bride | Pemberley letterpress wedding invitation | table setting 

Our annual letterpress sample sale is on! From now through September 30, all of our letterpress wedding invitation samples are on sale for just $1 each – and we’ll plant a tree with American Forests for every sample purchased!

Ordering is easy: simply click on your favorite designs, then click the “order an invitation sample” button on the right side of the page. After you’ve selected all of the samples you’d like to purchase, click on the shopping cart in the upper right-hand corner of your screen and “proceed to checkout”. If you’d like to see even more trees planted during our sale, select the “plant a tree” option during checkout and we’ll match your tree donation!

**The fine print: supplies may be limited. Samples are sent via USPS unless upgraded shipping is selected. Samples purchased during sale period are not eligible for sample refund when stationery order is placed (but your donation is going to a really great cause!). Please allow 2 business days for turn-around. Sale ends at midnight on Tuesday, September 30, 2014.  

Our Amons calligraphy wedding invitations by Elizabeth Hardin can be found in the Fall 2014 issue of Occasions: Weddings magazine! The shoot was produced by Molly McKinley Designs and photographed by Rustic White, and we love the breezy, beachy look that this talented team put together at Caspersen Beach. Here are a few photos from the issue, but be sure to pick one up today for even more beautiful wedding inspiration!

Photography: Rustic White | Design: Molly McKinley Designs | Florals + chairs: FH Weddings & Events | Linens: Nuage Designs | Dress: Malindy Elene | Hair + makeup: Michele Renee The Studio | Jewerly: BHLDN

Paige and Jon Mark customized our Anais design in a romantic color palette of gold matte foil and desert ink for their modern Nashville wedding at The Bridge Building. The couple paired their invitations with our jute envelopes for a rustic meets glam look, and the gold baker’s twine and white calligraphy addressing by Jenna Rainey made for beautiful finishing touches. Featured recently on Green Wedding Shoes, we love that the bride (a creative director) drew inspiration for the colors, textures, and overall design elements from a cactus! The couple’s advice to those currently planning a wedding? “Keep your guests in mind. You want them to enjoy the night just as much as you do!”

photography: Taylor Lord // venue: The Bridge Building Nashville, Tennessee // event design: Jessica Sloane // event planner: Leah Kutil with The Bridge Building // florals + flower crowns: Melissa Broadwell of Vintage Florals // wedding dress: BHLDN ‘Laverne’ Gown // hairpieces: veil by Veiled Beauty // earrings + reception belt: BHLDN // shoes: BHLDN // bridesmaid dresses: various vendors chosen by bridesmaids // hair + makeup: Elaina Karras of Lucy Pop Salon andAmanda Gros // groom suit: Indochino // videography: Anchor Heart Films // paper goods: (the bride) Paige Foley Design and Bella Figura // calligraphy: Jenna Rainey // catering: Infinity Restaurant Group // cake: Dessert Designs // music: Party of Five // welcome boxes/favors: Kaldi’s Coffee // chalkboard artist: (the bride) Paige Foley Design // linens + chairs: Liberty Party Rental

Today we’re back with another post from Courtney Jentzen, our September Designer of the Month. Courtney’s taking us on a tour of her neighborhood in Brooklyn — take a look!

We’re love calling Brooklyn our home. It’s tough to imagine Swiss Cottage Designs being anywhere else. Our studio is located in Carroll Gardens, a little neighborhood that’s nestled between Cobble Hill, Gowanus, and Red Hook. It’s not tough to find a beautiful block to walk down – the neighborhood is known for its tree lined streets and historic brownstones – or a great new restaurant or shop to check out. While we do love to explore the neighborhood, we also have our tried and true spots that it’s tough to beat.

Smith Canteen is a great little coffee shop with awesome baked goods, sandwiches, and the best lemonade around in my humble lemonade loving opinion.

I highly recommend popping into Black Gold…just know that you’ll be in there awhile. Despite the window reading “records”, Black Gold is more of an infinitely intriguing curiosity cabinet, full of vintage taxidermy, jewelry, art, and yes, records. Plus, they serve coffee! Definitely one of my favorite neighborhood spots.

Ted & Honey is a cute little cafe that serves both breakfast and lunch. It’s right on the corner of a tiny but beautiful park, so grabbing something to go is never a bad option.

The Farmacy is an old school soda fountain, complete with egg creams and employees in those little paper hats. Their ice cream floats are not for the feint of heart. If I don’t think I can conquer one mid-day, I usually go for a blueberry soda.

Mazzola might be our favorite of all (but don’t tell the others) The ladies behind the counter are always so sweet. You really can’t go wrong with iced tea and a few mini muffins…and maybe some crumb cake, a croissant, bear claw, and a cinnamon bun, just in case. We’ve tried them all.

We don’t trust our Swiss Cottage shipments to just anyone. When it comes to shipping, Omar, at Cobble Hill Variety, is our guy. We pay him a visit just about every day – sometimes twice a day during our big production pushes. Even though he’s a few blocks down the street, he’s a very important part of the Swiss Cottage team. I don’t know what we’d do without him.

And lastly, let’s not forget about one of New York’s weird treasures, bodega cats. Mars is one of my favorite bodega cats, not just in the neighborhood but in all of Brooklyn- that is kind of a big deal. You can usually spot him sleeping behind the plants at Martinez Grocery on Court Street. If you don’t see him at first, look closer! He’ll usually come out from hiding to say hello and ask for a few ear scratches.

Thanks for taking a journey around around our little hood! If you’re ever in the area, be sure to drop us a line to say hello!

Courtney Jentzen is the September Designer of the Month! Save 10% on Courtney’s designs through the month of September, then save an additional 10% if you order six printed pieces or more! Courtney’s designs range from rustic to woodsy to beachy, with lovely hand drawn elements featured throughout.  Every piece in Courtney’s collection of Bella Figura designs is on sale through the month of September: invitations, save the dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, and anything else you can dream up. As always, all of our designs are completely customizable: change the inks, the fonts, the layout and more to make a design your own! We’ve customized a few of Courtney’s designs just to show you how flexible the collection truly is – take a look!

Courtney’s Woodland design is ideal for a woodsy celebration with natural touches. The original version (above) features letterpress printing, calligraphy accents and a unique die-cut shape, while the customization (below) ties in foil stamped accents for a rustic look with a touch of glamour.

Ellipse (above) is an ultra-modern invitation design with quirky blind debossed patterns on the front of the invitations, bold fonts and vibrant ink colors. We customized Ellipse (below) with copper foil and an elegant ombre envelope liner to give the design a more sophisticated feel while still maintaining its quirky, modern charm.

A hand-drawn skyline, subdued color palette and urban fonts give Bright Lights a true NYC vibe, while breezy fonts and beachy motifs make Waterfront perfect for a seaside wedding.

Have questions about any of these designs? Please, be in touch, or take advantage of our personal shopper service!

The fine print: this offer is exclusive to designs by Courtney Jentzen and does not apply towards the purchase of other designs. Orders must be placed by 11:59pm Eastern on September 30, 2014 in order to receive this offer.

Natalie and Sarah hosted a black tie affair complete with dancing and dessert in honor of their mother, Ann-Marie. Inspiration from the venue, jardin de palmeras, made its way to the invitation in the form of a palm tree from our extensive motif collection while Debi Zeinert’s hand calligraphy was a whimsical addition.

letterpress ink: shell | font: jubilant | paper: bella cotton 2-ply white | hand calligraphy: royal style | Union Street Papery | customization #22534

We loved the way our modern Roosevelt letterpress invitation set the tone for this vintage aircraft hangar inspiration shoot at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California. Photographer Shhivika Chauhan pulled together an incredibly talented team of vendors to create the shoot, which featured a feathery Rosa Clara gown with a vintage vibe, gold sequined tablecloths, and eye-catching florals from Green Petal Designs. Here are a few of our favorite shots from the shoot, but be sure to check out Le Magnifique to see more photos!

FLOWERS: GREEN PETAL DESIGNS | BRIDAL GOWN: Rosa Clara via NOVELLA BRIDAL | RENTALS: HARTMANN STUDIOS | GROOM TUXEDO: MENS WAREHOUSE | MAKEUP & HAIR: NICOLE PEREZ | LOCATION: HILLER AVIATION MUSEUM | STATIONERY: BELLA FIGURA | DESSERTS: INDIE CAKES | MODELS: HM MODELS | CALLIGRAPHY: BLOOMING QUILL | Lighting and Associate Photographer: DESIREE NGUYEN | Photography Assistant: IRYNA ISHCHENKO | Creative Styling and Photographer: SHHIVIKA CHAUHAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Our Traditional Script wedding invitation design is graceful, elegant and loaded with romantic charm. Gabrielle and Dillon opted for gold shine foil and black letterpress ink – a classic pairing that looks ultra sophisticated on our ivory cotton paper. A metallic opal pocketfold added to the presentation and kept additional cards in order.  If you’re planning a formal wedding, be sure to check out designer Beth Barr’s collection – on sale through the end of August!

letterpress ink: black | foil stamping: gold shine | fonts: parisian + harlow + stadium | paper: bella cotton 2-ply ivory | foil edging: gold shine | pocketfold: metallic opal | customization #20386

Black letterpress ink and silver matte foil complement the bold typography and modern style of our Carly letterpress save the dates.

letterpress ink: black | foil stamping: silver matte | fonts: carly + kunsel | paper: bella cotton 2-ply white | edge painting: pewter | envelope: bella cotton white | envelope liner: metallic silver | Papery of Philadelphia | customization #20413

bride | gournay letterpress invitation | ceremony