I always say that around here, we don’t like to do “pretty for pretty’s sake.” Now, I’m not saying that beauty doesn’t inherently have value — it absolutely does! But when it comes to designing wedding stationery, it’s the SIGNIFICANCE of the beauty that really makes my heart pitter-patter. And that’s exactly why I’m thrilled to publish Jayne and John’s Italy-inspired rosemary invitations today!
There’s just something so special about wedding design that is imbued with memory and deep-feeling. My favorite.
Working with Jayne and John on their letterpress wedding invitations was a joy from the very beginning. As soon as I received their Questionnaire with their vision and story, I knew it was going to be an especially meaningful invitation suite. Just take a look at that rosemary monogram, wouldja? Isn’t it lovely?
In honor of Jayne’s grandfather, the sprig evokes a great, flowering rosemary bush that grew outside of his home in Monzone, Italy. (THE SWEETEST. This still gets me!) The illustration itself was drawn by hand and lent itself to be used across their invitation suite as well as day-of stationery items like menus, programs, and signage. Not to mention that blind-pressed rosemary on the information card! Blind letterpress is an excellent way to add depth and texture to a design.
Jayne envisioned a suite that was soft and romantic, working with a color palette of blush and dusty pinks, ivory, and sage green. We utilized sweeping hand calligraphy for scripted headers along with a bold serif typeface to create rosemary invitations that are a great mix of classic and modern. I am especially fond of the vintage botanical print used for their outer envelope liner! (Who isn’t a sucker for a good peony?)
The invitations, RSVP cards, and reception cards were all letterpress printed in sage green ink on our house paper stock. Crane’s Lettra is our go-to stock for just about every letterpress job! 100% cotton, this paper is textural, soft to the touch, and prints like a dream. Plus, 100% cotton means 100% tree-free! We love to work with all types of papers and materials, but we especially appreciate being able to utilize renewable, eco-friendly options first and foremost.
Lastly, check out those dusty pink inserts. These cards are Jayne and John’s rehearsal dinner invitations as well as their farewell brunch invitations, and we got a bit creative with their production. With a small guestlist for these events (as not every guest is invited to the rehearsal), we needed an equally small quantity of inserts. Saving letterpress printing for the more important pieces in the invitation suite saves on cost, too!
Related post — The difference between print methods: letterpress, foil, and digital printing
Jayne and John tied the knot at St. Patrick Catholic Church in LaSalle, Illinois, and celebrated their reception at the beautiful Senica’s Oak Ridge Golf Club. Congratulations, J&J!
Here’s what Jayne had to say about working with Paper & Honey on her rosemary invitations:
Laura, I cannot say enough how beautiful the invitation suite came together. From the vintage stamps, the inner envelope lining to the monogram and blind letterpress of the rosemary. They absolutely exceeded our expectations. My mom, dad, and I keep getting text messages from guests saying how much they love the invitations! I never expected that, but I think they definitely “wow” you. I’m so excited to frame our invitation suite as a piece of art for our wall that we can surround with wedding photos. I truly can’t wait to see how the day-of items turn out.
