Wedding Invitation Concept…and Inspiration

Now that all our guests have received our wedding invitations…I can share with you the inspiration behind it all. Inspired by so many amazing visionary ideas, our invitations were a culmination of a few different things. From the design, to the layout, concept, and execution.

ARTWORK: What’s slightly vintage, woodsy and encompasses a part of our rustic theme? Mexican folklore and all it’s beauty. I searched everywhere for amazing folk art until I found Little Circus Design by Madeleine Stamer. I emailed her to express great interest in her art and promised to not use any of it for profit.

DESIGN LAYOUT & CONCEPT: If you’ve been in Anthropologie Home Ware, you must have passed these cute hanging ribbon frames a million times. When I thought of our invitations, I told myself…we can definitely do that!

Kathy from Merriment Designs used fabric for her AMAZING wedding invitations when she wedded not too long ago and her tips on using fabric backings were unbelievably valuable. She gave me inspiration to try something new.

EXECUTION: A little bit of what I went through…

Paper and printing is expensive and I envy anyone who can afford letterpress invites! I really do…it’s a beautiful art and after taking a few graphic communication courses in college, my appreciation for quality paper and printing really grew. I think it’s worth every penny…I just don’t have any pennies to spare . I sadly have more time on my hands than coins in my piggy bank.

If I couldn’t have letterpress, I was going to have something completely different. This is where resources come in handy:

• The “You’re Invited” tags are actually smaller version swatch cards…similar to our save the dates.
• Kraft backings are actually old file folders
• All of the white linen paper are last year’s company holiday cards printed on the back from my home inkjet printer…hold it up to the light and you’ll probably see a holiday message or my company logo.
• I bought spools of ribbon at a party supply store extremely discounted
• Fabrics were purchased with a Joann’s 40% off coupon…plus they were on sale
• Pink nepalese paper and oversized envelopes were purchased on CLEARANCE from Paper Source
• I wanted vintage stamps…and I wanted them BAD…but they were too expensive on Ebay so I ordered postage from usps.com instead with a mix of different stamp values. I’ll have you know not one invitation was a cent over…pretty much exact change and it feels good!

In any case…take a look around where you work, in your home, never skip the clearance section, and something creative will surely sprout.

Unfortunately…I ran out of all types of material throughout this project…including invites all together. Some guests will receive black or grey backings instead of brown, grey ribbon instead of pink….even light grey envelopes instead of the dark grey. I’m so sorry for those who didn’t receive ones with pink ribbon as they were my favorite.

BREAKING THE RULES: There was one wedding etiquette I didn’t follow…it’s okay…break the rules.

• Hand addressing the envelopes…my printed labels took just as much time and looked 10 times better than my penmanship. I still hope you thought it was a personal touch. I practiced my calligraphy and wasn’t satisfied with the results…I hope you didn’t find it offensive.
  

We have so many more surprises for our guests and it’s itching me that I can’t share them with you….until August that is! I guess until then…I have nothing else to reveal and you’ll just have to come and see for yourself.