Rachel and Lee celebrated their marriage on the shores of Lake Michigan and chose Nicole Black’s Mitty Caps style hand calligraphy to set the tone for their late summer wedding.  Their beachy color palette of pool and sand was complimented by the addition of a simple shell motif. Many thanks to our friends at Stationery Station for these coastal wedding invitations!

letterpress inks: pool + sand | hand calligraphy: mitty caps style | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | foil edging: silver matte | Stationery Station | customization# 27999

Kyle Laatsch’s Sweet Christine design feels right at home among the tribal patterns, antique decor and natural color palette of this edgy Southwestern inspiration shoot.  For this desert wedding invitation inspiration he used olive and cream letterpress inks for an earthy palette and kept the look modern with an informal font.

Designer Kyle Laatsch is March’s Designer of the Month – be sure and check out his other designs and save 10% through March 31!

sweet christine customization | letterpress inks: olive + cream | fonts: revival + moravia  | paper: bella cotton white | invite size: f8 | digital liner: natural woodgrain pattern in desert | original design + customization by in-house designer Kyle Laatsch

centerpiece, bride + groom, bouquet

With the help of our friend Sarah at The Windmill Paper Boutique, Jennifer and Alexander dreamed up these tawny and gray floral wedding invitations and made the most of our extensive customization offerings.  They started with Deveril (one of our most tried and true designs) and kept the traditional layout and type treatment.  To keep their additional suite pieces organized they chose one of our metallic pocketfolds and used the tawny foil and one of our library motifs to create a lovely (and personalized) pattern on the exterior of the pocketfold.  The final touch was their envelope liner, foil stamped on one of our metallic liner papers in the same floral pattern.

letterpress ink: charcoal | foil stamping: tawny matte | fonts: danube + impression | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply + 2-ply | pocketfold: white gold paper + tawny matte foil stamping | envelope: bella cotton white | liner: gold leaf paper + tawny matte foil stamping in elegant garden pattern | The Windmill Paper Boutique | customization #30973

Whether you’d like your letterpress invitations to feature a few thoughtfully positioned lines of hand calligraphy or you’re dreaming of an invite that’s overflowing with line after line of hand lettering, it’s important to try and envision which calligraphy style is right for the type of wedding you’re planning. We work with a lot of amazingly skilled calligraphers here (some with several very distinct styles), and with so many different styles to choose from it can be a little intimidating trying to pick one calligraphy style for your invitations.  So close your eyes for a second – what’s your wedding looking like in your head?  Because you’ll most likely want your invitations to capture the mood you’re planning for the big day.

Beach Weddings

 Kelle McCarter not only hand illustrated the seashells and beachy floral motifs on her Makri design – she also hand calligraphed the bride and groom’s names and their duogram in her flirty and fun Mulberry style hand calligraphy.  “The expressive flourishes of this calligraphy style were designed to mimic the movement and soft swirls of ocean waves while retaining a reserved elegance,” says Kelle. 

Vintage-inspired Weddings

“Heatherly is inspired by the romantic Victorian era with its heavily brocaded window coverings and beautiful flourished wall papers,” says calligraphy and designer Debi Zeinert. “The bride who loves Heatherly loves lavender, lace, scones and fancy buttons!”  Debi’s Natalia style hand calligraphy is sweetly refined and lady-like and the perfect finishing touch for any vintage-inspired wedding.

Urban/Modern Weddings

When Kyle Laatsch was designing Sweet Christine he knew from the start that Nicole Black’s Mitty Caps style hand calligraphy was a must have.  “Mitty Caps works really well with Sweet Christine as a modern calligraphy style because it has fluidity and movement, crisp lines and is legible,” says Nicole. “It’s a hearty script that won’t get lost in the amazing design and deep letterpress impression.  Mitty Caps and Sweet Christine play off each others strengths to be a perfect match.”  We couldn’t agree more.

Destination Weddings

If you’re planning to celebrate your wedding in a tropical paradise or other exotic locale, consider sending invitations that set the stage for what’s to come. Courtney Jentzen’s Tulum design is full of island-inspired illustrations (like pineapples and flamingos!) that are complimented by Patricia Mumau’s Murdock hand calligraphy style. “In creating Murdock I opted to use graphite as part of the styling to make it down to earth and accessible,” says Patricia.  “Pencil has a free and fresh feel – a perfect tone for natural styled events.  It pairs great with Tulum.”

Formal Weddings

Jessica Tierney’s Viviette design exudes dramatic elegance, while the addition of Sarah Hanna’s Victoria style calligraphy adds a classic formality to the design. “Great design, like marriage, is about balance,” says Sarah. “Jessica’s vision for strong, crisp lines paired with ornate calligraphy does a beautiful balancing act. The flourishes add warmth and volume while the block text and architectural lines maintain structure.”

Rustic Weddings

Meryl is rustic but not overly so – it works for barn weddings, backyard weddings, vineyard weddings and just about any gathering that is meant to feel comfortable and welcoming. Elizabeth Hardin’s Carlisle hand calligraphy compliments the casual warmth of this design by adding a touch of approachable elegance. “The Carlisle hand is thick and bold, but the loops and flourishes help it to maintain a soft and feminine tone,” says Elizabeth. “The vine detail mixed throughout the lettering helps to give it that organic feel.”

Whatever kind of wedding you’ve got planned, there’s a calligraphy style that works beautifully for it.  But of course there really are no hard and fast rules here.  Ultimately, if you have your heart set on one style of calligraphy more than the other then you should go with your gut and choose the one you like best.  We’re here to help, too – contact us to chat about your wedding and together we’ll find the hand lettering style that perfectly compliments your style.  Our blog is a great resource, too!

Rob and Blair chose a timeless look for their custom wedding invitations to help set the tone for their classic wedding at the Chicago History Museum. We combined submitted calligraphy accents with a classic serif font to create their design, and printed the suite in charcoal ink on our white cotton paper. The couple continued the muted color palette on their wedding day, with Blair’s bridesmaids donning gray, floor-length gowns by Jenny Yoo, and carrying lush bouquets in soft shades of pink and peach. White linens and floral centerpieces carried the theme through to the reception, which featured unique personal touches including the groom’s favorite dish and live entertainment! 

Be sure to visit Style Me Pretty to see more photos from Blair and Rob’s big day! Love the invitations? Create a similar look by customizing our Glamorous Swash design! 

Photography: Taylor Lord | Event Planning: LK Events | Floral Design: Stems Chicago | Wedding Dress:Bride’s Mother’s, Altered By Patti Flowers | Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design | Invitations: Designed By Bride, Printed By Bella Figura | Rings: Dana Rebecca | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Food For Thought | Makeup: Brian Sutherby | Calligraphy: Heather Bloom Of Design Roots | Band: Gold Coast All Stars | Groom’s Attire: Custom Hickey Freeman By Culwell & Son | Officiant: Rev. Dave Angle | String Quartet: Artistrings | Venue: Chicago History Museum | Photography – Assistance: Justin Tearney

Kyle Laatsch reimagined his Hemsworth design for a fiftieth birthday soiree, using a dramatic palette of black and desert inks and copper foil.  Our gatsby patterned liner in coordinating inks adds sophistication and compliments the masculine feel of the design.

Designer Kyle Laatsch is March’s Designer of the Month – be sure and check out his other designs and save 10% through March 31!

hemsworth customization | digital inks: black + desert | foil stamping: copper shine | fonts: valuco + gotham | paper: bella smooth cotton white | invite size: F8 | digital liner: gatsby pattern in black + desert | original design + customization by Kyle Laatsch

whiskey | vintage car | cigars

Cate and her family worked with our friends at Union Street Papery to create these bubbly gold foil and pink Bat Mitzvah invitations based on our Joie de Vivre design.  They used fuchsia letterpress ink and gold matte foil to highlight important text and design elements and brought in pewter letterpress as a neutral element to balance the boldness of the design.  Fuchsia was used again on the envelope liner and edging on the cards to carry through Cate’s vibrant color palette.

letterpress inks: fuchsia + pewter | foil stamping: gold matte | fonts: keeva + sans capitals | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | edge painting: fuchsia | envelope: bella cotton white | liner: classic color pattern in fuchsia | Union Street Papery | customization #29499

Ellie and Andrew worked with our friends at Hitched to create their elegant save the dates and invitations for their wedding at Cheekwood Botanical Garden. The D.C. based couple decided to return to Nashville (where they attended college at Vanderbilt University) for their springtime celebration, which was featured recently on Style Me Pretty! We letterpress printed their Serendipity wedding invitations in deep blue ink on our white cotton paper. Their romantic blue ink color was echoed throughout the wedding, from the Jenny Yoo bridesmaid dresses to the indigo goblets used at the reception. Here are a few of our favorites, but be sure to visit Style Me Pretty to see the entire real wedding! 

Photography: Landon Jacob Productions | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Cake: Dessert Designs | Invitations: Bella Figura | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Kristen Winston | Hair + Makeup:Amanda Gros | Lighting: Bright Event Productions | Band: Atlanta All Stars | Venue: Cheekwood Botanical Garden | Event Planning + Floral Design: Sage Nines Event Production | Getaway Car:Matchless Transportation | Tent Rentals: Music City Tents & Events​

Using his Sweet Christine design as inspiration, Kyle Laatsch created this honeycomb birth announcement using a sunny palette of yolk and gold foil.  A solid gold foil envelope liner highlights the gold foil accents on the card, adding a little shine to this bright and happy announcement.

Designer Kyle Laatsch is March’s Designer of the Month – be sure and check out his other designs and save 10% through March 31!

sweet christine customization | letterpress ink: yolk | foil stamping: gold matte | fonts: marilyn + moravia | paper: bella cotton white | invite size: sq-7 | foil stamped liner: classic color pattern in gold matte | original design + customization by in-house designer Kyle Laatsch

baby shower

This March we’re featuring Kyle Laatsch as our designer of the month! Kyle’s collection is new for 2016 and includes the romantic Sweet Christine, which features hand calligraphy accents by Nicole Black and an elegant blind deboss honeycomb pattern, as well as Hemsworth, a masculine, type-based design that’s sure to make a statement. We recently re-imagined these designs as Bar Mitzvah invitations, and they take on a brand new look — see the before and after below! For the entire month of March, you can save 10% on any order featuring one of Kyle’s designs, and save an additional 10% when you order 6 printed pieces or more — this includes invitations of any kind, save the dates, announcements, business cards — you name it! 

The fine print: this offer is exclusive to designs by Kyle Laatsch and does not apply towards the purchase of other designs. Orders must be placed by 11:59pm Eastern on March 31, 2016 in order to receive this offer. 

We’re hiring! If you’re in love with stationery and weddings, and have a knack for writing, we’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for a part-time individual to join our team here in Syracuse to help develop content for our blogs and social media — if you’re interested, email work@bellafigura.com with your resume, cover letter, and at least 3 writing samples! 

To celebrate Jim’s recent milestone birthday, friends and family joined him at The Napa Valley Reserve, a private club that celebrates winemaking and the culinary arts.  Our Irving design was a fitting introduction to his wine country birthday celebration, with a masculine palette of mediterranean and pool inks and tawny matte foil edging for a hint of glamour.

letterpress inks: mediterranean + pool | font: didot | paper: bella smooth cotton 1-ply + 2-ply white |  foil edging: tawny matte | envelope: bella cotton white | envelope liner: dune pattern in mediterranean + pool | Union Street Papery | customization #30708