We worked with our friends at Rock Paper Scissors in Ann Arbor, Michigan to create custom suites inspired by popular wedding venues in Michigan. We’ve recently added them to our collection, and today we’re sharing some behind the scenes details from the designers that helped bring these suites to life.
Zingerman’s Cornman Farms was the main inspiration for our Hales suite. A custom illustration of the farm itself and a sprinkling of vintage vegetable motifs pay homage to their famous farm-to-table vision and capture the picturesque romance of the farm. Formal fonts give a refined, ethereal feel while the color palette of rosebud and copper brings to mind a dreamy September affair. The suite is named for the farm’s Executive Chef and Managing Partner, Kieron Hales.
Hales suite, featuring rosebud letterpress ink and copper matte foil stamping on white Bella cotton paper. Foil edging in copper matte and a Rosebud envelope carry through the warm and romantic color palette.
Our Gable suite pairs classic, modern typography with colorful florals inspired by The Valley at Frutig Farms, a gable roof barn built circa 1840. “The venue is very spacious so it was important to keep the look open and soft with a splash of color from the vintage flowers,” says designer Racheal Bumbolo. A venue illustration was the perfect accent on the vellum belly band, and the warm-toned floral accents throughout bring to life the words of Rock Paper Scissors owner Lisa Roberts who compared the barn to a “fall haven of floral magic”.
Gable suite, featuring cobblestone letterpress ink and warm-toned florals printed on our Bella smooth cotton white paper. A light and airy vellum belly band with a venue illustration complements the simple, modern typography.
Our Seger suite was inspired by the historic Colony Club of Detroit and the prosperity of the city in the 1920s. The venue itself is adorned with the finest, most luxurious details including classic black and white checkered floors, gold leaf ceilings, impressive crystal chandeliers, and Louis XVI décor. A vintage Detroit map, gold matte foil, and black paper were absolute must-haves for this sleek suite.
Seger suite, printed in gold matte foil on our Bella smooth cotton ivory paper. Black ink, paper, and envelope bring a sophisticated feel and pair nicely with the vintage map and formal typography.
The Ford Piquette Plant, birthplace of the Model T, inspired the Henry suite. It showcases a modern city feel with a touch of grit. Stark black and whites, in contrast with edgy hand illustrations of the plant, the Detroit skyline, and the beloved Model T, bring this suite to life. “Henry provides a true representation of a cool urban couple wanting to say ‘I do’ in the heart of Detroit,” says designer Lindsy Talarico.
Henry suite, printed in black letterpress on our Bella smooth cotton bright white paper. Whimsical typography and illustrations and black paper accents give a modern, fun feel to this suite.
We are proud to announce that two of our designs stood out among the rest and took home awards from the Foil and Specialty Effects Association. Their websites states, “Since its inception in 1992, the Foil & Specialty Effects Association has worked toward industry awareness and growth. It serves as a resource and educational platform for decorating technologies, including foil stamping, embossing, cold foil technologies, specialty coatings, laminates and laser cutting.”
Our Vertex design won the bronze award for best use of holographic elements with its embossed foil. Our Prism Shine foil really bounces off the page against the Bella Gray backdrop. We can’t wait to see what else comes through our shop using this new foil color!
Our Agua design won Gold for best use of letterpress with its ombré type. With the trend of ombré in the forefront of the design world, we couldn’t wait to push the envelope with what we could do! We used Flamingo into Capri letterpress inks to bring this design to life.
We are over the moon to be recognized for cutting edge print processes and we can’t wait to see what our talented team brings to life next!
Below you’ll find photos of these award winning designs from photographer Carina Skrobecki and stylist Cozbi Jean!
Our 2020 wedding collection features brand new die-cut shapes that can transform your wedding invitation suite into something truly unique. Whether you choose a whimsical palm leaf for a tropical celebration or a classic shape to highlight traditional typography, we have invitation and save the date shapes for any style. Now through August 31, 2020, save 25% on any die-cut shape. Have something else in mind? We offer custom shapes, too!
Pura Vida suite, featuring A-6 palm leaf die-cut shape.Malua suite, featuring F-8 Winston die cut shape and 7″ circle die-cut shape.Agua suite, featuring custom hexagon die-cut shape.Helaine suite, featuring F-8 and A-6 Franklin die-cut shape.
Die-cutting is not available with foil edging and in some cases is not available with edge painting, either. Please be in touch with any questions.
Uptowne Papers helped us create these peony letterpress photo birth announcements for little Elizabeth Jane. They kept the design sweet and neat in a pale pink letterpress color to allow the photo to pop off the page. A more traditional script font accented the baby’s and parent’s names with a sans-serif used for the surrounding text. Peony edging added to the sides kept the color palette consistent. Finally, an envelope liner with the letter “E” personalized this announcement perfectly.
Magnificent Milestones helped us create these Deep Blue letterpress rehearsal dinner invitations for Jennifer and Bobby. They opted for a Pastel Blue backdrop to give the design a monochromatic, warm feel. They also added a pop of red to the edges of the invitation to give the design extra flair. Red stars also printed in Deep Red on the invitation as well as the envelope liner set the tone for a dazzling evening to come. We have no doubt Jennifer and Bobby’s guests enjoyed their night together before the big day!
Letterpress; Deep Blue + Deep Red LP | Design: Custom Created | Paper: Pastel Blue | Size: A6 | Customization: 49890 | Magnificent Milestones
We worked with Smitten Boutique to create these taupe letterpress wedding invitations with vellum belly-bands for Lauren and Ryan. Although we often see a traditional rectangular shape for invitations, this couple opted for a unique square shape. By using one letterpress color throughout the set, they allowed the design to speak for itself. A sprawling script at the top acted as an accent to an otherwise clean typography layout. To finish the suite off, they added a vellum belly-band with a digitally printed watercolor illustration of Colorado. Thanks to Smitten Boutique for all their help in bringing this vision to life!
Letterpress: Taupe | Design: Custom Created | Paper: Smooth White | Size: SQ-6 | Customization: 48679 | Smitten Boutique
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many couples to rethink their wedding plans, postponing their weddings into 2021 or opting for smaller, more intimate ceremonies with larger celebrations to follow.
Using our 2020 wedding collection as inspiration, we’ve reimagined some of our most popular designs as wedding announcements and paired them with coordinating invitations for receptions to follow at a later date.
Order wedding announcements from Bella Figura and receive 20% off the subsequent printing of the reception invitation. We are here to answer any questions and to help you navigate these uncertain times.
We worked with Magnificent Milestones to create these personalized circular menus. The couple opted for our Bella Gray paper with typography in white digital ink. A clean sans serif font made this menu easy to read. Each guest received a menu with their name situated at the top for an extra special touch. They decided to go against the grain with a modern circular shape rather than using a traditional square. Finally, thanks to the help of Magnificent Milestones for helping us bring this together!
Digital ink color: White | Fonts: Brandon & Gotham | Design: Custom Created | Paper: Gray 1-ply | Size: 7” circle | Customization: 50704 | Magnificent Milestones
We worked with Smitten Boutique to create these gold monogrammed wedding invitations for Nicole and Aaron. They opted for an ornate, flourished script font that pairs with the equally ornate monogram. They added a splash of color with our Prussian Blue letterpress ink on the reply card that coordinates with the envelopes as well. Our Old Rose paper also makes an appearance in this suite printed in Gold Matte foil to keep everything cohesive. Both the envelope liner and belly-band appear in our Gold Leaf metallic stock as the finishing touch to the set.
We worked with Ethan Niles to create these white matte foil bar mitzvah invitations for Jared. They supplied Basis Gray paper to create this typographical inspired set. They put the emphasis on Jared’s name with a larger font size. The reply card and place-card printed in Charcoal letterpress matched the color of the paper for consistency. Finally, the envelope liner ties everything together using Jared’s initials in white digital ink.
Letterpress: Charcoal | Foil color: White Matte | Fonts: ITC Avant Garde Gothic | Design: Custom Created | Paper: Supplied Basis Gray | Size: 6 x 8 | Customization: 50618 | Ethan Niles
Victoria and Chris worked with RSVP Today to create these Townsend inspired wedding invitations. They opted to keep it similar to the original design using Pale Gray letterpress, Charcoal letterpress and Rose Gold Shine foil. Their save the date mimicked this look as well adding a die-cut shape to make it even more unique. Overall, the aesthetic of their wedding stationery matches the look of the wedding in a subtle and classic way. We will let Victoria and Chris take it from here to share more about their day:
Q: Can you share with us a bit about your wedding and your inspiration for the event?
A: Our June 2019 wedding in New York City was a uniquely special and memorable day. We were married in the same church where we first met, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on the Upper East Side. Our reception was held at the iconic Gotham Hall on Broadway. When we got engaged ten months prior, we both envisioned a Manhattan wedding with a classic, elegant, and traditional focus reflecting facets of our Greek American heritage and history. We also wanted a modern feel with some “wow factor.” A live Greek band was a must, in addition to an American band. Our venue offered a majestic and historic backdrop. Our guests were offered the feel of a private concert with a grand stage and modern dance floor for them to be entertained throughout the evening. In our vision, we wanted our invitation to reflect all of this, so we went with an elegant design and logo that was consistently used throughout the day in our venues.
Q: Q: How did you choose your invitation design & ink colors?
A: It was fairly seamless for us when selecting our wedding invitation design and overall aesthetic. We both gravitated towards designs that were classic, traditional, yet modern – something timeless and would still be in style many years from now. Ultimately, we ended up merging two invitation designs to make the invitation unique. We spent the most time designing our monogram and we incorporated this element within various items on our wedding day – from the ceremony programs to our exquisite Ron-Ben Israel cake. We were stunned with the amount of compliments we received on our invitations.
Q: What surprised you most about your wedding?
A: How much love and support, from all over the world, you receive. This is your day, and everyone is there to shower you with love and admiration. The world is on your side on your wedding weekend, and all the stresses of the wedding planning just melt away. There were torrential downpours for five straight days the week of our wedding, but somehow the rain and clouds parted on Friday afternoon just before our rehearsal, providing for the most perfect weekend of weather – sun and blue skies! Everyone is there cheering you on, even complete strangers. We received so many well wishes from complete strangers as we took photos in Central Park, and as we made our way through Manhattan in a vintage Rolls-Royce from the Cathedral to Gotham Hall.
Q: What was your favorite moment?
A: There were so many. The ‘coolest’ one was entering the grandeur of the Gotham Hall ballroom for the first time as husband and wife. We were able to choreograph a uniquely timed grand entrance. With the bronze gates to the hall opening up as the lights shined on us, we walked into the song that reminded us of the beginning of our relationship, “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers. The Groom had surprised his guests (and Bride) with a quick wardrobe change — an ivory white dinner jacket — to distinguish himself for the rest of the evening. All of our 260 guests were on their feet in anticipation and it was such an incredible moment and feeling we will cherish forever.
Q: Favorite design element of your big day?
A: We loved being able to weave in the design thematic of our invitations and monogram into our wedding programs. They were striking, neat, and easy to handle and read. Providing programs to our guests were important to us as we had a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony. We also wanted to utilize the programs as a way to pay tribute to our loved ones who had passed away and to thank our parents. We received many compliments on our programs, and some guests even commented it was the best one they’ve ever seen.
Jennifer and Michael worked with our Bella Figura NYC – Brooklyn store to create these vintage floral wedding invitations. Inspired by our Ninette design, they changed the florals to a purple color palette. They opted to keep the typography clean and in Gold Matte foil. A corresponding details card also used florals in a different way to change it up. Finally, the envelope liner used the same floral pattern from the invitation for overall cohesiveness.
