You really cannot get anymore romantic than this String Calligraphy letterpress wedding invitation customization submitted to us by Social Graces in Nashville, Tennessee. The whimsical style of Harrison hand calligraphy, by Patricia Mumau, looks weightless in pale gray and shell inks. It’s airy, sweet, and oh so lovely! The Bella Figura team fell in love with this design’s soft simplicity – so we just had to have it place second in our design contest.

Erin, from Social Graces, surprised us with STUNNING photos from this wedding (thank you, thank you) and we were all blown away! The invitation fit this bride’s vision perfectly! From the detailed lace dress to the luscious, monochromatic flowers, this wedding looked like a dream!

Alisha, the beautiful bride, fills us in on her and her husband’s perfect wedding day and how they chose the String Calligraphy Design:

“Picking out my wedding invitations and paper goods was one of my favorite parts of the wedding planning process! I’ve always been a sucker for art, crafts, and design, so choosing the perfect invitations for my wedding was a very fun experience. The look I had in mind for our wedding was something whimsical, rustic, organic and vintage. While searching for the perfect invitation to reflect our farm wedding, I fell in love with Bella Figura’s String Calligraphy and couldn’t settle for anything else! The invitation that I chose struck me because of simplicity, uniqueness, and whimsical feel. I loved the softness and romantic touch that the pale gray and shell color inks gave off. The colors reflected our wedding color scheme perfectly – a soft palette of pale pinks and grays.

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Working with Union Street Papery in San Francisco, California is always AMAZING!!! Stacey and her staff are the best people EVER! They are not only savvy business women, but are genuinely kind people – and they are all HILARIOUS. Love them! When you combine a wonderful dealer with a design like Vendage, from the utterly fabulous Kamal Patel, you are bound to create magic. The Vendage letterpress invitation customization features elegant hues of champagne and charcoal along with Debi Zeinert’s hand calligraphy accents in Spencerian. By eliminating the bird motif from the original design and using a vertical layout, this customization becomes romantic and sophisticated.

The beautiful bride, Emily, shared some words with us regarding her gorgeous suite!
“The design of the invitation was meant to evoke a summer garden party with a hint of modern design elements to make it current. Annadel Estate is a lovely winery located in Sonoma, but more than just a winery they have acres of rose gardens on the property. When I saw the floral print I knew it was perfect.”

… so perfect that our staff at Bella Figura chose Emily’s design as the third place winner!!!

A view inside Union Street Papery.

inks: champagne + charcoal | fonts: garamond | paper: 2-ply white | invite size: a-7 | calligraphy style: spencerian by Debi Zeinert | liner: the rustic crosshatch patter in charcoal

This design won third place in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

A true storybook romance is played out in this recently letterpress printed Joie de Vivre (by Kamal) invitation suite customization submitted to us by our friends at Smudge Designs.

The first four lines of this adorably whimsical invitation are written in the voice of a narrator.

This creative invitation is letterpress printed in a delightful grouping of our atlantic, mediterranean and wine inks.  The letterpressed steel blue pocketfold adds the perfect final touch as the credits start to roll.inks: atlantic +mediterranean+wine | font: streamline | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f-8 | pocketfold: steel blue |

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

Hey letterpress fans – Happy Birthday indeed! Nothing celebrates another year passing better than a party invite like this customization, courtesy of the lovely ladies at Social Graces in Nashville. When planning her mother’s 70^th birthday party, Gretchen wanted an invitation reminiscent of retro Broadway movie tickets. Social Graces altered Jessica Tierney’s Popular Country design to take maximum advantage of the beautiful Norah script by combining it with the Bennington and Popular fonts.

Espresso was the perfect ink to pull off the “old-timey” feel, and the corner rounding embellishment solidified the desired effect of bringing us back to simpler, carefree days of youth.

Madelyn, we hope your 70^th year is as beautiful as this invitation!

Everyone loves a splash of color and that’s why we’re so passionate about a recently letterpressed Barcelona (by Lindsy Aragona) wedding invitation customization submitted to us by our good friends at Sweet Paper in La Jolla, California.

We happily believe that these invitations create the perfect first impression, giving guests a hint of what expect on the big day! We can’t help but feel the positive vibes whenever seeing this set.

inks: papaya +sea mist| fonts: jubilant + memoir  | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: a-7 | liner: the classic color pattern in sea mist |

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

We letterpress addicts adore the simple, charming feel of the Ribbon Heart (by Kelle Anne McCarter)  wedding invitations submitted to us by our friends at Judy Paulen Designs in New York, NY.

The ribbon symbolizes a bond connected and claimed, and the heart expresses feelings that are not only precious, but solid and everlasting.

The carefree feel of rustic crosshatch envelope lining in azalea ink coordinates perfectly with the invitation.

Their marriage will be a meaningful celebration of love! Congrats to Judy Paulen Designs!

inks: azalea + charcoal | font: streamline  | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f-8 | liner: rustic crosshatch pattern in azalea ink |

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

The Village Invites II has done it again! This Hendrix 2 (by Jessica Hische) letterpress wedding invitation takes the art of subtle beauty to a whole new level.

The color combination of Cream and Sand inks on our 1-ply ivory cotton paper really lets the unique nature of the paper shine through. The hand calligraphy accents only add to the understated elegance of the suite.

inks: cream + sand | fonts: sans capital | calligraphy: patricia mumau harrison hand | paper: ivory 1-ply cotton | invite size: a7

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

The second honoree in our design contest features sweet lovebirds for a wedding half-way around the world. We cannot get enough of this recently letterpressed Lovebirds (by Ian Koenig) wedding invitation set, submitted by our friends at The Wedding Company in Hong Kong.

This invitation displays the heartfelt expression of a couple showing their affection for each other.  Their new life together will open up to paths leading to fresh beginnings.

The pewter ink represents their path to adventure, and the love they feel for one another is, of course, symbolized by the use of our stunning British rose ink.

Coupled with our modern canopy envelope liner – this invitation set is the perfect match for such a romantic pair. Lovebirds — unite!

inks: pewter + british rose | font: geometric + belizio | paper: 1-ply white | invite size: f-8 | liner: modern canopy pattern in british rose and pewter inks |

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

We’re so excited to be kicking off our first ever Bella Figura design contest! We’ve reviewed the best-of-the-best invitations sent to us by our amazing retailers, and over the next 10 days we’ll be featuring the contest honorees, as well as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Our first honoree was sent to us by the Village Invites II in New York, New York. Kudos to the Village Invites II for figuring out how to take two classic Bella designs and turn them into a whole new animal!

This bold, modern letterpress invitation customization combines the best of our Alice (by Tara Hogan) and Deveril (by Beth Ann Seal) designs, and uses ink colors that really pack a punch!

There was no question in our minds that this invite deserved a spot on our design competition lineup. A big thanks to the Village Invites II for sending us this gorgeous customization!

ink: black + spring green | fonts: danube + impression | paper: 2-ply white | invite size: F-8 |  liner: vintage stripes in spring green ink | edge painting: spring green

This design won an honorable mention in our Bella Figura design competition for the first half of 2011. This twice-a-year competition recognizes outstanding and inspired design submitted by our beloved dealers.

We’re getting ready to start designing invitations for our mid-year 2012 release, and we want to design the letterpress invitations of your dreams! So we’re holding a contest on Pinterest to help inspire our lead designers, and we’re giving you the chance to win some amazing letterpress prizes.

Our lead graphic designers Jessica Tierney and Sarah Walroth will judge the entries, and the top two boards will inspire two brand new Bella Figura invitation designs that the judges will create! These Pinterest inspired designs will be released in summer 2012. In addition to inspiring two of our new designs, the #1 board will win free letterpress coasters, and the 1st runner-up will win a $100 gift certificate from Smock!

Need a Pinterest invite? Email hello@bellafigura.com and we’ll send you one right away. Not sure what to start pinning? Check out this sample pinboard that Jessica Tierney put together with images that inspired her Storybook Romance design!

The entry period runs from February 20 through February 27, and the winner will be announced in early March. No purchase is necessary to participate, and the contest is open to pinners worldwide!

Grand Prize: 150 free, 2-color custom letterpress printed or 1-color foil stamped coasters on our new, 100% recycled coaster stock. Choose from any of our 300+ designs and have coasters printed up for your  big day. Still finalizing wedding plans? Already married? Print save the date information on your coasters, create coaster business cards or save the printing for your next big party!
The fine print: Coaster order must be placed within 1 year. Additional coasters, custom design, extra ink colors, double-sided printing or rush orders will incur fees. Prize must be redeemed within 1 year.

1st runner up: A $100 gift certificate for smockpaper.com — Smock is our sister company and BFF, and carries gorgeous, eco-friendly letterpress stationery essentials. Pick out notebooks, letterpress stationery, keepsake boxes and more in colorful patterns.

Want to help spread the word? Repin the image below. Happy Pinning!

Our Do Good promotion is back! Enter our contest to win $1500 in stationery from Bella Figura. Everyone who enters will be eligible for 25 free invitation sets with an order of 50 or more. It’s easy to enter! Here’s how it works: we want to see what good means to you — is it volunteering at your local food pantry, or giving blood? Planting trees or spending time with patients at the local children’s hospital? Whatever your good deed is, we want to hear about it! Upload a photo or video on Instagram to share what you’re doing to make a difference, and we’ll give you 25 free additional invitation sets just for your good deed! The grand prize will be awarded to the person with the ultimate good deed. No purchase is necessary to enter, and the contest is open to entrants worldwide! Want to be inspired? Check out last year’s winner, or take a look at the entries we received in last year’s contest!

RULES AND DETAILS:

Entry period: Your good deed must happen between July 2 – July 23, 2014. Submissions must be uploaded to Instagram by midnight onWednesday, July 23, 2014 to be eligible.  

Prizes: Everyone who follows the guidelines above and uploads a photo or video of their good deed to Instagram will be eligible for 25 free additional invitation sets with the purchase of 50 or more [you must purchase at least 50 invitation sets]. This promotional offer is valid on orders placed through October 15, 2014. “Invitation sets” include an invitation, reply card + envelope or reply postcard, invitation envelope, and any coordinating embellishments (this includes envelope liners, pocketfolds, edge painting, etc.). One lucky winner will win $1,500 that can be used towards their next order at bellafigura.com. The $1,500 grand prize must be redeemed by December 15, 2014. The grand prize winner will be announced on Monday, July 28, 2014.

Criteria: We’re letting you determine the definition of “good.” For the free 25 invitation sets, anything you consider good will work. For the grand prize, we’re looking for inspiring actions that bring us hope; that demonstrate the power of an individual to do good; and that show us how the world can be a caring and beautiful place. Please be sure to get a photo or video of yourself in action!

Judging: The team at Bella Figura will vote to select one winner for the grand prize based on the criteria listed above. The winner will be announced on Monday, July 28, 2014.

Other details: the Buy 50 Get 25 promotional offer can be combined with our other ongoing discounts – save 10% when you order 6 printed pieces or more, or get free favor cards if you’re donating to charity – but cannot be combined with our Designer of the Month promotion. The grand prize cannot be combined with any of our other ongoing discounts or promotions. Grand prize winner may take advantage of Buy 50 Get 25 free promotional offer in a separate order.

We had so much fun creating our two new Pinterest inspired designs that we’re having another Pinterest contest and giving you the chance to inspire a new design for our 2013 collection! Plus, you’ll have the chance to win 100 letterpress party invitations that you could use for save the dates, a birthday party, baby announcements, or even a backyard BBQ!

Here’s how it’s going to work: we’re looking for inspiration from a place that you love. It could be anywhere: your favorite vacation spot, where you got engaged (or married!), a pretty spot in the woods, or even your own backyard. Create a board on Pinterest and name it My Favorite Place, then upload an inspiring photo of your special place to the board to get started. In the caption, tell us why it holds an important place in your heart. Don’t spare any details – we want to hear your stories!

Then, fill your board with at least 20 other pins that match the look and feel of your initial pin. What we’re looking for: a cohesive board overflowing with beauty! Pin images that mimic the feeling and match the style of your original photo. Feel free to continue telling your story in the captions of the other pins! Check out our sample board for ideas to get you started.

In addition to the 20 pins, you must pin the image below to your board, as well as your favorite Bella Figura envelope liner. To pin your favorite liner pattern, just use the handy tool on our website to customize an envelope liner with a pattern and colors that match your style, and in the caption, include the name of the pattern (like this!).

Our lead designer Jessica Tierney will be judging the contest and one of our talented designers will be creating an invitation suite based on the winning board. Judging will begin on July 23, and the winner will be announced on July 27. The new Pinterest-inspired design will be released with our new collection in January 2013.

Entry deadline: The contest runs from July 16, 2012 through 12pm EST on July 23, 2012. To enter, follow the instructions above and submit the URL of your Pinterest board to the comments section below.

The grand prize: The person with the winning board will receive 100 free letterpress party invitations printed on our A6 sized cards in two inks on our 1-ply cotton paper with 1-color letterpress printed envelopes. Choose from any of our 300+ invitation designs and create the perfect piece for your next event! Be sure to take a look at our Social Album for  inspiration.
*The fine print: additional invitations, custom design fees, additional ink colors, double-sided printing, added embellishments or rush orders will incur charges.

Need an invitation to join Pinterest? Email hello@bellafigura.com and we’ll send you one right away! We can’t wait to see your entries — good luck!