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Elegant Victoria Calligraphy letterpress wedding invitations

Our lovely pals at Social Graces in Nashville, Tennessee requested this stunning customization of our Victoria Calligraphy (by Sarah Hanna) in charcoal ink. Our European Formal envelope liner design is letterpress printed in our inkless blind deboss as a background that we think gives an elegant touch.

ink: charcoal + blind deboss | calligraphy: victoria hand calligraphy, by sarah hannah style. | paper: 2-ply ivory  | invite size: f8  | corner rounding |

elegant calligraphy letterpress wedding invitations

Sweet Kisses Hailey Modern Letterpress Inspiration

Candy hearts, flowers, sweet love notes – this can only mean one thing – Valentine’s Day is coming up quick! Get inspired and share some love with this simple, sweet customization of our Hailey Modern letterpress design.

hailey modern customization = inks: powder blue + lavender | fonts: henry + madaline | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: modern herringbone in lavender | original design by sarah walroth | customized by in-house designer racheal decker

embellishment suggestions: edge paint in british rose

Hailey Modern Valentine's Day Customization

(Photo Credits: Love Joy Faith)


Flapper Fare – A Romantic customization of La Salle

We’re always searching for a little extra “Omph”. That cherry on top but never too bold. Make a subtle announcement with a metallic liner.  What a great way for your guests to open a little sparkle with your light and airy announcement.

La Salle customization = inks: celadon + sea side + peach | fonts: Eros + Memimas | paper: white | invites size: f-8 | metallic liner: opal | original design by Ian Koeing | customized by in-house designer Brit Hammett

flapper fare vintage letterpress wedding invitations

photo credits: Josh Goleman

Modern Letterpress Wedding Invitations: What’s big for 2012

Our latest letterpress wedding invitation release was full of many modern gems, but today we’re sharing the top 6 modern invitations so far from 2012. We’ve noticed neon shows its pretty little head in a sophisticated way (or think about neon edge painting on a very formal invite!). Black ink on a modern letterpress design keeps things formal while still feeling new. Foil, of course, is on the list — we are especially loving double foil (think matte silver and shiny silver, or silver paired with gold). You’ll find names in oversized fonts, along with slightly untraditional text layout and minimal design. Want to see more? Check out all of our modern wedding invitations here.

What are your favorite colors, fonts, and invitation designs for a modern wedding? Tell us in the comments section below!

The top 6 modern letterpress and foil stamped designs for Bella Figura in 2012

1. New Horizon | 2. Gotham | 3. Dash | 4. Byzantine | 5. Fugue | 6. La Salle

Looking to wow your guests with letterpress wedding menus?

Our stomachs rumble on a daily basis when we read the delicious menus that our lovely clients (you!) choose for their wedding receptions. With choices like organic greens and crabcakes, spicy tuna and beef tenderloin, we see tasty options for everyone. For all the foodies out there, feast your eyes on these gorgeous letterpress wedding menus!

[Make the menu stand out with a bold title. Weber by Jessica Hische.]

letterpress wedding menu

[Our popular Bejeweled design is letterpress printed in 2 colors for a crisp, modern menu. Design by Kamal.]

colorful and modern letterpress menus

[Did you know our menus can be printed in any language? This menu features the Harp design by Tara Hogan.]

[Tie in the details of your invitations and your decor with our free motifs! We love this elegant Walden menu, designed by Beth Ann Seal.]

nature inspired letterpress wedding menus

[ A classic Deveril menu, another popular design suite from Beth Ann Seal.]

soft letterpress wedding menu

[Keep things sweet with our colorful Somersby, a whimsical design by Beth Ann Seal.]

colorful letterpress wedding menus

Our standard menu size is the A6, which measures in at 4.625 x 6.25 inches. We can also print tea-length menus (3.875 x 9.25 inches) for an additional charge.

Wondering about wording? View our menu etiquette and wording or feel free to contact us!

And we all shine on! A radiant customization of our Soleil letterpress wedding invitation.

Earth tones, metallics and foil accents can bring warmth to any wedding invitation, even amongst the cold winter months! With a little inspiration from a setting sun, a glistening metallic liner in gold dust and sparkly foil edging in copper makes this Soleil customization absolutely breathtaking!

Soleil customization = inks: hazel + persimmon | fonts: cooper + sunshine | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | metallic liner: gold dust | foil edging: copper | original design by Beth Ann Seal | customized by in-house designer Lindsy Aragona


(Photo Credits: Allyson Magda)

Bella Figura’s 2012 Letterpress Invitation Designs: Before and After, Part 2

Last week we showed you a look at some of our new 2012 letterpress invitation designs before and after they were customized, and this week we’re back with more design transformations! We’ve redone 5 of our favorite new modern invitation designs to show you just how much different an invitation can look with a color change, new fonts, and some design adjustments.

Neo Luna by Ian Koenig is charming and simple in the original design, but takes on a bolder look with a font change, added color and silver shine foil stamping.
Suggested embellishments:
We think this design would look stunning with surf edge painting and a colorful envelope liner in the sea stripes pattern, printed in surf, marigold and mesa inks.
Details: letterpress ink: surf | foil stamping: silver shine | fonts: ollie + swiss | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: f-8 | rounded corners

A before & after look at one of Bella Figura's 2012 designs, Neo Luna

The Drawing Room design by in-house designer Sarah Walroth features fresh new fonts and a custom pocket-fold, but takes on a more whimsical look after a bit of customizing. We love this design as a square invitation with corner rounding, along with a playful font and fuchsia ink for the names.
Suggested embellishments: A white cotton pocketfold, letterpress printed with prussian blue ink and a blue pearl metallic envelope liner would add the perfect amount of shine to this pretty invitation set.
Details: letterpress inks: fuchsia + prussian blue | fonts: saint-andrew + lady rene | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: sq-7 for pocketfold | pocketfold: white,  letterpressed in prussian blue ink

A before & after look at Drawing Room, one of Sarah Walroth's new designs for Bella Figura for 2012

Ellie Snow designed the Classic Chevron invitation, which features on-trend chevron patterning, two lines of Belle hand calligraphy, and pretty sea-side and jade letterpress inks. The switch of jade ink to mustard and the repositioning of the chevron pattern gives this design customization a retro feel with a modern twist.
Suggested embellishments: A pretty custom postage stamp along with a custom envelope liner featuring the sweet polka pattern in mustard + sea-side inks would be lovely accents for this wedding invitation.
Details: letterpress inks: mustard + sea-side | fonts: sans capitals + hollow | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | size: f-8 A before and after look at Classic Chevron, one of Bella Figura's new designs for 2012 (more…)

Amici Letterpress Bar Mitzvah Invitations

We tend to focus a lot on all the lovely wedding invites we create around here, but truth be told we also print a TON of Bar and Bat Mitzvah invitations (and they’re always a blast!).  We can adapt any of our invite designs into a Bar/Bat invite very easily by changing up the wording, adding Hebrew characters, or – as is the case with this Amici (from designer Ian Koenig) customization, by adding a small star of David from our motif library.  Loving the simple beauty of this one.

inks: pewter + cardinal | font: requiem | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: sq-7 | edge painting: cardinal | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: sarah walroth
modern letterpress bar mitzvah invitations

Modern Elegance customization of Cascade Letterpress Wedding Invitations

The Cascade letterpress wedding invitation is the perfect match for this timeless bride. A mix of modern shapes for him and soft script for her- think classic elegance with modern flare.

cascade customization = inks: charcoal + chartreuse | fonts: sophia + jubliant | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: antique geometrics | edge painting: wisteria | original design by Kelle Anne McCarter | customized by in-house designer Brenda Fox |
embellishment suggestions: foil stamping : silver matte

modern letterpress wedding invitations

(Photo Credits: Ashleigh Taylor Photography)

Modern and sleek Harbor Beach letterpress wedding invitations

Our Harbor Beach design (by Jessica Tierney) looks ultra modern in this letterpress wedding invitation submitted by our friends, Francis Orr in Corona del Mar, California.  The color combination of sand and charcoal inks are so subtle, yet crisp. The anchor motif is replaced with a simple monogram and repeated throughout the suite. Charcoal grounds this set from the edge painting to the solid envelope liner. We love the beauty and simplicity that makes the letterpress printing shine.

inks: charcoal + sand | fonts: holden + aurora  | paper: 1-ply white  | invite size: SQ7 for inner envelope  | liner: classic color pattern in charcoal ink | edge painting: charcoal | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: racheal decker

modern and slick letterpress wedding invitations

Bella Figura’s 2012 Letterpress Invitation Designs: Before and After

Our new collection of letterpress wedding invitations has arrived, and we’ve introduced 83 new invitation designs (plus metallics: foil stamping, foil edging and lots of other cool new embellishments!) for the 2012 wedding season. Since everything at Bella Figura is completely customizable, we thought we’d show you a ‘before and after’ look at some of our favorite new invitation designs to show how a change of color, fonts, and design placement can completely transform an invitation design.

First up: the La Salle invitation design by Ian Koenig. The original design is soft and romantic in camel + pewter inks, and features three fonts, but takes on a completely regal look with new inks (regalia and charcoal), corner rounding, and new fonts: Vessa + Jubilant.
Suggested embellishments:
We think this design would look gorgeous with a European formal patterned envelope liner in regalia ink and a coordinating custom postage stamp.
Details: letterpress inks: regalia + charcoal | fonts: vessa + jubilant | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | size: f-8 | corner rounding

A before and after look at one of Bella Figura's new 2012 letterpress invitation designs, La Salle

Next up: Rustic Jolene – an earthy design with a folk-art feel – is completely transformed with a drastic (but gorgeous) change in design placement. Prussian blue and cornflower blue inks create a stunning two-tone effect, and the square size, corner rounding, and sophisticated fonts complete the look.
Suggested embellishments:
a white cotton pocketfold with a monogram letterpress printed in Prussian blue would add a nice finishing touch, along with an envelope liner in our woodstock pattern in cornflower + Prussian blue inks.
Details: letterpress inks: prussian blue + cornflower blue | fonts: daisy + moravia | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | size: sq-7 | corner rounding

A before and after look at Bella Figura's letterpress invitation design, Rustic Jolene

Rococo Elegance, created by Beth Barr, one of our new designers for 2012, takes on a more floral feel in this elegant customization. Hand calligraphy accents and ivory paper give the design a soft, romantic feel.
Suggested embellishments:
keep it simple with a European formal patterned envelope liner in taupe ink.
Details: letterpress inks: light peach + taupe | font: botany | paper: bella cotton ivory 1-ply | size: f-8 | hand calligraphy accents: spencerian style | corner rounding

A before and after customization look at the Bella Figura letterpress invitation Rococo Elegance (more…)

7 Ways to Make Your Invitations Eco-Friendly

Let’s face it, the wedding industry produces a lot of one-hit wonders. It is extremely important to us here at Bella Figura to encourage sustainability as we practice eco-friendly letterpress printing (and living!). That’s why we use tree-free papers, low VOC inks, and FSC certified papers (and we also support these amazing environmental causes). If you are wondering how to make your letterpress or foil stamped invitations even more eco-friendly we have some tried and true tricks of the trade to reduce waste without compromising on style!

1. Use a postcard!
Think about using reply postcards or even Save the Date postcards! This cuts down on the amount of paper (envelopes) and also keeps the costs lower!

Letterpress reply postcards from Bella Figura are an eco-friendly and economical choice as they are more cost efficient and create less paper waste than a traditional reply card with envelope.

2. Condense Information.
There are a lot of activities and information that go into a wedding celebration! From accommodations, directions, rehearsal dinners and reply cards, you can choose to create a wedding website that hosts all the important details! You can include the url on your invitations, or create 1 separate card (think website cards!) explaining that the website is the place for all the wedding details. If you’re determined to get it all on paper, choose 1 insert card as opposed to several and print on both sides if you have lots of details to include.

This letterpress wedding invitation from Bella Figura features the Hendrix 2 design and has reply information printed on the bottomo of the invitation to cut down on paper waste.

Website cards are a great way to cut down on paper waste while still providing vital information to guests

3. Don’t double up.
Skip the formalities and just use 1 outer envelope vs. an inner envelope and an outer envelope combination. The inner envelope is meant to specify exactly who’s invited. It is completely acceptable to choose just 1 envelope (which is more eco-friendly). If you’re concerned about extra guests, you can always designate the number of guests on the reply card or reply postcard by adding an extra line that states “We have reserved __ seats in your honor”, then fill in the number accordingly. (more…)

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