Pssst... Blue Ribbon's letterpress holiday cards are on sale. Click here to order.
It's been so long, I hardly know where to begin! Let's start with a recent wedding project for Blue Ribbon. This was so much fun to work on; this suite included everything from the basic invitation set to ceremony programs and favor packaging, all done in a soft and feminine lilac & lavender colorway.
A detail of the invitation suite
The prettiest favor box
Petite program booklets with a fitting quote chosen by the bride for the back cover
And last but not least, the thank you notesA great way to incorporate your invitation design into the reception is to re-use design elements from your wedding stationery (colors, borders, monograms, etc.) for the decoration of your cake. Below are some lovely examples of how brides I have worked with used their invitations as the inspiration for their cakes.
Wedding cake photos above by Iris Photography.You don't necessarily need to spend a lot to include some exquisite personalized details in your reception. The menu below was done on an ink jet printer using pre-printed letterpress flats (from Blue Ribbon, of course!).
Here are some photos of a new print job where the Chinoiserie design was printed in a Lilac & Lavender colorway. I think this might be my new favorite color combination for this design.
Look at these gorgeous photos from the wedding of Jessica & James posted by Brooklyn Bride today! This was such a fun wedding to work on. Jessica is a true paper connoisseur and I created a custom suite for her that included everything from the invitations to the place cards. The same scroll work motif was repeated in different variations on all the stationery pieces and even made an appearance on the cake! You can see more photos from this beautiful wedding over at Brooklyn Bride. (You can also see additional photos of the stationery suite in the custom design section of the Blue Ribbon website.)
I was very excited to spot my Wallpaper invitation pinned to the purple section of the color inspiration board in the current issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Personally, I really like the subtle combination of different shades of purple, such as lilac & lavender, but purple also looks beautiful when combined with chocolate brown, black, silver, chartreuse, and even pale yellows and golds. Below are some details of pretty purple pieces.
Clockwise from top left: North Moore Menu Card, Kimono and Trellis Gift Tags, Chinoiserie Invitation with lined envelopes, Wallpaper Invitation, Printemps Invitation, Custom Invitation printed with lavender & chartreuse inks, Custom piece printed in lilac & espresso, Wallpaper Seating Cards, Printemps Seating Cards (center).
Here are some gorgeous rehearsal dinner menus and seating cards we just did for an upcoming wedding in Mexico. I think the ruby/espresso color combination is just stunning!
Colorways from left to right: frost & slate, rose & raisin, pear & espresso, sage & slate
Rococo in pear & espresso
Rococo in rose & raisin
Rococo in frost & slate
The new custom invitation gallery is ready! In addition to a selection of invitation suites, I have included photos of the pretty extras (menus, programs, favors, welcome booklets, etc.). Enjoy!
This is the first time this design has been printed in Lavender and I am so happy with the results. Of course I love it as a 2-color design, but I think this deep purple works extremely well for a 1-color design and really makes the flowers in the border pop! Here's a little detail of the upper left hand corner:
More exciting news (for me at least)! Blue Ribbon's Printemps Save the Date is included in the current issue of New York Weddings. The sample that's shown in the magazine is printed in a custom yellow and chocolate brown colorway, but this design looks amazing in just about any color and also works well as a one-color design.
Here's another pretty invitation set with a Victorian theme. This set was done for one of my favorite retailers, Pearl Beach Paperie in Orlando, and I think it is an excellent example of how letterpress imprintables can be combined with offset printed pieces to create a unique invitation set.
Only the yellow border on the invitation is letterpress printed. Everything else, including the custom designed reply postcard, is offset printed. Love it.
(The imprintable design used above is called "Victorian Stencil" and is available in buttercup and strawberry.)
I am very excited to have some of my custom work included in the Fall/Winter issue of Town & Country Weddings. And it is one of my favorite patterns too - Vintage Tribeca. Below is a close up of the handmade favor box that was included in the shoot. I'm very proud of these - they are the perfect size for two petite macarons or a handful of something delightfully old-fashioned, like sugared almonds or candied violets.
Here's another shot of the front and back of the ceremony programs. I love that the couple chose to print an excerpt from Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road" on the back cover.
Incorporating your initials into your invitations is a simple and elegant way to personalize a design. And using a monogram based on your married name for thank you notes or favors is the perfect way to let everyone know if you've changed your name. Here are a few of my recent favorites:
(All stationery by Blue Ribbon Design. Second photo from bottom by Bella Pictures)
I love to design invitations for weddings at historic homes. It's especially nice if there are lots of decorative details on site to reference in the design. So in keeping with my Gilded Age theme, I've paired Blue Ribbon's wedding stationery with some of Newport's Beaux-Arts mansions.
Rococo's delicate florals would be perfect for a wedding at Rosecliff.
Vintage Tribeca's ornate ironwork design would work well for a celebration at The Elms.
North Moore flats (used as menus) would be an elegant choice for dinner reception at Marble House.
And Floral Frieze would make an excellent choice for the invitations.
Photo of Rosecliff via the Newport Historical Society, www.newportmansions.org; All other photos by Blue Ribbon. Mansions from top to bottom are Rosecliff, The Elms, Marble House (front view), and Marble House (back view).
Chartreuse continues to be one of the most popular colors for invitations (the last 3 out of 4 suites we have done used it!). Chartreuse and chocolate brown are an elegant pairing, but you can also combine chartreuse with navy for a classic preppy look or with black for a bit of urban sophistication. Here are some examples of the chartreuse pieces we've done so far this spring.
(All wedding stationery above is by Blue Ribbon Design.)
