Stationery Thursday – Calligrapher Spotlight

There may be nothing we love more than classic hand lettering. Whether it’s that little moment of joy when we see a thick, luxurious hand-addressed envelope in our mailbox, or that lovely keepsake escort card from our best friend’s wedding, we simply swoon over calligraphy details both large and small! At the top of our list? Elegant white ink. Beautiful on paper from soft dove to bold black and every color in between, white calligraphy is our current crush!

A package came this week, full of envelopes. Envelopes addressed by someone else, someone who took a great deal of effort to coordinate her lettering with one of the invitation fonts. Someone I miss very much, and her calligraphy makes me miss her and her husband more. They were my “college parents,” bringing me chicken soup with matzo balls when I was sick and scolding me for bad boyfriend choices and inviting me to Jewish holidays even though I’m not at all Jewish. I miss them.

This week I’m highlighting the work of one of my favorite calligraphers, Bryn Chernoff of Paperfinger Calligraphy.  Bryn’s calligraphy has a wonderful modern sensibility and is absolutely beautiful without being overly formal or fancy – making it perfect for informal and modern weddings!  So, just in case you aren’t familiar with Bryn’s work, I thought I’d gather together a few examples from her portfolio.

When planning a wedding, it’s important to remember that your color palette doesn’t have to be restricted to your flowers and bridesmaid’s dresses. While I’m not recommending a purple overload, feel free to use purple in some unexpected places.

I heart the fabulous Laura Hooper (but you knew that already).  She sent over these gorgeous green details earlier this week.

Your wedding invitations are your guest’s first impression of the day celebrating your love, and a cherished heirloom as you look back at your wedding, so you definitely want it to be special. Choosing the perfect invitations can seem like an overwhelming task, but with incredible choices like Paperlust, it’s easy to find the stationery you love!

They popped the question, you said YES, now what? It’s time to set the date and share the happy news with your friends and family! Photo save the dates are more popular than ever, and we’ve teamed up with Minted to show how you can let your personality shine through with your save the dates, and incorporate your engagement session too!

If you’re a paper-lover like me, swooning over paper goods is one of your top wedding priorities! I’m here to introduce you to a veritable wonderland of stationery: Wedding Paper Divas.

We’re so excited to introduce you to one of our favorite resources for wedding invitations, Basic Invite! With over 100 fonts, virtually unlimited color options, and multiple paper options, Basic Invite is a truly custom invitation company. Once you select one of their wedding invitation designs, you can change the color of each element using over 160 color options to build a suite that is perfect for your palette, down to the smallest detail. Even better? You receive an instant preview online and can order a printed sample of your exact invitation before placing your final order. We love that each of their invitations are part of a matching set that includes complementary designs for save the dates, programs, reception and RSVP cards, menus, and more! The variety of designs available means that there is a suite for every wedding style (we’re especially crushing on the classic Calligraphic Slant and the pretty Illustrated Corner Wreath. So what are you waiting for? Visit Basic Invite to learn more!

You may have heard us say this before, but we are pretty much madly in love with Minted. Haven’t heard of Minted? It’s an amazing community of independent artists creating unique wedding designs, from save the dates to invitations, decor, and more! Minted designs are printed on premium papers and have luxe, quality finishes including foil-pressed designs and die cut shapes. We love how stationery suites have coordinating place and escort cards, programs, and menus. I’ve personally used Minted and can tell you first-hand that their customer service and quality is amazing. They even offer free matching envelope designs and calligraphy-inspired guest addressing. I mean, how gorgeous are these? [Scroll down for a major GIVEAWAY from Minted!]

We’re sure you’ve heard about the fabulousness that is MagnetStreet Weddings, and today we’re thrilled to show off some of our favorite designs. When we received our box of goodies in the mail it was like Christmas. There were invitations, RSVP cards, magnet save the dates, programs, and envelopes galore, as well as a fabulous sample pack with information about all of their papers, fonts, and colors (including a swatch card in your own color palette). The Luminous Charm was one of our favorites, with its cheery yellow and gray, photo magnet save the date, and adorable “I Spy” reception card, inspiring your guests with a fun little photo scavenger hunt! We love how MagnetStreet makes it easy to customize your stationery set, that each set has so many coordinating extras, and that the same design is available in multiple styles.

We are head over heels for the letterpress wedding invitation collection at The American Wedding! The American Wedding Marketplace offers a full suite of wedding stationery, from save the date cards to wedding programs and everything in between, and best of all is their growing collection of affordable letterpress wedding invitations—you can purchase 100 letterpress invitations and response cards for less than $500! Their suites include several choices perfect for the EAD couple, and for some invitation inspiration, we’ve paired some of our favorite designs with real weddings from the archive!

The romance and softness of Emily and David’s Long Island City wedding belies the chaos of Manhattan just across the river, and we love the juxtaposition of both worlds in these images from Lindsay Madden! Appropriately held at Water’s Edge, with a breathtaking view of the city beyond, Emily and David began their married life together beneath a custom chuppah from Olam Wedding Canopies. She wore a Nicole Miller veil and gown, first spotted by her mother in the window of a Philadelphia bridal salon. Pastel flowers punctuated the venue and bridal party, including Emily’s bouquet—a mix of ranunculus, patience garden roses, parrot tulips, and Juliette garden roses in cream, white, and soft green and peach wrapped in antique white lace and ribbon—all by Sweet & Flower. Amidst the pale color palette, olive bridesmaids dresses from Amsale are rich touch that reference the fall season. Elegant decor and sparkly mercury glass continue the beautiful setting at the reception. We cannot choose a favorite from these stunning details!

We just love the sweet simplicity and unique designs offered by Crafty Pie Press! From modern to vintage, Crafty Pie Press features a huge variety of incredibly gorgeous invitation suites (we are partial to the lovely Vintage Botanical and the Elegant Script), each completely customizable including cardstock, envelopes, colors and wording. And in addition to all of the customization options, Crafty Pie Press offers unlimited rounds of proof revisions, and free shipping within the US.

Ashton and Jonathan knew they wanted an intimate outdoor wedding in and narrowing down the venue location to Hill Garden at Birmingham Botanical Gardens was an easy choice because of its gorgeous, effortless scenery. Southern charm ruled the day, with lush white bouquets by Dykes Culp of Mariee Ami; pops of lavender in Ashton’s peony bouquet are a soft nod to her favorite color. The team at Mariee Ami also styled and directed the affair, making sure every detail was perfect. Ashton’s stunning Martina Liana gown from Ivory & White Bridal Boutique looked ethereal outdoors surrounded by the beauty of the gardens. At the adjacent reception, silver and cream details look magical in the dusky light. A simple cake from Olexa’s features a cascading row of flowers that also uses a hit of lavender to complement Ashton’s bouquet. A Bryan Photo did a phenomenal job of capturing this sweet and romantic soiree—run to the gallery to see it all!

I hope you are as in love with yesterday’s teal and mint inspiration board as I am! I’m so excited to have one of our newest vendor guide members, Tweedle Press, here today to share an amazing custom designed wedding stationery suite based on the board!

Nothing makes us giddier than pulling a pretty wedding invitation from the mailbox.  Whether the stationery is fancy and formal or spunky and sweet, we love getting a taste of a couple’s personality from their invites.  This is one of the reasons why we’re head over heels for Val Marie Paper—Valerie Woerner’s work is simply stunning!  We, along with many brides and grooms, love her variety of modern styles presented in 20 wedding suites, each consisting of coordinating invitation and reception pieces to ensure that your entire wedding has a beautiful, cohesive theme.

Oh how we love romance and elegance in a classic setting! Katelin Gallagher of Project Wedding worked with photographer Erich McVey to bring us this stunning collaboration at Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem, Oregon, where the beautiful Lazaro gowns take our breath away. A draped sheet featuring oversize calligraphy by Neither Snow is a gorgeous backdrop for outdoor vows, where bold blooms and berries by Petalos pop against the lush greenery. We love the attention to detail, too—from the velvet Midori ribbon wrapping the bouquet to the fabulous marble cake from Peter Corvallis Productions. And speaking of cake, we’re enamored with the off-center tiered dessert by Sugarhouse Cake—fun and fabulous! See it all in the gallery!

We love giving updated uses to simple techniques, and these splatter-painted notecards from Rebekah J. Murray fit the bill!

Annie and Ben’s wedding at Skokie Country Club, just outside of Chicago, is full of heartwarming details—least of which, the fact that this couple wed on the same green Annie’s parents did so many years before! How sweet is that? We love the elegant floral arch under which Annie and Ben exchanged their vows, a creation by Virginia Wolff Inc., who also designed Annie’s beautiful cascading bouquet of lilies and roses. Following their outdoor ceremony, guests dined al fresco, enjoying small bites stations and a dessert bar! Then guests joined Annie and Ben on the dance floor, where they danced the night away to the sounds of High Society, an orchestra! How perfect!