We get loads of questions about envelope addressing.  And with good cause – after you’ve invested in some gorgeous letterpress invitations, who wants to make a glaring faux pas when it comes to the envelope?  It’s the very first thing your guests will see when they receive your wedding invitations in the mail, after all.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a little crash course of frequently asked addressing questions (or FAAQ) and ran them by calligrapher Debi Zeinert for some answers.  Because who’s going to know more about addressing invitation envelopes than someone who does it for a living? Meet Debi in the video below!

Q:  Are there any things you find your clients are consistently confused about concerning addressing etiquette?
A:  The biggest confusion comes when the wife is a doctor.  Mr. and Dr. John Smith is incorrect.  When a woman has a title her first name should be noted, and she should be listed first. For example:  Dr. Susan and Mr. John Smith.   Or, if they are both doctors with the same last name, Doctors Susan and John Smith.

Q:  What’s the best way to organize guests names and addresses before someone sends them to their calligrapher?
A:  I prefer to get guest lists in the form of an Excel spread sheet – this way I can mail merge it to my liking for addressing.  Though i will accept any sort of typed list.  When using Excel its best to organize it in columns as follows: Outer envelope name, Name 2, Address, Address 2, City, State, Zip, Country, Inner envelope.

Q:  When is it appropriate to use colored ink?
A:  I believe that if the return address is printed in color it’s okay to use colored ink.  In fact, if the return address is a dark color such as blue or brown you SHOULD used colored ink. If the address is a ‘fun’ color or a pastel you may want to keep the addressing in black to hold on to formality. For a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or non-wedding calligraphy you always want the calligraphy to match the return address.

Q:  Is your preference to spell out the name of the state, or to abbreviate it?
A:  It’s not just my preference, but I believe it is only proper to spell out the state.  If it does not fit on the same line as the city, use the next line.

Q:  Do you have any other tips you’d like to share with clients planning to work with a calligrapher?
A:  A referred calligrapher is the best calligrapher.  If you find someone who does not come with a recommendation make sure you get actual samples addressed to you.  Seeing work on someone’s website may not be a good representation of their usual work.

Make sure you schedule your job as soon as you know you want to use them.  Don’t wait till you have your envelopes in hand.  Most calligraphers book up weeks out. And be sure to pick a realistic date – remember, you are blocking out days of time on a schedule and if you are not ready you may not be able to get rescheduled.

Make sure you have extra envelopes – dip pens and ink are unpredictable!  And make sure your guest list is complete as possible. There are always stragglers, bit to add a name everyday for a week is difficult on a calligrapher’s schedule. It’s not as easy as just writing another envelope – each job has set up time, drying time and packing and shipping time.

Q:  Any good stories of really tricky addressing etiquette situations?
A:  I’ve been doing this so long I’ve seen everything and pretty much can handle any thing. One thing that is annoying to all calligraphers is the extra long first lines – for example:  Mr. George and Mrs. Martha Washington or Mr. and Mrs. George and Martha Washington.  Way too much to make it pretty. Or when the numbers of an address are all written out – for example:  Seventeen South One Hundred and Forty Third Street. That must really annoy the post office!  Numbers under 20 can be written out, but the rest should be numerals.  I love it when people go ‘informal’ on the inner envelopes – it’s fun to write ‘Nana and Papa’ or nicknames.  One time I even had to write ‘Anna and Shithead’ on an inner!!!!

Q: Are any other common questions you get a lot?
A:  One question I do get is if there is a discount for quantity. The answer is no – if one envelope takes 3 minutes, 10 take 30 minutes and 100 take 300 minutes – it does not speed up with quantity. And personally, I do not copy computer fonts, nor do I copy other calligrapher’s styles.

Well that’s about it for this little crash course, but naturally there are other questions we’ve not yet addressed here.  Have any unique addressing quandaries or concerns of your own?  Post them below in the comments section below and we’ll do some homework and get back to you.  Class dismissed.

It’s not just metallic gold that’s making a big appearance in wedding invitations this year — all different shades of shine are showing up and we couldn’t be more exited! Metallics instantly bump up the wow factor of any invitation while creating an elegant and glamorous appearance. There are lots of ways to incorporate metallics into your wedding suite: you can go all out with foil stamping and foil edging on your pieces, or pair them with a metallic envelope liner and a metallic envelope to really make heads turn! Not feeling that much dazzle? You can mix in small details of shimmer just by adding foil edging or a metallic envelope liner.

If you couldn’t already tell by all the foil in our new 2012 wedding invitations, we’re obsessed with foil stamping as a way to add some sparkle to your wedding invitations! We offer a wide variety of illuminating foil options, from vintage and formal golds, silvers and copper, to edgy and eye catching forest green, red or indigo. You can combine any letterpress ink with foil stamping in a single design; print your invitation in bold beautiful colored foils (fuchsia! purple! teal!); or go two tone, mixing a gold matte foil with a gold shine foil for a truly wowing look.

Foil edging adds an awe-inspiring, smooth, shiny surface to the edges of important pieces in your wedding suite. It works wonderfully as a complement to a wedding suite full of foil stamping or to add an unexpected pop of color to your letterpress invitations: think fuchsia, blue, green, or copper!

 

Our metallic envelope liners and metallic envelopes are shimmery, pretty, and FSC-certified—they’ll create the perfect balance of shine and sophistication for your unique wedding invitations!

No matter what dose of metallics you choose for your invitations, it’s sure to make a statement!  Still not sure what metallic combination will best capture the style of your wedding? We offer free design consultations after you place your order, where you’ll have a chance to talk one on one with our designers about all of your invitation choices (or if you need help now, just ask!).

Bright inks that pop and neon that glows are going to be huge this year! These fun and funky colors add a lively feel to any of our letterpress wedding invitations and are sure to spark excitement about your big day to all your guests. But figuring out how to incorporate these intense colors into your own invitations can be challenging. So we’ve come up with some helpful tips to bring in bright colors!

Want to go all out with big, bright color in your invitations? You’ve got lot’s of amazing options to consider, but some of our favorite letterpress ink combinations that make a statement are: Cornflower and Watermelon inks for a sweet and summery look (like our Modern Fete design); ocean inspired Garden and Aquamarine inks; Jade and Sea-side inks for a destination wedding or Hot Pink and Day-glo inks (like Storybook Romance) that scream chic and contemporary. Pair the color in your invitations with an equally bold patterned or metallic envelope liner. You can use the same colors from your invitations to keep things consistent or spice it up with a complementary color to brighten things up even more. Then top it all off with some edge painting. Again, you can use one of the colors from your set or really up the contrast with a bright new color for an extra eye-catching look!

If neon and bright colors make you a little nervous, and you’re hesitant to put them on your actual invitations, consider adding some vibrant edge painting or foil edging to add a splash of color to an otherwise neutral palette. Adding a colorful edge is a great way to incorporate a bold color you love in moderation. If you’re feeling a little more daring, bring in the brights to your envelope liners. You can add some flare to an otherwise traditional invitation by choosing a graphic pattern in a bright color to really let your personality shine!

No matter what amount you use, adding bright, beautiful colors to your letterpress wedding invitations will surely make a lasting impression!

Hand calligraphy is a gorgeous way to add a unique, personal touch to your letterpress wedding invitations. Whether you’re adding a line of calligraphy accents to emphasize names or a venue, or creating the entire invitation with hand-crafted calligraphy, it’s a completely sophisticated way to set your invitations apart from the rest. We offer over 15 hand calligraphy styles from our 6 master calligraphers, and styles range from traditional and formal to modern and laid-back. If you plan to pair hand calligraphy with a font for your invitations, it’s best to find styles that complement one another. Here are our favorite pairings for calligraphy styles and fonts based on 4 popular wedding styles.

FORMAL
A formal wedding invitation works best when an all caps font like Impression is paired with an elegant hand calligraphy style like Spencerian. The combination of this regal font with the flourished Spencerian calligraphy style immediately creates a classic and beautiful invitation.

VINTAGE
You can create the perfect vintage invitation by simply using a romantic calligraphy style like Victoria. Pull inspiration from love letters written in the 19th century and your invitations will certainly take on an old world feel. If you’re looking to pair Victoria calligraphy with a font, we think it looks beautiful with Utrecht (like in the Delambre Classic design).

MODERN
Modern, fun and quirky, this customization comes to life with vibrant hues and the Mitty calligraphy style. If your event is a bit informal and playful, look for a calligraphy style that reflects just that. Pair the Mitty hand with Jubilant for a modern look if you only want to use a few lines of hand calligraphy (see our Modern World design for an example!)

DESTINATION
This beach inspired customization is perfect for a destination wedding! We paired a light, airy font called Henry with the Harrison calligraphy style, which in itself captures the feeling of the ocean.

We love the look of letterpressed hand calligraphy on a wedding invitation, and a perfect finishing touch is hand calligraphed envelopes. For a completely coordinated set, you can work directly with any of our master calligraphers for envelope addressing!

Photos from Style Me Pretty

Bella Figura offer two kinds of envelope liners for your letterpress wedding invitation suite: metallic liners and patterned liners. Adding our eco-friendly envelope liners to your set will bring color and sophistication to your letterpress wedding invitations. Choose from 8 shimmering metallic envelope liner options (all of our metallic liners are FSC-certified!) to add some glitz and glam, or go the custom route. Our patterned envelope liners are completely customizable, so you can mix and match any of our patterns and inks to complement your invitation set, making them truly one of a kind!

With all of our amazing options, it can be challenging to choose the perfect liner that is right for your set. So to help, we’ve narrowed down some of our favorite liner and color combinations that work well with lots of our letterpress wedding invitations!

Thinking Vintage? Consider our Rustic Crosshatch, European Formal or Jaquard Elegance patterns. Other patterns we like for a vintage invitation set: Elegant Ombre, Vintage River, Vintage Stripes or Simple Lace in ink colors like Shell, Amethyst, Hazel or Olive.

Thinking Formal? Our Formal Flourish, Traditional Oxford and Simple Chess patterns work beautifully for a fancy invitation set. Other patterns we love for a formal set: Refined Mosaic, Modern Floral, Vintage Diamond or Classic Color in ink colors like Camel, Lavender, Pool or Espresso.

Thinking Modern? Bold, funky patterns like our Antique Geometrics, Chic Combs or Classic Chevron patterns add flair to modern invitation sets. We love these patterns for a modern invitation set, too: Modern Herringbone, Sea Stripes, Modern Light or Simple Geometrics in ink colors like Cherry, Fuchsia, Chartreuse or Black.

Thinking Unique? Make sure your invitations make a statement with a liner pattern like Modern Canopy, Rustic Woodstock or Sante Fe, and print your liners in three colors. Other patterns we like are: Retro Marble, Chic Combs, Moroccan Charm or Sweet Polka in ink colors like Yolk, Watermelon, Mustard or Jade.

Thinking Destination? The Moroccan Charm, Sea Stripes or Elegant Chainlink patterned envelope liners make a lovely accent to a destination wedding invitations. Other liner patterns we love for a destination wedding set: Elegant Ombre, Refined Mosaic, Modern Light or Natural Woodgrain in ink colors like Champagne, Garden, Surf or Mediterranean.

Still not seeing something you love? We can create a custom pattern for you based on the elements from your wedding invitation design, or we can create something totally from scratch too! *(There is an additional design charge for this service)

Once you place an order with us, you will also get a free design consultation, where you’ll have a chance to talk to one of our designers about all of your invitation choices. So if you’re not sure what patterns and ink colors to pair up for your invitation design, don’t worry! (And if you need help now, just ask!)

Fonts play a significant role in the overall look of your letterpress wedding invitations. They add personality and style and really reflect the mood of your event! Because choosing the perfect font for your wedding is so important, we know it can sometimes feel overwhelming with all the amazing options we offer, but here are some helpful tips to guide you in choosing the perfect font to match your style.

If you like the Modern look: We suggest fonts that have sleek, clean lines. Nothing too fussy or fancy. Simplicity is always key. Scale these chic fonts up in size to make a bold, graphic and attention grabbing statement!

If you like the Vintage look: We suggest fonts that have a wise and worldly appeal. Slightly quirky and full of character to convey days of old.  To achieve the perfect vintage vibe, we love to combine several fonts together to create an eclectic look that will last for ages. Elegant script fonts paired with traditional Serif styles tend to tug at our heartstrings the most!

If you like the Formal look: We suggest elegant and traditional fonts that will never go out of style. Think Script fonts with big swash capitals reminiscent of the finest hand calligraphy or formal Serifs with straight lines and regal form. We love to pair them together to create a sophisticated style that will surely charm all of your guests!

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Adding a monogram to your letterpress wedding invitation suite is a stylish and sophisticated way to personalize your paper goods. We offer a variety of options for 1, 2 and 3 letter monograms, and you can add a monogram to any of our 300+ invitation designs for no additional charge! Monograms can be created from any of our fonts for free, but if you’re looking for a custom, hand-calligraphed monogram, those are also available (additional charges do apply). Today we’re sharing some inspiration for monograms that will go perfectly with a destination, formal, modern or vintage wedding invitation set — use these ideas to help pick the perfect monogram for your own letterpress wedding stationery!

DESTINATION
This destination invitation not only uses sea-inspired colors, but a monogram created from the indigo font paired with star motifs. Both the font and stars of the monogram reflect the tailored look of a sailor’s uniform – making it a perfect addition to this nautical inspired invitation. If you’re having a destination wedding, consider incorporating a symbolic motif into the monogram.

FORMAL
Formal invitations tend to work best when an ornate, yet elegant monogram is added, so keep this in mind if you’re having a traditional wedding. Monogram 1o takes on the appearance of a royal seal and gives this invitation a completely dignified look.

MODERN
Bright colors and quirky, over-sized, hand drawn fonts can really modernize an invitation. We used monogram 2j on this wedding invitation for a fun, playful look that represents the bride and groom’s connection. If you’re having a modern wedding, consider a monogram that reflects the personalities of the bride and groom.

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Are you looking for affordable letterpress wedding invitations? Look no further – our invitation designs can be customized to fit within a budget. Not sure where to start? We selected 15 of our new 2012 letterpress invitation designs and provided pricing for 3 popular quantity tiers. Find out which price point will work for you depending on how many invitations you’ll need. Keep in mind, 75 invitations traditionally leads to 150 guests, 125=250 guests, and so on!

In love with Vintage Charm? Why not order invitations that are 1 color letterpress printed on 1-ply paper with edge painting in one of your favorite ink colors? You can include reply postcards that are 1 color letterpress on 1-ply paper with outer envelopes (letterpress printed with your return address in 1 color and lined) for $1,335.

If your wedding won’t be complete without the La Salle design, you can order invitations and reply cards both in 1 color letterpress on 1-ply paper, along with 1 color printed outer envelopes  and reply envelopes for only $1,045.

Our Gotham design is modern and refined. You can keep the invitation looking sleek by letterpress printing it in 2 colors on our 1-ply paper but make the rest of the set 1 color: choose a 1 color, 1-ply reply card, outer envelopes and reply envelopes (both printed in 1 color letterpress) for a total of $1,180.

If you are looking to mix letterpress and foil stamping but you are on a budget, try this option! Order our Amadore Antique invitations with 1 color letterpress and 1 color foil on 1-ply paper, and then add foil edging! It gets better – a website card that can direct your guests to rsvp via email or your wedding website printed in 1 color foil, on 1-ply cotton paper will eliminate the need for a reply envelope (and extra postage!), so you’ll only need outer envelopes with 1 color letterpress printing. This set rings in at just $1,310.

Are calligraphy wedding invitations one of your “must-haves”? Pick one of our newest calligrapher’s Mitty Calligraphy design! Order invitations in 1 color letterpress, on our luxuriously thick 2-ply paper. Choose an A6 sized direction card that includes wedding details and a website for an electronic rsvp that is 1 color letterpress and opt for 1-ply paper. Lastly, choose outer envelopes that are both letterpress printed in 1 color and embellished with a chic envelope liner for only $1,435. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s face it, the wedding industry produces a lot of one-hit wonders. It is extremely important to us here at Bella Figura to encourage sustainability as we practice eco-friendly letterpress printing (and living!). That’s why we use tree-free papers, low VOC inks, and FSC certified papers (and we also support these amazing environmental causes). If you are wondering how to make your letterpress or foil stamped invitations even more eco-friendly we have some tried and true tricks of the trade to reduce waste without compromising on style!

1. Use a postcard!
Think about using reply postcards or even Save the Date postcards! This cuts down on the amount of paper (envelopes) and also keeps the costs lower!

2. Condense Information.
There are a lot of activities and information that go into a wedding celebration! From accommodations, directions, rehearsal dinners and reply cards, you can choose to create a wedding website that hosts all the important details! You can include the url on your invitations, or create 1 separate card (think website cards!) explaining that the website is the place for all the wedding details. If you’re determined to get it all on paper, choose 1 insert card as opposed to several and print on both sides if you have lots of details to include.

3. Don’t double up.
Skip the formalities and just use 1 outer envelope vs. an inner envelope and an outer envelope combination. The inner envelope is meant to specify exactly who’s invited. It is completely acceptable to choose just 1 envelope (which is more eco-friendly). If you’re concerned about extra guests, you can always designate the number of guests on the reply card or reply postcard by adding an extra line that states “We have reserved __ seats in your honor”, then fill in the number accordingly. Read the rest of this entry »

Edge painting and foil edging are centuries old, but here at Bella Figura we are keeping this timeless practice alive! We offer both edge painting and foil edging as embellishment options for our letterpress invitations. Want to customize your invitations by adding an edging but not sure which option to choose? We know that the process of choosing embellishments may seem a little overwhelming (especially since we’ve added a lot to our list of options for 2012), so today we’re here to tell you about the differences between edge painting and foil edging, and we’ll help you determine which embellishment will work best for you.

First here are a few thing to ask yourself:

1. Do you want a sleek, metallic shine or a reflective edge?
2. Are you using foil stamping in your suite?
3. Do you want to use an accent color outside of our letterpress inks?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then foil edging may be the perfect choice!

We are completely in love with foil edging, and thrilled that we can offer this option! Shiny metallics will be really popular for weddings in 2012, so if you are looking for a trendy new way to enhance your invitations this may be the perfect fit for you. We have 12 dazzling new foil colors that are all stunning (ranging from more traditional silver, gold & copper colors to more modern teal, fuchsia & indigo). Foil edging leaves a shiny edge that we think is breathtaking. If you can’t fit foil stamped invitations into your budget but still want a special hint of shine, you can add foil edging!

1. Do you want a bright pop of color (think neons), or are you ordering a custom ink* color and want a cohesive suite? *Custom inks are an additional charge.
2. Do you want a matte finish?
3. Are you trying to keep costs down?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then edge painting may be the perfect choice! Read the rest of this entry »