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

A Halloween wedding doesn’t have to be all about spooky bats, witches and things that go bump in the night. Look for Autumn’s softest palettes and pair them with fairytale pumpkins, warm candle light and wrought iron accents for a sweet as candy soiree. This Astor customization not only has a motif that mimics a wrought iron gate, but it uses a custom Emily Austin font that looks like Ichabod Crane, himself, could have wrote it. Imagine the Legend of Sleepy Hollow without that troublesome headless horseman!

customization = ink: persimmon | fonts: custom emily austin + sans capitals | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | liner: the classic color pattern in light peach | original design by amy graham stigler | customized by in-house designer: lindsy aragona

embellishment suggestions: pocketfold in opal

photos by: Martha Stewart Weddings

It’s always such a pleasure to work with our amazing clients and to craft their unique creative vision into letterpress reality (really it is).  Take for instance these extended horizontal thank you notes – they’re so different and cool that we just had to share them with everyone.  They feature Patricia Mumau‘s Harrison style hand calligraphy, and they’re printed in a stunning combination of espresso and ink-less blind deboss.  The champagne edge painting really stands out boldly on our 2-ply paper and we absolutely love the way no. 10 dimensions work for this piece.

inks: espresso + blind deboss | calligraphy style: harrison | paper: 2-ply white | size: no. 10 | edge painting: champagne | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: racheal decker

Like a breath of fresh air, this color palette is soft, sweet and romantic. Sigh…..Pale ink colors can easily set such a “lovey, dovey” mood. To give the original Delambre Classic design, by Jessica Tierney, a more natural, fairy-tale vibe, we paired pewter and champagne ink colors with a dusty pink envelope liner in our European Formal pattern. The Norah script font simply adds that extra bit of whimsy. I am swooning!

customization = inks: champagne + pewter | fonts: norah | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: the european vintage formal pattern in dusty pink | original design by Jessica Tierney | customized by in-house designer Lindsy Aragona

Photography by Steep Street

A Bar Mitzvah is a great time to celebrate and what’s not to love about this Champagne (by Elizabeth and David Mandel)  letterpress invitation customization? Letterpressed in navy ink on our 1-ply white paper the design is perfectly complimented with a 2 letter monogram. The reply postcard is a great addition to this set. The envelope liner in reverse antique geometrics pattern ties in both the navy ink and echoes the graphic used throughout the pieces.

ink: navy  | fonts: futura + copperplate  | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: a6  | liner: the reverse antique geometrics pattern in navy ink | client coordinator: christie jones  | in-house designer: kyle laatsch

Our Lush (by Jamie Lea Bertsch ) letterpress wedding invitations go from soft to stylish with this color customization submitted by Lion in the Sun in Brooklyn, NY. Letterpressed in Light Lavender and Charcoal inks on our 2-ply white paper, the design is highlighted with corner rounding and Champagne edge paint. The Reverse Simple Geometrics envelope liner in Champagne ink perfectly compliments the edge painting.

inks: light lavender + charcoal | font: billhead |  paper: white 2-ply | invite size: f8 | corner rounding | edge paint: champagne | liner: the reverse simple geometrics pattern in champagne ink

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.

A true story-book romance is reflected in this letterpress wedding invitation of Linden Summer design (by Lindsy Aragona). Completed with a metallic bronze pocketfold, this entire set has a vintage, yet whimsical feel. The invitation and additional pieces are adorned with soft Espresso ink branches and delicate Champagne ink leaves. You cannot help but fall in love.

ink: espresso + champagne | fonts: luster roman | calligraphy style: clermont by debi zeinert | paper: 1-ply ivory | invite size: a-7 | liner: the reverse european formal pattern in espresso ink | pocketfold: bronze | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

This couple benefited from our 10% off promotion (10% off if you purchase 6 printed pieces) and our free CHARITY favor card promotion. See more details and the small print here!

by Lindsy Aragona, In-house Graphic Designer.

To coordinate with their booklet letterpress invitations, we worked with Jennifer and Aret to create special letterpress pieces for their wedding weekend. A welcome booklet detailed weekend events and details and we also printed tea length letterpress dinner menus and table number cards. Oversized letterpress thank you cards (which will later hold a wedding photo) were the perfect finishing touch. Everything was printed in clover and blind deboss on our white cotton paper for a chic and completely sophisticated look.

If you’re planning a 2011 wedding, now is the perfect time to think about ordering your letterpress save the dates! Here are a few cool, colorful options we are loving right now, from top left: Guild, Barcelona, Plume, Nouvina, Mimosa, Pavilion, Champagne, Estrella and Soleil. Contact us today to get started on your save the dates!