Coastal Chic Wedding Suite
Handmade invites for Veronica + Junior
So much love went into bringing this dreamy wedding concept to life. Anything that could be done by hand, was, and honestly if I could’ve handmade the paper, I would’ve tried. I am so honored and grateful that this wonderful couple trusted me with this vision and allowed me to pour my heart and soul into every detail.
the concept
Being that this was a destination wedding, we wanted to evoke the beachy, airy ambiance of Tulum without creating anything that was kitchy or overtly-themed. It was also important that the design reflect the couple’s personal style—a marriage of classic and modern.
The components of the suite would be simple but elevated with fine papers and exquisite details. The suite would include an invite directing guests to RSVP online, a map of things to do in Tulum and photo keepsake of the couple. As many elements as possible would be customized and created by hand for a premium look and feel.
the design
We first decided on a romantic palette of earthy mauves and airy neutrals with an elegant touch of rose gold.
hand-painted watercolor
To evoke the seaside location, abstract watercolor elements were hand-painted on the main card and envelope liner to create an ethereal landscape.
Modern Calligraphy
Modern calligraphy was paired with classic, clean serif type. To create the spot calligraphy, I used a pumpkin nib on slightly uncoated paper that allowed a subtle bleed on each stroke. This textured edge gave it a weathered, message-in-a-bottle feel that offered a nice contrast to the clean, classic lines of the all caps serif text.
hand-drawn illustrations
We thought it would be nice to give guests a glimpse of where they were going so we included a map of things to do in Tulum. The illustrations were hand-drawn using the same textured linework as the calligraphy. We made sure to include the chapel the couple would be wed in as it was part of why they fell in love with the location.
letterpress
To letterpress the invite, map and envelope return addresses, we worked with the amazing duo, Ryan and Nicolette, at Double Trip Press. They graciously guided us through the process of creating our plates, letterpressing the invites, made sure our ink matched perfectly, helped us cut down our final prints and generally made sure everything came to life as envisioned. They even helped us source the envelopes, liners and vellum jackets. They are honestly the best people, so incredibly knowledgable and talented as they do gorgeous print and bindery work themselves.
custom monogram seals + keepsake photo
Once we had everything printed, we were ready to assemble. As a keepsake for the guests, we included a photo of the couple shot in the same pink tones as the suite and printed on watercolor-like giclee paper to match. Finally, everything was enclosed in a vellum jacket, wrapped with metallic embroidery thread and kissed with a rose gold custom wax seal featuring the couple’s custom-made monogram.
hand-addressed envelopes
The final step was to address the envelopes with the same calligraphy style used throughout the suite. The soft grey envelopes added a modern touch that juxtaposed the feminine mauves and vintage seashell postage. The ink was a custom gouache mixture made to match the Pantone of the letterpress inks and watercolor. For the envelope addressing, I used a Cemente Blanzy 2552 Vintage Nib and straight holder as I often will for this modern style.
website
To create continuity for the guests, we also created a branded website that matched the aesthetic of the invite and provided more information that the couple could also easily update as the date grew closer.
that’s a wrap
The entire suite took about three months from concept to completion and it was truly a labor of love in so many ways. In the end, it was all worth it to create something as special as Veronica and Juniors’ special day. Resources linked below on materials or vendors used for this project.
RESOURCES
+ Letterpress, Double Trip Press
+ Paper, Crane’s Lettra
+ Giclee 5x7 Photo Prints, mpix
+ Winsor & Newton Watercolors
+ Holbein Gouache for custom ink
+ Website, Squarespace