One of our favorite recent trends in letterpress wedding invitations has been the increasing number of requests we’ve received to print RSVP information directly on the outer envelope flap. The envelope is letterpress printed with either a website address, email address or another means by which RSVPs are requested, without having to send guests a separate reply card. It’s a fabulous idea that is incredibly eco-chic because it saves so much paper, but it’s also budget-friendly, too! A couple cannot only reduce paper usage, but also save the money they would have spent if providing guests with a reply card and postage. Paired with lovely letterpress wedding invitations, it’s chic, streamlined and equally appropriate for a barefoot wedding on the beach or a black tie affair. We’re in love with these that we’ve recently printed and can’t wait to print more…

While we certainly love elaborate 2 or 3 color letterpress wedding invitations, we get really excited to print fabulous designs in one fantastic ink color. Not only is it a budget-friendly letterpress option, but it really adds a special touch to the design. Especially if you’re only planning to incorporate one primary color in your event, or if you’re still debating colors to pair with your favorite shade as you plan, 1-color letterpress wedding invitations are stunning. Both of these customizations feature 2-color designs that have been turned into really lovely 1-color invitations.

This vibrant version of our Dewdrop design is printed in mango. We love how it is both elegant and fun, a bit of a modern edge paired with beautiful hand calligraphy. It’s a little bit unexpected and a whole lot beautiful.

Mimosa is one of our favorite new designs and this custom version, printed in garden ink, is no exception. Printed for an outdoor wedding at a riverfront camp in Texas, this letterpress wedding invitation is the perfect complement to the natural setting of the event.

As an earth-loving company, we love to see couples incorporating eco-friendly elements, large and small, into their weddings — so we wanted to share some of our favorite ideas for eco-friendly wedding favors. At Bella Figura, we recognize and appreciate that every small effort counts. We love these ideas for expressing appreciation to your loved ones while helping to limit the waste that might be generated by other more traditional wedding favors.

{Potted herbs in buckets by Kelly MacPhee via Snippet & Ink; Herbs in terra cotta pots via Intimate Weddings}

We love the idea of using potted herbs in cool containers to serve as both centerpieces and guest wedding favors. Not only is the look completely pretty and the fragrance sure to be delightful, but you’re working to reduce waste all around as there is no packaging to be discarded and no centerpieces left to go to waste.

{Lovely handmade soaps from 100 Layer Cake}

We absolutely adore these beautiful handmade soaps recently featured on one of our favorite wedding blogs, 100 Layer Cake. Made with love and tied with strips of pretty scrap fabric, baker’s twine and small tags punched from paper grocery bags, they are not only beautiful but also very eco-chic. We also think these would be great favors at a bridal or baby shower or even perfect to include with bridesmaids gifts.

{Potted banana bread DIY favors via Style Me Pretty}

Baked directly in small, reusable terra cotta pots and sweetly capped off with a square of wax paper and a bit of raffia, these adorable potted banana bread favors recently featured on Style Me Pretty are nothing short of fun and delicious, a combination we love. Waste and costs are minimal and guests are sure to love their own personal pot of banana bread or whatever other sweet treat you bake for them. We can also see these being perfect as individually potted over-sized cupcakes and topped with a dollop of yummy frosting!

{Bright and festive reusable tote bags from Smudge Ink; Personalized shopping bags from the wedding of Mrs. Hydrangea on Weddingbee, photo by Perez Photography}

Perfect as wedding favors, out of town bags or as wedding party gifts, we love the idea of giving your loved ones gorgeous reusable shopping totes either in fun, festive colors or personalized to reflect your wedding aesthetic. Especially perfect for destination weddings or weekend-long events when packed with snacks, maps and ideas of what to see and do, a great tote will be used and appreciated long after your wedding day.

{Personalized SIGG water bottles from the wedding of Jordan and Juan Carlo via Sarah Pants}

Most of us in the office carry around a reusable water bottle of some kind so we fell completely in love with the personalized SIGG water bottles one of our recent Bella Figura couples, Jordan and Juan Carlo, offered their guests as wedding favors at their weekend-long eco-friendly Texas wedding celebration. Each guest received an aluminum water bottle and great care was taken to reduce and/or completely eliminate paper waste at each of their weekend events. This idea is perfect for wedding guests or to give to your bridal party and will serve as a great souvenir to remind loved ones of the fun and joy of your wedding.

{Photo near Spruce Pond along the Finger Lakes Trail by our own Debbie Urbanski}

Taking the idea of eco wedding favors to another level, Bella Figura and our sister company, Smock,  are both huge fans of American Forests and we love the idea of celebrating your marriage with a donation to help protect the trees and forests that are so vital in protecting the earth. Every $1 plants a tree so you can just imagine the impact your donation can have.

{Letterpress wedding favor card by Smock for the Amazon Conservation Association}

Especially near and dear to our hearts, Smock has recently teamed up with the Amazon Conservation Association in offering pro bono design and printing of gorgeous letterpress favor cards. For a $5 donation per guest, you can thank your loved ones with a contribution to help protect the Amazon. Couples will receive one beautiful favor card per two guests, sustainably letterpressed on our bamboo paper, to display on tables at their reception explaining how your donation has helped create a better livelihood for local communities and to help conserve the biological diversity of the Amazon basin. To learn more, visit Smock’s blog.

At Bella Figura we recognize that steps large and small are necessary to protect the environment for future generations so we full-heartedly support couples opting for eco-friendly wedding favors in lieu of more traditional keepsakes that might go to waste. A good rule of thumb is to opt for items that are reusable, practical and fun or edible favors packaged in reusable containers that guests can later repurpose. And, of course, you never go wrong with a donation to an environmental or charitable cause near and dear to your hearts.

We’ve noticed a lot more clients choosing letterpress reply postcards over the traditional reply card + envelope for their wedding invitations. We’re all for this trend – it’s more eco (less paper!), and also helps keeps budgets down and keeps letterpress more affordable. Reply postcards cost less to letterpress, and you also save a little bit on the postage. We’ve also seen a huge movement to do 2 color letterpress designs as 1 color (see below for some examples) – a great way to keep your costs down as well while keeping letterpress in your budget. While reply postcards are slightly less formal than reply cards + envelopes, it’s still totally appropriate for even high black tie events. Remember, we’re talking about letterpress postcards on a luxurious cotton paper — they’re still really, really lovely, and we know all of your guests will have trouble parting with them!

Here are a few of our favorites, starting with the Boutique letterpress postcard.

The Champagne letterpress reply postcard — this is usually a two color design, but turning it into a 1 color piece helps keep costs down too.

The Vintage letterpress postcard.

The Deveril letterpress reply postcard.

The Somersby letterpress postcard – another 2 color design that looks lovely in one color.

Lastly, the Nonpareil! This is usually a two color design also.

The Deveril letterpress wedding invitation has been one of true loves ever since we first printed the sample — it’s a customer favorite too, and we love seeing how clients customize the design. For the next few days, we’ll highlight some cool variations of the classic Deveril invitation design. We’ll start with a really fun idea – printing each piece in an invitation suite using a different color ink – the invite in navy, the reply card in garden, the reception card in fuchsia. It’s such a great twist on the usual 1-color letterpress invitation — fun, festive, but still really elegant.

The first issue of Southern Weddings just hit the news stands and, wow, is it a gorgeous magazine. We were so excited that our recipe letterpress coasters are featured as one of Southern Weddings fabulous finds (“must have’s for your big day and the happily ever after”). Southern Weddings writes, “These beautiful letterpressed coasters would surely be the talk of your cocktail hour with fun drink recipes included on each beautiful piece.” You can make these coasters double-sided by including the bride’s & groom’s names and the date on the reverse side. What a cool keepsake…

Here are a few other photographs of our favorite letterpress coasters. Have fun dreaming!