Our lovely pals at Social Graces in Nashville, Tennessee requested this stunning customization of our Victoria Calligraphy (by Sarah Hanna) in charcoal ink. Our European Formal envelope liner design is letterpress printed in our inkless blind deboss as a background that we think gives an elegant touch.

ink: charcoal + blind deboss | calligraphy: victoria hand calligraphy, by sarah hannah style. | paper: 2-ply ivory  | invite size: f8  | corner rounding |

Our latest letterpress wedding invitation release was full of many modern gems, but today we’re sharing the top 6 modern invitations so far from 2012. We’ve noticed neon shows its pretty little head in a sophisticated way (or think about neon edge painting on a very formal invite!). Black ink on a modern letterpress design keeps things formal while still feeling new. Foil, of course, is on the list — we are especially loving double foil (think matte silver and shiny silver, or silver paired with gold). You’ll find names in oversized fonts, along with slightly untraditional text layout and minimal design. Want to see more? Check out all of our modern wedding invitations here.

What are your favorite colors, fonts, and invitation designs for a modern wedding? Tell us in the comments section below!

1. New Horizon | 2. Gotham | 3. Dash | 4. Byzantine | 5. Fugue | 6. La Salle

Earth tones, metallics and foil accents can bring warmth to any wedding invitation, even amongst the cold winter months! With a little inspiration from a setting sun, a glistening metallic liner in gold dust and sparkly foil edging in copper makes this Soleil customization absolutely breathtaking!

Soleil customization = inks: hazel + persimmon | fonts: cooper + sunshine | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | metallic liner: gold dust | foil edging: copper | original design by Beth Ann Seal | customized by in-house designer Lindsy Aragona

(Photo Credits: Allyson Magda)

Last week we showed you a look at some of our new 2012 letterpress invitation designs before and after they were customized, and this week we’re back with more design transformations! We’ve redone 5 of our favorite new modern invitation designs to show you just how much different an invitation can look with a color change, new fonts, and some design adjustments.

Neo Luna by Ian Koenig is charming and simple in the original design, but takes on a bolder look with a font change, added color and silver shine foil stamping.
Suggested embellishments: We think this design would look stunning with surf edge painting and a colorful envelope liner in the sea stripes pattern, printed in surf, marigold and mesa inks.
Details: letterpress ink: surf | foil stamping: silver shine | fonts: ollie + swiss | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: f-8 | rounded corners

The Drawing Room design by in-house designer Sarah Walroth features fresh new fonts and a custom pocket-fold, but takes on a more whimsical look after a bit of customizing. We love this design as a square invitation with corner rounding, along with a playful font and fuchsia ink for the names.
Suggested embellishments: A white cotton pocketfold, letterpress printed with prussian blue ink and a blue pearl metallic envelope liner would add the perfect amount of shine to this pretty invitation set.
Details: letterpress inks: fuchsia + prussian blue | fonts: saint-andrew + lady rene | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: sq-7 for pocketfold | pocketfold: white,  letterpressed in prussian blue ink

Ellie Snow designed the Classic Chevron invitation, which features on-trend chevron patterning, two lines of Belle hand calligraphy, and pretty sea-side and jade letterpress inks. The switch of jade ink to mustard and the repositioning of the chevron pattern gives this design customization a retro feel with a modern twist.
Suggested embellishments: A pretty custom postage stamp along with a custom envelope liner featuring the sweet polka pattern in mustard + sea-side inks would be lovely accents for this wedding invitation.
Details: letterpress inks: mustard + sea-side | fonts: sans capitals + hollow | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: f-8

Kamal’s New Washi design goes from playful to sophisticated with a few simple changes: new ink colors give the invite a more subtle, formal look (and the all-over positioning of the washi pattern in cream provides an elegant, patterned effect) and the use of hand calligraphy makes for a romantic touch.
Suggested embellishments: We think a metallic bronze envelope liner along with hand calligraphy addressing by Maybelle would tie this set together beautifully.
Details: letterpress inks: cream + espresso | fonts: henry | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: f-8 | rounded corners | hand calligraphy accents: gigi style

Indie Twill, a new design by Jamie Lea Bertsch, is a modern invitation which features a subtle, textile-inspired pattern. The invitation takes on a new look when the size and design placement are switched up. Pale gray and black inks make the original design a bit formal, but olive and sea mist inks make this design perfect for a more laid-back affair.
Suggested embellishments: An envelope liner in our elegant ombre pattern printed in sea mist ink would complement these invitations beautifully.
Details: letterpress inks: olive + sea mist | fonts: ruby + hollow | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: f-8

The Cascade letterpress wedding invitation is the perfect match for this timeless bride. A mix of modern shapes for him and soft script for her- think classic elegance with modern flare.

cascade customization = inks: charcoal + chartreuse | fonts: sophia + jubliant | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: antique geometrics | edge painting: wisteria | original design by Kelle Anne McCarter | customized by in-house designer Brenda Fox |
embellishment suggestions: foil stamping : silver matte

(Photo Credits: Ashleigh Taylor Photography)

Our Harbor Beach design (by Jessica Tierney) looks ultra modern in this letterpress wedding invitation submitted by our friends, Francis Orr in Corona del Mar, California.  The color combination of sand and charcoal inks are so subtle, yet crisp. The anchor motif is replaced with a simple monogram and repeated throughout the suite. Charcoal grounds this set from the edge painting to the solid envelope liner. We love the beauty and simplicity that makes the letterpress printing shine.

inks: charcoal + sand | fonts: holden + aurora  | paper: 1-ply white  | invite size: SQ7 for inner envelope  | liner: classic color pattern in charcoal ink | edge painting: charcoal | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: racheal decker

Our new collection of letterpress wedding invitations has arrived, and we’ve introduced 83 new invitation designs (plus metallics: foil stamping, foil edging and lots of other cool new embellishments!) for the 2012 wedding season. Since everything at Bella Figura is completely customizable, we thought we’d show you a ‘before and after’ look at some of our favorite new invitation designs to show how a change of color, fonts, and design placement can completely transform an invitation design.

First up: the La Salle invitation design by Ian Koenig. The original design is soft and romantic in camel + pewter inks, and features three fonts, but takes on a completely regal look with new inks (regalia and charcoal), corner rounding, and new fonts: Vessa + Jubilant.
Suggested embellishments: We think this design would look gorgeous with a European formal patterned envelope liner in regalia ink and a coordinating custom postage stamp.
Details: letterpress inks: regalia + charcoal | fonts: vessa + jubilant | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | size: f-8 | corner rounding

Next up: Rustic Jolene – an earthy design with a folk-art feel – is completely transformed with a drastic (but gorgeous) change in design placement. Prussian blue and cornflower blue inks create a stunning two-tone effect, and the square size, corner rounding, and sophisticated fonts complete the look.
Suggested embellishments: a white cotton pocketfold with a monogram letterpress printed in Prussian blue would add a nice finishing touch, along with an envelope liner in our woodstock pattern in cornflower + Prussian blue inks.
Details: letterpress inks: prussian blue + cornflower blue | fonts: daisy + moravia | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | size: sq-7 | corner rounding

Rococo Elegance, created by Beth Barr, one of our new designers for 2012, takes on a more floral feel in this elegant customization. Hand calligraphy accents and ivory paper give the design a soft, romantic feel.
Suggested embellishments: keep it simple with a European formal patterned envelope liner in taupe ink.
Details: letterpress inks: light peach + taupe | font: botany | paper: bella cotton ivory 1-ply | size: f-8 | hand calligraphy accents: spencerian style | corner rounding

Modern Fete – a fun new design by Amy Graham Stigler – takes on a completely different look in this customization: the design goes from festive to fancy, and we think the combination of amethyst ink with gold shine foil stamping would be absolutely gorgeous.
Suggested embellishments: a bullion metallic envelope liner will coordinate perfectly with the gold shine foil stamping, and a matching postage stamp will complete the look.
Details: letterpress inks: amethyst | foil stamping: gold shine | fonts: adelais | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | size: f-8 | corner rounding

Antique Luck by Aimee O’Boyle has a rustic feel and fantastic typography, but takes on a minimal look with a clean font and a line of hand calligraphy by Maybelle.
Suggested embellishments: an envelop liner in our simple chess pattern, printed in hazel ink would coordinate beautifully with this invitation, and hand calligraphed envelopes in the Gigi style by May-belle would be a lovely finishing touch.
Details: letterpress inks: hazel + black | font: moravia | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | size: sq-7 | hand calligraphy accents: gigi style

This customization of our Gramercy (designed by Amy Graham Stigler) letterpress wedding invitations, sent to us by our friends at The Village Invites 2, is creativity at its best!  Gone are the original leafy designs which are replaced by a beautiful branch motif in blind deboss.  The color selection of pewter for the text is absolutely beautiful!   When this invite is coupled together with the wedding events/reply card its a sight to behold.  The outer envelope liner, shown here in shell ink, is just the icing on the cake.

inks: blind deboss + pewter | font:  sans capitals | calligraphy: the harrison hand calligraphy, by Patricia Mumau | paper: 1-ply white| invite size:  f-8 | liner: classic color pattern in shell ink

This customization of our Love Notes (by Kamal) letterpress wedding invitation design has us in the mood to celebrate! For an even more festive look, replace the cherry ink and edge paint with red shine foil.

love notes customization = inks: cherry + silver | fonts: danube | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: elegant ombre in charcoal and white | original design by Kamal | customized by in-house designer Sarah Walroth |

embellishment suggestions: edge painting: cherry ink

(Photo Credits: Mark Brooke).

We love sharing photos of the real weddings and letterpress invitations that our fabulous Bella brides send us, but we especially love when we get to feature the wedding of someone we know personally! For today’s real wedding, we worked with Lin Logan of The Stationery Company in Denver and her daughter Jennifer for Jennifer’s letterpress wedding invitations, and we are so thrilled to share details from the big day! Jennifer chose our elegant Jolie design for her October celebration, and we letterpress printed her wedding invitations in pewter and champagne inks. Spencerian hand calligraphy accents by Debi Zeinert added a gorgeous touch of elegance to the sophisticated set, which included a festive reception card and a handy info card that let guests know about accommodations, transportation, and the couple’s wedding website. We are completely smitten with this gorgeous fall wedding — read on to learn about the inspiration behind this fabulous event!

Can you share with us a bit about your wedding and your inspiration for the event?

Our absolute favorite time of year is the fall, so John and I decided that we definitely wanted a fall wedding. With so many of our friends’ weddings taking place in the summer months, we felt like having it at this time of year would allow us to really be creative and different and also give our guests an evening they would never forget during a time when life seems to move at a bit slower pace.  That really served as our inspiration for the entire event. We wanted to find a venue that truly showcased the beautiful fall colors of Colorado while also conveying a sense of casual-elegance that would make everyone feel right at home. When we came across Crooked Willow Farm, we felt no other venue could have captured all of these things more perfectly…so with that decision crossed off the list, we then began planning the wedding of our dreams in a Big Red Barn in beautiful Larkspur, Colorado. What could be more “Fall” than that?

How did you choose your invitation design & ink colors?

I think that when most of us think of fall, we think of the traditional fall color palette of reds, oranges and yellows. Once again, trying to think a bit more out of the box, we came up with the color palette of charcoal gray and butter yellow.  We felt the palette was warm and inviting and best of all, DIFFERENT! Choosing letterpress on luxurious cotton paper by Bella Figura only enhanced our vision, and they worked with us on such a personal yet effortless level that I felt no stress with regard to the invitations.  Our initial vision for the invitation was achieved.  When dreaming about how this palette would be reflected in all aspects of our wedding…from the bridesmaid dresses, the flowers and of course, the invitations, we were sold on it immediately. From there we watched all the details unfold so beautifully in sticking with this color theme. We wouldn’t have changed a thing.

What surprised you most about your wedding?

What surprised us most was how quickly the day went. We wanted to hang on every moment of the day as long as we could but all in all, each moment passed along to the next so much faster than we anticipated. What also surprised me was how nervous I felt moments before I walked down the isle. And furthermore, I was also surprised by the immediate calm I felt just moments later as I saw John for the first time and was walking down the isle with our eyes locked on one another.

What advice do you have for couples currently planning a wedding?

I would say don’t get too bogged down in all of the little details (because most people won’t remember them anyway). What they do remember is the overall feeling of the day and the aura of love and emotion that is in the air. When you are marrying the person of your dreams, the little details of the day become secondary to reciting your vows and creating a bond that will last from that moment forward.

Favorite design element of your big day?

I think our favorite design element was actually how we decided to set up the reception hall where dinner was served. Rather than the traditional round tables that you so often see, we decided to play off the feeling of fall, and the togetherness of family and friends and use 3 very long farmers tables filled with flowers and hundreds of candles. The feeling of community this created was beyond what we even expected and people are still talking about the sense of drama that was felt when you walked in and saw the three dramatically long tables set for a feast no one will ever forget.

Favorite moments:

Bride: I have two favorite moments. The first was when I first entered the room and began the walk down the aisle. As mentioned earlier, the immediate calm that I felt when I saw my soul mate standing at the end of the isle was unlike anything I had ever felt before and more powerful than I would have ever expected. My second favorite moment was listening to my parents toasts. They had the entire reception howling with laughter at times and filled with tears of sweet emotion at others. It was priceless!

Groom: John’s favorite moment of the night was during the dance reception where the entire room was dancing to the sounds of Homeslice (our band).  There was a moment when one of our favorite songs came on and one of the groomsmen lifted me (the bride) up onto a large ottoman in the center of the room. All of a sudden it was like I was on stage surrounded by my favorite people in the whole world. For those who know me…I was clearly in my ultimate “element” as I danced “on stage” with my big feather boa while everyone danced and celebrated below! John claims that he just stood back in awe and will always remember that moment as one of his top highlights of the day.

Jennifer, thanks so much for choosing Bella Figura for your wedding invitations and for sharing your gorgeous wedding with us!

Vendors

Venue: Crooked Willow Farms, Larkspur, Colorado

Stationer: The Stationery Company

Florist: Flower Power

Photographer: Jared Wilson

Caterer: Gourmet Fine Catering

Band: Homeslice Band