Part of what makes calligraphy letterpress invitations so amazing is that each one is always going to be a little different from every other one we’ve ever made before. With each design being painstakingly written out by hand before being digitized and eventually turned into a printing plate for letterpress printing, there’s always bound to be subtle (and beautiful) variations. But there’s unique, and then there’s unique.
Take for instance this design here, featuring the lavish hand calligraphy of the super-talented Sarah Hannah. This design most closely resembles Sarah’s Magnolia design, but despite the family resemblance they’re clearly not the same animal. The couple’s names on this invitation are much more elaborately embellished than usual and the ornate flourishes along the edges of the original design have been dropped entirely. This look is exactly what the bride was going for, and it was completely doable since Sarah was able to understand what she was envisioning and translate it into beautiful calligraphy.
Printed in black ink on our 2-ply ivory paper and affixed to our opal colored pocketfolds – the end result is devastatingly elegant.
ink: black | calligraphy style: victoria | paper: ivory 2-ply | invite size: f8 | pocketfold: opal | edge painting: black | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: lindsy aragona
Our Keswick (by Beth Ann Seal) letterpress wedding invitations are given a modern color twist in this quirky customization. Letterpress printed in garden and clover inks, they are perfectly contrasted with shocking pops of mesa edge paint on all pieces (yes that’s right every card). This couple also benefited from our 10% off promotion (10% off if you purchase 6 printed pieces). See more details and the small print here!
inks: clover + garden | fonts: tropez + jubilant | paper: 2-ply ivory | invite size: sq-7 | liner: the vintage river pattern in mesa ink | edge painting: mesa | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: lindsy aragona
We can hardly believe that Bella Figura’s first Design Contest came and went so quickly. Congrats again to all of the winners! Now that the contest has ended, we thought you’d like to see the gorgeous contest winner plaques we sent to the stores that had the top ten designs! Our internal designer Lindsy Aragona created a stunning customization of our Maile design. These beauties are letterpressed in an exciting color combination of sherbet and spring green inks on our 2-ply white paper. Corner rounding adds an extra touch, highlighting the natural curves of the leaves in the design. The wonderful Sarah Hanna is responsible for the stunning calligraphy. The photography in this post features our winners (first place Gus & Ruby Letterpress, second place Social Graces, and third place Union Street Papery).
Over the years, Bella Figura has formed partnerships with important environmental organizations. One such organization is Earthworks, whose campaigns focus on the far reaching ecological and humanitarian concerns caused by all types of mining. Projects such as their “No Dirty Gold Campaign” are very important to exposing the truths behind this important wedding focused industry. Read about the search for the perfect conflict-free engagement ring!
One way we like to support our sustainable partners is to help them create beautiful communication pieces to use with their donors and other partners. For Earthworks, we created these simple, elegant Thank You Notes, and “From the Desk Of” note pads. Letterpress printed on our luxurious 1-ply white 100% reclaimed cotton paper in vine ink, the cards shine with the Earthworks logo. We love giving back, especially when the focus is something we hold dear to our hearts.
Hopefully these pieces will help further the cause!
We are delighted to share these Joie de Vivre (by Kamal) letterpress wedding invitations submitted to us by our friends at Judy Paulen Designs in New York, NY. This stylish set definitely has a cutting-edge vibe. We feel that the perfect pairing of mediterranean and pale gray inks is out of this world. We think you will agree that this design lives up to its name-as the French phrase, “Joie de Vivre” translates to “a carefree enjoyment of life.” This set is customized with fuchsia edge paint and a stellar envelope liner to match!
inks: mediterranean + pale gray | fonts: streamline | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: sq-7 | liner: the antique geometrics pattern in fuchsia ink | edge painting: fuchsia |
A gorgeous sunset and hot air balloons as far as you can see are the perfect inspiration for this warm but playful customization of our Surya design.
surya customization = inks: amber + papaya | fonts: antoinette + knockout | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | liner: antique geometrics pattern in navy ink | original design by Tara Hogan | customized by in-house designer Sarah Walroth |
embellishment suggestions: edge painting in amber
(Photo Credits: Pixel in the Box)
by Sarah Walroth, In-House Designer.
We are absolutely delighted to share this next real wedding. We printed invitations and programs in our String Calligraphy design to set the tone for Sionne & Nick’s elegant summer wedding, and we were so thrilled when Sionne sent us photos from the big day. She was kind enough to share some of the details of what went into planning this stunning celebration.
What was your favorite part of the day?
We loved the entire weekend that we celebrated with our family and friends – it was so special to get to share one of our favorite places with everyone! Our favorite memory of the day, however, is our actual wedding ceremony. One of our best friends, Charles Collins-Chase, officiated our wedding and did the most incredible job. He centered our ceremony on narratives that he requested that we both write – and not discuss with each other – to explain why we wanted to get married and what getting married meant to each of us. Hearing each other’s sentiments for the first time in front of our guests made the ceremony really feel like our relationship was culminating in a union that everyone was witnessing. People kept commenting that it was the most emotional ceremony that they had ever attended and it really brought the focus of the day back on our marriage, rather than just the celebration around it (which was, of course, a favorite memory as well!).
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We think you’ll agree that these Flit (by Kamal) letterpress wedding invitations radiant true beauty! This trendy and nature inspired set is so delicate in the most charming fashion. The color combination of amethyst and clover inks compliment each other so well. We love the idea of offering your guests a sneak peak of what your big day will be filled with, and these contemporary invitations are spot-on. The wedding was held at the Museum of Life and Science in North Carolina where there is an exhibit dedicated solely to butterflies. Fly on beautiful darlings-fly on!
inks: amethyst + clover | fonts: moravia + bennington | paper: ivory 1-ply cotton | invite size: a7 | client coordinator: jessica hanaman | in-house designer: lindsy aragona
Shocker alert – we’re pretty heavily into environmental conservation over here (big news, right?). Everything from the tree-free cotton papers we print on, to the wind powered electricity we use, to our vegetable based inks and more is intended to minimize our impact on the natural world in every way we can possibly think of. And so with that being the case, how could we not be totally all about this amazing naturally inspired Deveril (by Beth Ann Seal) customization! We owe the pleasure of being able to print this beautiful set to our buds over at Sweet Paper in La Jolla, California. It features espresso ink, our white 2-ply paper, and custom designed wood grain envelope liners inspired by our Adirondack design. There’s also a little secret pocket on the back of the invite to hold the reception card, website card, and reply card neatly in place! The whole set is earthy and organic feeling, but not in a kitschy kind of way because it’s still a very classic and formal looking set. We dig it. Hope you do too!
ink: espresso | fonts: burgues script + danube | paper: white 2-ply | invite size: f8 | liner: custom adirondack pattern in espresso
Our New Calligraphy design (by Debi Zeinert) is extremely popular and we are loving the colors in this letterpress wedding invitation set. The nature infused accents from a custom Vineyard design inspired envelope liner to our vine ink bring a real earthy feel. The metallic gold edge painting brings in some luxury making this an elegant combination.
ink: vine | calligraphy: revolution hand calligraphy, by debi zeinert style | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f8 | liner: custom vineyard design inspired pattern in antique gold | edge painting: metallic gold | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: lindsy aragona
You can never go wrong with mother nature! This earthy image is a perfect fit for this Dewdrop design customization. Our figura and swiss fonts are combined for the perfect rustic feel. Clover edge painting and a vintage stripes envelope liner just seems like the right embellishments. Don’t forget to check out our eco-specs that can be printed on the back of your invitation to really add that final touch.
dewdrop customization = inks: french vanilla + olive | fonts: figura + swiss | paper: white | invite size: f-8 | liner: vintage stripes pattern in clover | original design by beth ann seal | customized by in-house designer kyle laatsch |
embellishment suggestions: edge paint in clover
(Photo Credits: Kerri Gilpin Percy)
by Kyle Laatsch, In-House Designer
Our friends at Union Street Papery in San Francisco, California submitted this customization of our Paradise (by Maura Gaulthier) letterpress wedding invitations and we swooned. The monogram was submitted by the couple and we were able to incorporate it throughout the suite (read more about custom designs here). Letterpressed in amber and prussian blue inks on our 1-ply white paper this super chic invitation set is perfect for a California wedding.
inks: amber + prussian blue | fonts: jubilant + adele | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f8 | liner: modern floral pattern in amber ink |
