5 Wedding Paper Trends We Love

There are so many trends out there, who's to know how long a trend will last.
But here are our favorites that we think will be around for a while.
Which ones will be adding to your wedding suite? 

 

Trends we love:

1. Booklets + Tri-Folds

Booklets and Tri-folds are great for any event, but they are especially helpful when there is a lot of information to give to your guest. Instead of having several different cards for your guest to keep up with, it is all in one. 

They work great as:

• Save-the-Dates 
• Invitation + all the details (weekend events, travel info., etc)
• Details + weekend events
   

2. Tone on Tone Printing

Tone on Tone printing isn't for every bride, but it is modern, timeless & bold. If you are concerned about legibility on the invitation itself. It works well on thank you notes, rsvp cards, and illustrations and patterns. 

We love seeing it on:

• Thank You Cards
• Bold Lettering
• Illustration + Patterns

3. Organic Patterns and Prints

In our book, prints and patterns are in, and we are soaking up all the organic prints and patterns we can. On one of our recent post we highlighted a local artist, and all of the amazing prints she created for us. Check that post out here. 

We love seeing it on:

• Envelope Liners
• Backs of Invitations
• Save-the-Dates
• Vellum overlays
   

4. Adding color in Unexpected Ways

Color can seem a bit daunting at times, but don't worry we are pros. One color invitations and suites and be enhanced so much by adding a bit of color in other pieces. Adding a different ink color on some elements, or adding color through envelopes and ribbon are great ways to take your suite to the next level. 

We love seeing it on:

• Tages
• Envelopes
• Envelope Liners
• Edge Painting
• Ribbon

5. Adding Texture

Adding touches of texture throughout your suite goes a long way. Fabric, vellum, and ribbon are a few of our favorite ways to add a unique element.  

Our favorite texture elements:

• Fabric
• Vellum
• Silk Ribbon
• Cotton Ribbon
• Tread

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Hopefully this gave you a few ideas on what you may want to add to your letterpress printed wedding suite. Adding just one of these elements can enhance the whole experience of your suite as your guests open them.

3 Tips for Keeping Your Guest List Organized

Hello lovely!

We are so excited to share our tips on keeping your guest list organized, but I am going to be honest with you, the real gem of this post is the awesome download at the end! We have spent some serious time testing and tailoring it to help you keep track of all things on your guest list. 

Think about it, by the time you are done you have most likely sent save-the-dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, bridal shower invitations, wedding invitations and countless thank you notes. All of those addresses can be handled in one document. Truly lifesaving.

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our three best tips:
 

1. Customize your list:

Take a moment to consider what information you will need before you start gathering all those guest names & addresses.

Think about things like: 

• Will you be including inner envelopes with our invitations? (if so, add a separate column for those names)
• Will you be sending out separate invitations to other weekend events? Think rehearsal dinner, bridal luncheon, Sunday brunch. (if so add columns for each, and mark which guest will get what when you add in their names)
• Know someone who may move between sending save the dates and invitations? Make a column for them so you can check back before the final send-off. 

All of these can save you from having several lists, and so much time when it comes to stuffing and sending out everything. 

2. Track everything

On the download, you will see columns for all these different elements, and you may have even added more from the tip above, but all that setup will be so worth it when you have an organized list that will save you hours! 

Think of this as your command center for tracking all of your guest information. Don't just make a list for mailing, but use it to track who will be attending what and who you will be inviting to which events. 

3. Share your list

This is the most helpful part of this list, in my humble opinion, it not only is so helpful for you to know what has been sent, and who gets what invite, but it is a great tool to pass on to all of the lovely people who are helping you along the way. From bridal showers to thank yous, keeping all of your lists in one location will make keeping things together a breeze. (Well at least a lot more organized and less chaotic)

Marni Suite Feature

Marni Wedding Suite

romantic • classic • sophisticated

This suite has so many elements of texture that scream touch me. Printed on fabric and using muted colors of rose, this wedding suite feels romantic and sophisticated while maintaining its formality. It features a save-the-date with a top layer of fabric stitched on top paired with a plum envelope, and in invitation suite containing: invitation printed on fabric, reply card and envelope, website card, and thank you card.

This is a fully customizable suite that can be modified top to bottom. Ink can be a blind deboss or any Pantone color. Typefaces can be changed to preference. Essentially any element can be modified and tailored to accommodate your style and wedding. 

Every piece is hand printed and crafted by Alee & Press.

Watercolor Artist Q&A

Do you remember a few weeks ago when we posted our lovely new year cards? Well, today we wanted to share more about the artist who created the watercolor artwork for it, and some behind the scenes of our collaboration with her. 

We have been hard at work creating some new wedding suites for our brides, and we can't wait to share it all with you in the upcoming weeks. 

Today, we are going to show you our first sneak peek at what all has been happening here in the studio. 

When we began brainstorming these new suites, we knew we wanted to reach out to other local artists to create a more diverse collection that allowed our brides to have the opportunity to mix and match their favorite elements. 

Que Reed, an amazingly talented designer, and watercolor artist. 

You can go googly-eyed over her work here: 

We are going to dive right on in with a Q&A and talk about her background, process, and her favorite pieces from our collaboration.

Background Questions
 

How long ago did you begin creating your artwork?

I’ve been painting since I was about 8, but I didn’t realize I wanted to pursue art seriously or for any real purpose until I was in high school and I was creating Georgia O Keefe replicas “for fun” haha. Since then it has been a journey to find and define my style and process. It wasn’t until I attended The Creative Circus(advertising school) post-college that I even figured out there was such thing as a “textile designer." That is when the light bulb went on and I began branching out into pattern design and learning about other ways I could use and sell my art.
 

What time of day do you feel the most creative?

Even though I AM a morning person, I find it hard to immediately dive into work first thing in the morning. I tend to be most productive mid-day around 11 once I’ve scheduled out my day and had lots of coffee :)
 

If you are not feeling creative, what is your #1 way to get into your groove?

This happens all the time as a creative! I have 2:

Get outside! I take a walk or find something that inspires me in nature. Usually, it’s a beautiful flower or plant with some cool pattern that gets my brain thinking. Or often times it could be the architecture of an old building or a random tile pattern at a local coffee shop. Getting out of your element generally always does the trick.

Pinterest. I spend A LOT of time on here and have a million boards. It’s my favorite way to quickly be inspired by anything and everything - plus it's fun! - from room decor to runway fashion to typography…I never know what will give me an idea.
 

Process Questions
 

How do you start a piece of artwork? 

Before I begin any piece I usually do an abstract color warm-up or floral exercise to help loosen up. I also like to have an inspirational picture or flower in front of me to refer to while I’m painting, so I make sure to organize and gather all essential materials and ideas before I begin. 
 

What are your favorite paints to use?

Currently, I use a mix of India Ink and Gouache paints and some watercolor. Occasionally, I will also use goldleaf paint and gold sharpie for highlighting purposes once the piece is complete.
 

What is your favorite part the process?

I love picking out my color palettes and trying to spontaneously match new colors together on the spot - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t - which is the thrill of it. I also love post work in Photoshop. This is where the magic happens. I can edit all my colors and really transform my painting into multiple patterns.
 

What are your favorite subjects of your artwork?

All floral, all the time! haha. If it's not flowers or botanicals it’s abstract shapes or geometrics. Most recently I have started to play around with incorporating more fauna into my botanical patterns. I'm open to any subject, but I'm usually drawn towards nature.
 

What colors are your favorite to work with?

I'm passionate about all colors….but using a rich black in my work is a MUST. Other than you can almost always find shades of peach, lavender, blush and turquoise in my work.
 

Our Collaboration
 

When we first sat down with Reed to discuss a collaboration, we all had so much inspiration pulled. We stalked her Instagram and discussed color pallets and styles we wanted to explore. 

We also asked Reed what her favorite piece from the collection was, and this was her response: 

"Definitely the patterns on black. I fell in love with painting on black watercolor paper! Painting on black gives it a completely different dimension and a rich bohemian feeling that I can’t recreate anywhere else."

So here is a sneak peek into our new line of envelope liners created by Reed.

We hoped you enjoyed a glimps of our collaboration and the new line of envelope liners. We can't wait to see which ones become our brides' favorites. Thanks for following along with us. 

Here is a recap from Reed and her side of our collaboration. We love being able to collaborate with local artists and are looking forward to sharing more about our collaborations in the future. 

"Collaborating with The Impressionist and Alee & Press is always such a positive and liberating experience. I get to create work that represents me 100% and I’ve found that I do some of my best work with her and her team. We understand each other's styles well and our mutual love of design and color always makes collaboration a super rewarding experience! This past collab specifically challenged my color palette toolbox to feature neutral colors - I’m used to choosing bright, tropical colors; so creating patterns with a muted color approach for weddings was slightly difficult at first. Now I have whole new series of go-to color options that totally diversify my patterns - I couldn’t be happier."

Reed Knauth
reedknauth.com | @reedknauthdesigns

Our Timeline and Guide for Your Wedding Invites + Save the Dates

Our Timeline and Guide for Your Wedding Invites + Save the Dates

Ahhh, wedding planning… the endless to-do list. You have a checklist and it feels like you can never complete it! Or maybe you have 7 different checklists, one for each vendor… lists for days.

And if you are anything like us you have several categories of lists that are all controlled by one master list. (I may or may not have some slight OCD when it comes to list making.)

Today, we have a handy checklist all ready for you on when you ACTUALLY need to send out those save-the-dates, invitations, thank yous, and much more. We will even go into detail if you are planning a destination or a local wedding.

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First Things First

First things first, if you haven't already, let everyone know you're engaged! It is such a heart-filling moment to have all of those closest to you be so happy and excited for you on this newest adventure! 

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Start with a vision

There are many things to check off your list before it is time to meet for your wedding suite, but one thing we encourage brides to do from day one is to create a vision for your big day. If you don't already have a mood board full of ideas, now is the time to fill it up. (We are loving gomoodboard.com) If you’re not sure how to find inspiration that’s unique with items you love, don't worry! We’ve got you covered in this blog: How to Find Your Wedding Inspo.

But don't fill it with things you kind of like, instead fill it with fewer things you love.

list maker here

I would even suggest making a different board for your main priorities: venue, florals, table settings, and of course paper goods.

*If you would like some ideas, check out our Pinterest boards

Okay now let's get to your actual wedding paper timeline!

Up first, Save the Dates

Once you have your date and location locked down, its time to send these bad boys out. The range we suggest is 6-12 months before your wedding date. The earlier the better for these - especially if you're planning a destination wedding. In that case, send them even earlier!

We suggest meeting with us 4-6 weeks before you’re ready to send Save-the-Dates out. This allows for plenty of time for a consultation, any revisions and design approval, ordering of letterpress plates, and printing.

Bonus: Save-the-Dates and invitation suites only need one consultation. Its all about the big picture, and how all the pieces work together. And it’s best done if you cover all the elements at once. 

Go ahead and put it on your calendar now - we DARE you!

Round number two, Your Wedding Suite

At this point, you have all of your vendors booked, all your deadlines in hand, and a full vision of your big day. If you didn't find us until after you sent your Save-the-Sates, don't worry - we’re bummed too, but that means it’s time to schedule a consultation for your wedding suite. Yay!
 

Wedding Suite

The pieces we suggest including are: invites, reply cards, detail cards, and weekend events. The “weekend events” card might include other wedding related gatherings such as a bridal luncheon or a groomsman golf round. It all depends on what fits your wedding! 

Again, we suggest meeting with us 4-8 weeks before you’d like to send them on their postal way - ideally sending them out 1-6 months in advance. This is really where sitting down with your wedding planner (or us) will help to determine what timeline is best for your wedding. Generally, destination weddings should be sent out much earlier than most stateside weddings. 

If you're running a little behind you can send them as late as 1 month away, *IF* you're having a local wedding where most of the guests live.
 

Don't forget your thank you cards

You’re gonna have a LOT of thank you’s to write - shouldn’t they look good too? Showers and gifts are on the horizon if you haven't already received a few. Having these in hand really helps you stay on top of writing all those Thank You's before they build up!

The finale, day-of pieces

These are important items not to put off until the very last minute. Although we can get them to you quickly, you don't want to be worrying about these right before your big day.
 

These pieces include item such as:

• programs
• escort cards
• table numbers
• menus
• favor tags
• welcome bag items
• etc 

Day of pieces typically require another chat or meeting to go through the specifics, and really nail down those final pieces your guests will see. 

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We know everyone loves a good free download, so we have just that for you! A simple timeline checklist of when to schedule a meeting and send out your wedding paper goods!