This letterpress dinner menu features our Mimosa design, printed in blush and clover ink colors. This couple opted for a vertical, tea-length menu with rounded corners. We love this color palette, so fresh and perfect for spring or summer.

Printed in pool and peacock inks, this version of our Mimosa design features a fun pairing of 2-color and 1-color letterpress pieces detailing travel information and weekend events for guests of this lakefront wedding in Wisconsin.

The letterpress wedding invitation itself is printed in both pool and peacock, a unique pairing of ink colors that is perfect for a waterfront celebration.

This letterpress card is a simple insert detailing travel information and accommodation details for guests traveling to Wisconsin for the wedding. It is printed in peacock ink.

Also printed in 1-color letterpress in peacock ink, this insert card invites guest to a separate welcome dinner held the evening before the wedding. We love the combination of pretty 1-color inserts with this 2-color letterpress wedding invitations – it’s a great way to save money on your letterpress inserts while still showing off a great 2-color design on your main invitation.

While the rest of the world is gearing up for the holidays, around here we’re hard at work helping couples prepare for their upcoming summer 2010 weddings. We’ve been printing a lot of really fabulous letterpress save the dates in recent weeks and had to take a moment to share a couple of our latest favorites. Both of these customizations are great examples of how completely personal you can make one of our Bella Figura letterpress designs just by playing with ink colors, fonts and layout.

This fun letterpress save the date is a customization of our Champagne design, printed here in amethyst and garden inks. The layout is simple, keeping the emphasis on the sans serif type asking guests to save the date. A website address is provided in the lower corner so guests have easy access to further details and information about the event while keeping the design of the save the date itself clean and modern.

Using our Mimosa design, this couple opted for a vertical orientation with champagne and garden inks to make this design their own. The play between all lowercase serif type and all uppercase serif type for their names makes it a bit more playful and fun than a more traditional layout. We love these vibrant colors – they’ll be perfect for a summer wedding!

When checking out our letterpress gallery, keep in mind that all of our designs can be easily customized to suit the personality of your event. Love a design but wish it were printed in red instead of purple? We can do that and much more to help you make a design uniquely yours, just as we did with these two couples when designing their save the dates. For more ideas, check out our favorite letterpress save the dates.

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.

Deciding which pieces to include when deciding on your letterpress wedding invitations can be a bit confusing if you’re just starting to research so we thought it would be helpful to share some of the pieces we print most often and how you might use them. The great thing about all of these pieces is that you can pick and choose just those elements that are relevant to your event and fit comfortably within your budget, lending a lot of flexibility as you decide on your invitation suite.

{Save the Dates}
While not especially traditional, Save the Dates are becomingly increasing popular. Initially, Save the Dates {Cartoccio design featured above} were used almost exclusively for destination weddings, but we’re seeing a growing number of couples opting to send letterpress Save the Dates in advance of the wedding invitation to give guests a heads up on the upcoming event. Some simply list a date and location, while others might note a wedding website or specific venue. Usually couples send Save the Dates anywhere from six months to a year in advance, depending on the length of their engagement. Save the Dates are especially helpful when you are expecting a lot of out of town guests, but are by no means a requirement.

{Invitations}
Your invitation card {Mimosa is shown above} is arguably the most important element among all others and even despite the dawn of the e-card age, most couples still have a preference for traditional invitations, letterpress invitations being among the favorites. A general rule of thumb is that invitations include the date, time and location of the festivities and are sent to guests six to eight weeks in advance. Etiquette has long dictated the wording of invitations, although these days there is an increasing flexibility in how you word your invitation to guests. While we love printing traditional invitations, we also love to see how our brides and grooms get creative with language as they welcome guests to celebrate their union. With our wide range of letterpress invitation designs, there is truly something for every couple.

{Reception Cards}
Traditionally, reception cards {Deveril reception card above} were enclosed along with the main invitation and listed the time and place of the wedding reception only, while the invitation card itself was reserved exclusively for ceremony details. Reception information can easily be included on the bottom of the invitation, though some couples prefer to have a separate letterpress reception card if their reception is being held at a different location later in the evening, or if there are separate guest lists for each events. One great way to save money is to forgo the reception card, which is not only budget friendly, but also eco friendly too as it saves on paper. What’s not to love?

{Reply Cards/Postcards}
Reply cards {Lovebirds letterpress design above} as we know them are actually a modern custom, as traditionally invitations did not include RSVP information. Rather, it was customary for guests to reply with a hand written note on their own stationery. How sweet is that? While this particular practice is largely a thing of the past, we do see a number of couples printing requests for replies directly on the invitation and forgoing a reply card altogether, sometimes directing guests to a website or email address. Another common option is the choice of a letterpress reply postcard in lieu of a reply card with envelope. Again there are is a lot of flexibility with what information is included on a reply card and these days it might include not only the names and number of guests, but also meal selections and where the guests might be lodging for the weekend.

{Website Cards}
Website cards are another modern evolution in wedding stationery and are often just small cards printed with a website address providing information on events, accommodations, directions, local attractions, and miscellaneous information that might be useful to guests. While not a traditional element, letterpress website cards are very useful for spreading the word that you have a wedding website and that you’d like guests to visit. Some couples even opt to print extras so they can keep them on hand to give out when friends and family ask wedding-related questions. What a great idea!

{Directions/Accommodation Cards}
An increasing number of couples are opting to include direction and/or accommodations cards these days, especially as more couples plan destination or weekend-long events. We’re printing a growing number of directions cards and accommodations cards, sometimes one and the same, providing an abundance of really useful information for guests looking to make travel arrangements. It’s an extra element of hospitality that never goes overlooked by guests as anyone can appreciate not having to take extra time to research the best places to stay or how to get to the ceremony. It’s also possible to print directions on one side of a card and accommodation information on the other, even with letterpress, which is another great way to save money and save paper while still providing guests with great information.

{Tips for Deciding Which Pieces to Include}

- Determine the information that would be most useful to your guests given the details of your particular event and make that your focus

- Combine pieces where possible to help accommodate your budget

- Get creative! Don’t be afraid to include something totally unique or nontraditional, especially if you think it might be helpful for your guests

- Make it your own – letting your personalities shine through will always guarantee a beautiful letterpress invitation suite

We are always willing to answer questions and help you decide what invitation elements are perfect for you and your event. If you’re considering letterpress wedding invitations and wondering what pieces to include, let us know and we’re happy to help with ideas!