These Gracelyn Vintage (by Jessica Tierney) letterpress wedding invitations show that it’s refreshing to see a more bubbly color palette.  Especially when, typically for fall weddings you see hues of golden rod, espresso and mustard. We can’t get enough of the bold aubergine ink throughout the set.  This is a traditional text based invitation with a simple touch of elegance, but this design is anything but simplistic!  The European Formal envelope liner in aubergine ink gives that WOW factor to this invitation suite.

inks: aubergine| fonts: nysa + harlow| paper: 2-ply white | invitation size: f8 | liner: the european formal in aubergine ink | client coordinator: jessica hanaman | in-house designer: sarah walroth

We L.O.V.E. these spectacular letterpress wedding invitations that our pals at Gus & Ruby Letterpress in Portsmouth, New Hampshire submitted to us to print. As a play on our Anthology design (by Lindsy Aragona) a custom LOVE design was submitted and is repeated throughout this set letting us know what the couple is really all about! Letterpress printed in amethyst and chartreuse inks on our 1-ply ivory paper the invitation makes a statement in our no. 10 size! The mixture of contemporary typography mixed with letterpress is the perfect marriage for these modern invitations.

inks: amethyst + chartreuse  | fonts: impression + sans capital  | paper: 1-ply ivory | invite size: no. 10 |

A Halloween wedding doesn’t have to be all about spooky bats, witches and things that go bump in the night. Look for Autumn’s softest palettes and pair them with fairytale pumpkins, warm candle light and wrought iron accents for a sweet as candy soiree. This Astor customization not only has a motif that mimics a wrought iron gate, but it uses a custom Emily Austin font that looks like Ichabod Crane, himself, could have wrote it. Imagine the Legend of Sleepy Hollow without that troublesome headless horseman!

customization = ink: persimmon | fonts: custom emily austin + sans capitals | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | liner: the classic color pattern in light peach | original design by amy graham stigler | customized by in-house designer: lindsy aragona

embellishment suggestions: pocketfold in opal

photos by: Martha Stewart Weddings

We know, we know, this is supposed to be a blog about letterpress, but we thought you’d like these beautiful photos from one of our favorite places, Grindstone Farm. Not only does Grindstone provide delicious, nutritious, organic fruits and veggies to the Bella Figura staff through our CSA partnership, they are also a prime example of why farms make great wedding locations!

Of course, planning a wedding on a working farm can be tricky. You need to plan ahead so you are not stuck without power or lights (or bathrooms!), you’ll need to make sure grandma and grandpa do not have to walk a mile in dress shoes, and if you want the ultimate local experience of using food and flowers grown onsite, you’ll need to get the details to the farmer a year in advance.

When the details come together, it’ll be worth the trouble. Your guests will be able to share in an incredible one-of-a-kind experience, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Interested in finding a farm like this near you for your wedding or big event? Or do you want to use locally grown produce or flowers for your special event?  Check out localharvest.org to find CSAs, U Pick Farms, Farmers Markets, Grocery Co-ops in your area!

We absolutely love seeing the fabulous celebrations that go hand-in-hand with the invitations we get to print everyday, and we’re always especially excited to see Bella Figura weddings on Style Me Pretty!  Anne & Tommy’s Redondo Beach wedding was absolutely gorgeous, so today we’re sharing some of our favorite photos from their big day. The couple chose our elegant Irving invitation to set the tone for their wedding. The design was printed in pale gray and amethyst inks on our white paper for a chic look that coordinated perfectly with the rest of their wedding day elements.

Congratulations to Anne & Tommy!

Vendors:

Photography: Kaysha Weiner Photographer
Flowers: Rebecca’s Bloomers Floral Design and Decor
Event Planning: Tiffany Weddings
Ceremony & Reception Location: Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club
Dress: Adele Wechsler
Make-Up & Hair: Serene Bridal Beauty
Favors: Isabella’s Cookie Company

In a unique twist on Beth Ann Seal‘s classic Palmas design, this invitation set features the exquisitely personal Belle hand calligraphy of Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls in place of the design’s original fonts.  The calligraphy adds a distinct mark of human touch, which is reinforced by the deep, tactile impression of the artisan letterpress printing.  Ink-less blind deboss printing for the art-deco inspired border keeps things subtle, while a bright clover envelope liner adds a splash of excitement to this chic and natural looking invitation set.

ink: black + blind deboss | paper: 2-ply ivory | invite size: f8 | liner: classic color in clover | edge painting: chartreuse | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: sarah walroth

Here at Bella Figura, we think voting is one of the most direct ways to impact this country and the world. So to encourage everybody to get out and vote this year, we’re offering a special promotion just for voters during the month of November, 2011: orders with 75 invitation sets or more will receive 25 free sets!

To take advantage of this promotion, all you need to do is supply a photo of yourself voting! Simply send in the photo with your order to receive the special by emailing order@bellafigura.com – if you plan to work with one of our retailers, just include their store name in your email. We’ll be featuring the photos on our blog and Facebook page in the upcoming weeks, so please let us know when submitting the photo if you don’t want your photograph shared!

Election day is November 8, 2011, so get out and vote! If you want to help spread the word on election day, let everyone know that you voted by uploading your photo to our Facebook page. Just click the ‘Share Photo’ option, and in the caption, tell us the state you’re voting in!

Excited about the vote? Keep the voting momentum going and click here to vote on the next design of the month! The design of the month will go on sale for 20% off during the month of December & 4 designs are in the running — be sure to check it out!

It’s no secret that we are obsessed with letterpress. Behold, this jaw-dropping letterpress bridal shower invitation. Not only was the original Chapin (by Patricia Mumau) design transformed to perfectly celebrate the autumn season, but a new card was created for recipes to be passed onto future generations. Marigold and espresso inks breathe warmth into this whimsical design. The edge paint in marigold brings an extra touch of color that compliments the folk art. A classy envelope liner in solid espresso ink intensifies the rich brown hues associated with fall. We are captivated by the timeless beauty exuding from this letterpress invitation set.

inks: espresso + marigold | fonts: sofia + moravia + chapin  | paper: 1-ply ivory  | invite size: SQ6 | liner: the classic color pattern in espresso ink | edge painting: marigold | client coordinator: christie jones  | in-house designer: sarah walroth

We love fall! So many great inspirations around us, colors, nature and great food! We also love our Branch design to celebrate this time of year. Modern meeting traditional is what it’s all about, combined with cool muted color and strong font combinations brings it all home.

customization = inks: powder blue + prussian blue | fonts: rimini + geometric + harlow | paper: ivory | invite size: f-8 | liner: simple geometrics pattern in taupe ink | original design by maura gaulthier | customized by in-house designer: racheal decker

embellishment suggestions: pocketfold in jute

(Photo Credits: Caroline Tran )

by Racheal Decker, In-House Designer.

Part of what makes calligraphy letterpress invitations so amazing is that each one is always going to be a little different from every other one we’ve ever made before.  With each design being painstakingly written out by hand before being digitized and eventually turned into a printing plate for letterpress printing, there’s always bound to be subtle (and beautiful) variations.  But there’s unique, and then there’s unique.

Take for instance this design here, featuring the lavish hand calligraphy of the super-talented Sarah Hannah.  This design most closely resembles Sarah’s Magnolia design, but despite the family resemblance they’re clearly not the same animal.  The couple’s names on this invitation are much more elaborately embellished than usual and the ornate flourishes along the edges of the original design have been dropped entirely.  This look is exactly what the bride was going for, and it was completely doable since Sarah was able to understand what she was envisioning and translate it into beautiful calligraphy.

Printed in black ink on our 2-ply ivory paper and affixed to our opal colored pocketfolds – the end result is devastatingly elegant.

ink: black | calligraphy style: victoria | paper: ivory 2-ply | invite size: f8 | pocketfold: opal | edge painting: black | client coordinator: chris gannon | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

Our Keswick (by Beth Ann Seal) letterpress wedding invitations are given a modern color twist in this quirky customization. Letterpress printed in garden and clover inks, they are perfectly contrasted with shocking pops of mesa edge paint on all pieces (yes that’s right every card). This couple also benefited from our 10% off promotion (10% off if you purchase 6 printed pieces). See more details and the small print here!

inks: clover + garden | fonts: tropez + jubilant | paper: 2-ply ivory | invite size: sq-7 | liner: the vintage river pattern in mesa ink | edge painting: mesa | client coordinator: christie jones | in-house designer: lindsy aragona

We can hardly believe that Bella Figura’s first Design Contest came and went so quickly. Congrats again to all of the winners! Now that the contest has ended, we thought you’d like to see the gorgeous contest winner plaques we sent to the stores that had the top ten designs! Our internal designer Lindsy Aragona created a stunning customization of our Maile design. These beauties are letterpressed in an exciting color combination of sherbet and spring green inks on our 2-ply white paper. Corner rounding adds an extra touch, highlighting the natural curves of the leaves in the design. The wonderful Sarah Hanna is responsible for the stunning calligraphy. The photography in this post features our winners (first place Gus & Ruby Letterpress, second place Social Graces, and third place Union Street Papery).