Whimsical Letterpress Wedding Invitation Set featuring Belle Hand Calligraphy
Featuring Belle hand calligraphy these Flourish letterpress invitations (by Jamie Lea Bertsch) are what’s happening! This set features Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls’ Belle hand calligraphy which is one of the many different calligraphy styles we offer. The stellar pairing of our prussian blue and chartreuse inks looks amazing on our 1-ply ivory paper. The couple chose our save the date size (A6) for their reply card to better accommodate all of the details of their wedding weekend! With flat place cards and adorable website cards printed in prussian blue inks-their guests can get the lowdown on the wedding fun! We’re in love with their flawless tea length programs letterpress printed to match with their set. The couple even chose precious letterpress thank you cards to match to their invitations. This heartfelt gesture shows the true appreciation of their friends and family being such an important part of their special day.
inks: chartreuse + prussian blue | font: jubilant | calligraphy style: belle by maybelle imasa-stukuls| paper: 1-ply ivory | invite size: a7 | liner: the european formal pattern in chartreuse ink | client coordinator: jessica hanaman| in-house designer: racheal decker
Luxe Bohemain Marie Invitation
A combination of soft and bold colors paired with the pretty and modern Marie letterpress wedding invitation is simply lovely for that late summer, early – autumn luxe bohemian wedding.
marie customization = inks: dusty pink + surf | fonts: spencer + moravia | paper: white | invite size: a-7 | liner: modern canopy pattern in pansy ink | original design by ellie snow | customized by in-house designer racheal decker |
embellishment suggestions: edge painting in pansy
(Photo Credits: Simply Bloom Photography)
by Racheal Decker, In-House Designer
Carte de Visite Letterpress Save the Dates and Coasters
What better way to make sure your guests don’t let your wedding date *ahem* coast by, than with some letterpress save the date coasters? We printed these Carte de Visite (by Ben Whitla) letterpress save the dates and matching coasters in Taupe, Papaya, and Sand inks, and we’ve got to say – we’re really into this color combo.
To make everything in this set as cohesive as possible we also custom designed and letterpress printed an envelope liner that coordinates with the cards and coasters. Between this letterpress envelope liner and the bright Papaya edge painting on the save the date, this set really has some amazing presence when you open the flap (even before you take the pieces out!).
inks: taupe + papaya + sand | fonts: sofia + sans capitals + archive | paper: 2-ply white + coaster stock | save the date size: a6 | liner: custom pattern letterpress printed in taupe ink | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: kyle laatsch
Announcing a Bella Figura Promotion — Free Envelope Liners to Same Sex Couples!
We’re so pumped that New York has joined the ranks of the small (but growing) number of states offering equal rights to same sex couples. In honor of this human rights triumph, Bella Figura is helping celebrate by offering free envelope liners to any same sex couple who orders their wedding stationery from us!

In addition to the promotion, we’ll be showcasing some recent real weddings, giving tips on wording, and offering advice from etiquette expert Mark Kingsdorf – an event planning pro who’s worked with the Emily Post Institute on several books.
The promotion runs from August 25 – September 25 — stop in to one of our Bella Figura retailers to place your order today! If you don’t have a retailer in your area, get in touch & we’ll help you get started.
Bella Figura Design Contest First Place Winner – Custom Letterpress Invitations from Gus & Ruby Letterpress! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Our AMAZING friends at Gus and Ruby Letterpress in Portsmouth, New Hampshire submitted this letterpress wedding invitation set to us. We were thrilled to see the Harbor Beach design, by Jessica Tierney, used in combination with the Anais design, by Ian Koenig. The final product was styled perfectly using pewter and navy inks, clean lines and bold text. It was no surprise that this nautical yet urban design won first place in the Bella Figura Design Contest!
Bella Figura Design Contest Second Place Winner – Custom Letterpress Invitations from Social Graces! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You really cannot get anymore romantic than this String Calligraphy letterpress wedding invitation customization submitted to us by Social Graces in Nashville, Tennessee. The whimsical style of Harrison hand calligraphy, by Patricia Mumau, looks weightless in pale gray and shell inks. It’s airy, sweet, and oh so lovely! The Bella Figura team fell in love with this design’s soft simplicity – so we just had to have it place second in our design contest.
Erin, from Social Graces, surprised us with STUNNING photos from this wedding (thank you, thank you) and we were all blown away! The invitation fit this bride’s vision perfectly! From the detailed lace dress to the luscious, monochromatic flowers, this wedding looked like a dream!
Alisha, the beautiful bride, fills us in on her and her husband’s perfect wedding day and how they chose the String Calligraphy Design:
“Picking out my wedding invitations and paper goods was one of my favorite parts of the wedding planning process! I’ve always been a sucker for art, crafts, and design, so choosing the perfect invitations for my wedding was a very fun experience. The look I had in mind for our wedding was something whimsical, rustic, organic and vintage. While searching for the perfect invitation to reflect our farm wedding, I fell in love with Bella Figura’s String Calligraphy and couldn’t settle for anything else! The invitation that I chose struck me because of simplicity, uniqueness, and whimsical feel. I loved the softness and romantic touch that the pale gray and shell color inks gave off. The colors reflected our wedding color scheme perfectly – a soft palette of pale pinks and grays.
Bella Figura Design Contest Third Place Winner – Custom Letterpress Invitations from Union Street Papery! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Working with Union Street Papery in San Francisco, California is always AMAZING!!! Stacey and her staff are the best people EVER! They are not only savvy business women, but are genuinely kind people – and they are all HILARIOUS. Love them! When you combine a wonderful dealer with a design like Vendage, from the utterly fabulous Kamal Patel, you are bound to create magic. The Vendage letterpress invitation customization features elegant hues of champagne and charcoal along with Debi Zeinert’s hand calligraphy accents in Spencerian. By eliminating the bird motif from the original design and using a vertical layout, this customization becomes romantic and sophisticated.
The beautiful bride, Emily, shared some words with us regarding her gorgeous suite!
“The design of the invitation was meant to evoke a summer garden party with a hint of modern design elements to make it current. Annadel Estate is a lovely winery located in Sonoma, but more than just a winery they have acres of rose gardens on the property. When I saw the floral print I knew it was perfect.”
… so perfect that our staff at Bella Figura chose Emily’s design as the third place winner!!!
A view inside Union Street Papery.
inks: champagne + charcoal | fonts: garamond | paper: 2-ply white | invite size: a-7 | calligraphy style: spencerian by Debi Zeinert | liner: the rustic crosshatch patter in charcoal
This design won third place in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.
Design Contest Winner: A Storybook Romance by Smudge Designs
A true storybook romance is played out in this recently letterpress printed Joie de Vivre (by Kamal) invitation suite customization submitted to us by our friends at Smudge Designs.
The first four lines of this adorably whimsical invitation are written in the voice of a narrator.
This creative invitation is letterpress printed in a delightful grouping of our atlantic, mediterranean and wine inks. The letterpressed steel blue pocketfold adds the perfect final touch as the credits start to roll.
inks: atlantic +mediterranean+wine | font: streamline | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f-8 | pocketfold: steel blue |
This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.
Design Contest Winner: A Broadway Birthday by Social Graces
Hey letterpress fans – Happy Birthday indeed! Nothing celebrates another year passing better than a party invite like this customization, courtesy of the lovely ladies at Social Graces in Nashville. When planning her mother’s 70th birthday party, Gretchen wanted an invitation reminiscent of retro Broadway movie tickets. Social Graces altered Jessica Tierney’s Popular Country design to take maximum advantage of the beautiful Norah script by combining it with the Bennington and Popular fonts.
Espresso was the perfect ink to pull off the “old-timey” feel, and the corner rounding embellishment solidified the desired effect of bringing us back to simpler, carefree days of youth.
Madelyn, we hope your 70th year is as beautiful as this invitation!
ink: espresso | fonts: popular + norah + impression + bennington | paper: 1-ply ivory | invite size: a-6 | corner rounding |
This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.
Design Contest Winner: Stunning in Spain by Sweet Paper
Everyone loves a splash of color and that’s why we’re so passionate about a recently letterpressed Barcelona (by Lindsy Aragona) wedding invitation customization submitted to us by our good friends at Sweet Paper in La Jolla, California.
We happily believe that these invitations create the perfect first impression, giving guests a hint of what expect on the big day! We can’t help but feel the positive vibes whenever seeing this set.

inks: papaya +sea mist| fonts: jubilant + memoir | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: a-7 | liner: the classic color pattern in sea mist |
This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.
































