This real wedding combines rustic style with a hint of glamour. A customized version of our ever-popular Simple Charms invitation, a pretty Juniper envelope liner and rustic jute envelopes set the tone for this Montana affair, which took place at Springhill Pavilion. In true love-local style, this stylish couple worked with their caterer to serve their guests a locally sourced meal, complete with several courses and wine pairings! Be sure to check out Style Me Pretty to see more photos from this beautiful real wedding.
Photography: Jeremiah And Rachel Photography | Floral Design: Habitat Events | Wedding Dress:Monique Lhuillier | Cake: Cakes From Cabin Ridge | Invitations: Bella Figura | Brides Shoes: Prada | Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale | Catering: Food For Thought | Band: Bridger Creek Boys | Grooms Attire: J. Crew | Ceremony And Reception: Springhill Pavilion | Flower Girl Dress: Tea Princess | Photobooth: Big Sky Photobooth | Rentals: Montana Party Rentals | Wedding Design And Planning: Habitat Floral Studio
Inspired by ombre and metallic gold, this customization of our New Washi design would be perfect for a Bat Mitzvah invitation. We envision a celebration with lots of fun surprises – like pink donuts with sparkly sprinkles and glittering gold-dipped feathers hanging from the ceiling.
new washi customization | letterpress ink: aubergine | foil stamping: gold shine | font: brandon | paper: ivory | invite size: SQ-7 | liner: elegant ombre pattern in british rose and aubergine | hand calligraphy accents: carlisle by Elizabeth Hardin | original design by Kamal |customization by in-house designer Andrea Streeter
photo credits: donuts | dress | table setting
If you haven’t gotten the hang of Pinterest yet (or if this is the first time you’re hearing about it!), you’re in luck! Today we’re sharing a few tips and tricks to help you get the hang of Pinterest.
Pinterest is a place to collect ideas for your projects and interests – brides in particular find it incredibly helpful when it comes to wedding planning. Pins are visual bookmarks that make it easy for you to revisit useful content. You can organize your pins onto ‘boards’ (consider them virtual bulletin boards), and you can create as many boards as you’d like. You can pin images or videos from most websites onto your boards, or you can also find content to pin within the many Pinterest galleries (like weddings or DIY). Finally, you can also curate your Pinterest boards by repinning content from other accounts that you follow.
We have lots of boards on the Bella Figura Pinterest account – you can check out our boards for different color ideas (like our gold wedding inspiration board), or for boards with different styles (we’ve got boards filled with styles like vintage or formal). Our boards are curated with brides in mind, so you’ll find a nice mix of our invitations pinned next to beautiful bouquets, gowns, decor ideas, and more.
Pinterest has compiled some great tips & tricks for businesses – we highly recommend checking out their ideas! Here are a few of our own tips for using Pinterest if you’re just getting started:
- Pinterest can help drive traffic to your website! Pin images from your site onto your boards, but be sure to include a nice mix of product images with inspiration images – boards that only promote your own product can feel flat and boring.
- Pin Bella Figura products: promote the fact that you’re a Bella Figura dealer by pinning Bella Figura invitations, save the dates, and more!
- Collaborate with your customers: when it comes to custom work, you may find that some customers don’t exactly know how to express the look they’re going for. Taking a look at some boards or pins together is an excellent way to get a feel for your customer’s wedding or event style, and may help spark new ideas!
For even more tips and tricks, check out the Pinterest blog.
Our dazzling Bejeweled design makes for the perfect holiday card. Add a family photo or leave as is — either way, it’s sure to spread some cheer to everyone who sees it! Bejeweled – along with the rest of Kamal’s inspired designs – is on sale through the end of October!
bejeweled customization | letterpress ink: vine | foil stamping: gold matte | fonts: moravia + bejeweled | paper: ivory | invite size: F-8 | liner: pearse pattern in vine | original design by Kamal | customization by in-house designer Jessica Tierney
vases | bulbs | table setting
Karen and John selected our popular Colette invitation suite for their rustic wedding in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Their fall celebration was filled with warm touches to welcome their guests – like mugs of hot apple cider, cozy knit throws, and artisan chocolates. Check out more of the details from their classic fall wedding on Style Me Pretty!
Photography: Bartek & Magda | Event Planning: Lynn Lee Fine Weddings & Events | Floral Design: Full Bloom Floral Design | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Cake: Hotel Quintessence | Invitations:Bella Figura | Ceremony Venue: Chapel St. Bernard | Reception Venue: Hotel Quintessence | Hair:Showpony Hair | Calligraphy: Maureen Koo-calligraphy | Child Care Services: Kimberlee Care | Chocolates: Koko Chocolates | Decor: Amy And Jen Decor | Guitar: Andrei Krylov | Linens: Latavola Linens | Makeup: One Fine Beauty | Music/ Band: Jackson Miles Band | Rentals: Partytime Rental
This romantic take on our Vendage letterpress wedding invitation by Kamal is overflowing with rich color. Our raspberry ink pairs beautifully with amethyst for a wedding filled with berries, wildflowers, and rustic decor. Hand calligraphy accents by Elizabeth Hardin add a whimsical touch, and an envelope liner in our natural woodgrain pattern gives the suite a polished finish. The best part? This design (and every design in Kamal’s collection!) is on sale through the end of October, so shop now!
vendage customization | letterpress inks: raspberry + amethyst | font: streamline | paper: ivory | invite size: F-8 | liner: natural woodgrain pattern in pansy | hand calligraphy accents: Parks | original design by Kamal |customization by in-house designer Lindsy Talarico
Photo credits: cocktail, flower crown + centerpieces
Set the tone for a sophisticated New Year’s Eve party with elegant rose gold invitations featuring our Frolic design! For decor, go for a light and airy look with a color palette of rose gold, silver, gray, and white. Add some confetti and champagne and your celebration will be complete! If you love this look, order this design (or any design by Kamal) before the end of October and save 10%!
frolic customization | letterpress ink: pale gray | foil stamping: rose gold shine | fonts: marilyn + brandon | paper: white | invite size: SQ-7 | liner: metallic silver | original design by Kamal |customization by in-house designer Brenda Fox
photo credits: cake, decor + confetti
Drawing inspiration from backyard Parisian weddings, Charlotte and Timothy created a romantic oasis in the nation’s capital for their October wedding. Instead of traditional fall colors, the couple went for a warm, muted color palette of taupe, ivory, champagne and rose gold for their celebration at The Meridian House. They chose our Whisper design for their save the dates, which featured rose gold foil edging, and selected our Modern Fete design for their wedding invitation suite. To see more photos from this gorgeous real wedding, head over on Style Me Pretty!
Photography: Maria Vicencio Photography | Event Planning: Simply Chic Events | Floral Design:Philippa Tarrant Floral Designs | Wedding Dress: Marchesa | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Cake:Maggie Austin Cake | Invitations: Bella Figura | Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids Dresses: Joanna August Ceremony | Catering: Design Cuisine | Hair: Remona Soleimani | Calligraphy: Arney Walker Calligraphy| Lighting: Lighting Professors | Entertainment: The Mustangs Band | Favors: Georgetown Cupcake | Mens Attire: J.Crew | Officiant: Bill Cochran | Bridal Clutch: Carlos Falchi | Bridal Jewelry: J.Crew | Bridal Jewelry: Carolee | Hotel: The Jefferson | Makeup: Tiffany Mason | Makeup: Leah McKay | Musicians: Sage String Quartet | Rentals: AFR Furniture Rental | Wedding Band: I-Gorman | Wedding Band: Tiffany & Co. | Wedding Venue: The Meridian House
This holiday customization of our Stipple design is sure to put a sparkle in all your loved ones eye’s when they open it up! A bright use of silver foil and bold blues are bound get everyone excited for the New Year. Stipple – and Kamal’s entire collection of inspired designs – is on sale through the end of October, so be sure to order your customized holiday cards early and send them out to all your favorites!
stipple customization | foil color: silver shine | font: sans capitals | paper: white | invite size: SQ-7 | liner: elegant ombre pattern in aquamarine | hand calligraphy accents: lincoln style | original design by Kamal | customization by in-house designer Jessica Tierney
bulbs | trees | living room
Today’s guest post comes from Bella Figura designer Kamal – our featured designer during the month of October. Kamal recently spent a month in India, where she rang in the New Year, enjoyed festive wedding celebrations for her niece, and took in many of the beautiful sites and sounds. Today we’re sharing the first part of her journey – we’ll be sharing more later this month!
India, my beloved country, is known to the world as a land full of culture, tradition, vibrant breathtaking colors, awe inspiring textiles, a mecca of spices, warm hearted hospitality, overwhelming maternal patriotism, and a pool of forward thinking youth determined to make their mark in the world. To me, however, India simply is and forever will be the land of my father. After all, I grew up on endless nights of story telling from him, everything from his favorite sweets to his spiciest food experiments; his childhood friends to his mothers lullabies; his immense struggles to his groundbreaking achievements. It’s the motherland that nurtured his youth, prospered his adult years, influenced his thinking and has forever imprinted its love in his heart and mind. And Mine.
Traveling to India has been a part of my life since I was young, visiting my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Each year was the usual ritual: 2 weeks in Mumbai followed by a week in Gujarat, hence my 2nd dialect, Gujarati. The state of Gujarat is my father’s “home” where many of our family members still live and where my father’s most vivid memories still carry on. Needless to say, I was heavily influenced by the colors and joy of India from a tender age. So when after 13 years, I had the opportunity to travel to India, I was truly overjoyed. The most exciting part was the fact that I was traveling with my parents and my brother – just the four of us, together – like I was 16 again.
Being that my father was raised in the state of Gujarat, located in the Western part of India, its no surprise that his absolute favorite holiday was a festival called Uttarayan, The International Kite Festival – the pride of the “Jewel of the West”. The festival marks the day when winter begins to turn into summer, according to the Indian calendar. It is the sign for farmers that the sun is back and that the harvest season is approaching. Vast cities in Gujarat delve into organizing kite competitions, where kite flying starts as early as 5am and goes on until late night with as many as 8-10 million people indulging in the festival.
The awe-inspiring brilliant colors, grainy textures and leisurely way of life were noteworthy on this special day. It was like “roof-top-party-hopping”. Music was blaring in the air. People were climbing up and down each other’s roofs, drinking King Fishers, leaping and flying their kites, heads up everywhere. The entire state succumbed to a serene yet enticing buzz. It was like nothing that I have ever seen before!
We saw kite markets set up alongside food stalls, children prancing around with their vibrant kites. The Uttarayan kites are made of lightweight paper (AKA tissue paper) and bamboo, and are mostly rhombus shaped with a central spine and a single bow. Many of them are the same size and solid colors but then again, you do see a variety of massive ones, foiled ones, and of course color-blocked ones.
The kites we flew were called ‘Patangs’, fighter kites. The object was simple: try to slash each other’s string in the sky so that your kite is the only one up! May the best kite win! The strings were dyed a gorgeous pink, but were quite deceiving. They were covered with mixtures of glue and ground glass, so when dried, rolled up, and attached to the end of the kite could easily cut your fingers. Sharp and deep, like a paper cut. As we took turns, we realized the difficulty of this sport, concluding that my dad truly was a master, his passion was like riding a bike – he picked up right where he left off.
As the night came to an end, I did a 360 on a neighbor’s rooftop and saw the moon on one end being the perfect segway to the sun setting on another. I took it all in then. The sky transformed from blues and greens to a radiant pink with a breathtaking circle of orange. Just then, as the flecks of strings start disappearing, illuminated kites filled with lights and candles known as tukals or tukkals were launched creating a spectacle in the inky sky mixed with fireworks. The breath-taking sunset was only to be surpassed by the beauty of the thousands of flickering lights emerging into the sky. Moments like these are why I am who I am, as a woman, a mother, a daughter and as a designer.
I can still hear the music in the wind and clamor around me, people still dancing around with excitement. Etched in me is the memory of my dad and the thrill of his childhood, the smile on his face the twinkle in his eye. And Mine.
