Our wedding invitations, part two

8 August 2012

Yesterday I showed you the process of designing our invitations with Jess at Magpie Paper Works, and today, I’ll share the final product!

Like I said, there were a few aspects of our invitation design that made it difficult to print to a high standard:

1) The PMS color we chose is prone to scuffing
2) The tri-fold exaggerated the scuffing
3) The protective varnishes that help prevent scuffing give the surface a dull sheen, which is something I was very much against
4) I was also very much against cracking along the scores
5) The PMS color and protective varnish both take a very long time to dry

Jess was so persistent in finding the perfect printer to complete this job, and though the process took longer than we both would have liked (with her sending the design out to multiple houses for a sample print), I would say it absolutely paid off in the end. No scuffing, no cracking, no sheen – I couldn’t be happier! Evolution Press in Seattle was the magical printer that made all the goodness happen.

Ready to see? Okay! Here’s what guests saw when they pulled the invite out of its envelope:

I love that sweet little heart! Jess drew the boxwood vine pattern — isn’t she amazing?

Let’s open the first flap, shall we?

Love the unexpected verse! Full of surprises, aren’t we? :)

Once both flaps are open, here’s the full invitation, measuring a larger than life 9×18 inches!

I love it!! Now is the perfect time to give some major kudos to our calligrapher, MM Ink. I think Moya’s work is just incredibly beautiful — classic, while still having personality — and I absolutely love her penning of our names.

Here’s it all together. We chose light pink envelopes for the invites, and dove gray envelopes for the reply cards, both from Paper Presentation (my favorite!). Thought it can’t compare to Moya’s gorgeous calligraphy, I was pretty pleased with how my lettering turned out for our guest addresses.

What do you all think? I hope you love them as much as we do!!

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August 8, 2012 9:28 am

I love them! They are so pretty they should be displayed. Your guests are in for a treat for sure! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!

Laura
August 8, 2012 9:32 am

Gorgeous! I especially love the little “surprise” details of the heart and the verse. And I also love the initials at top with the boxwood. That would look lovely on some personalized stationary.

Emily
August 8, 2012 10:54 am

Your appreciation of fine paper products warms my paper-lovin’ heart! All of the personal details you added to your sweet invites make them simply fantastic. Congrats on seeing your vision come to life! A post on how you have mastered hand-lettering would be all too fun!

August 8, 2012 11:28 am

These are true works of art! I’m so glad to hear that everything turned out the way you wanted it. I’m excited to see the whole suite all styled up and photographed at your wedding! :)

Jesse R.
August 8, 2012 3:50 pm

Beautiful!

[…] I was so doggone excited about this project, y’all! Be sure to take a looksie at Parts I and II for all of the behind-the-scenes details. (You know you want to see […]

Marget
August 8, 2012 6:08 pm

They are STUNNING. Thank you for sharing the editing process ~ so interesting. Jess @ Magpie is clearly talented and did an amazing job!

Beth
August 8, 2012 8:27 pm

I’m so glad to be finally holding it in my hand and it is beautiful! I’m glad you are so happy with it. You found some wonderfully talented artists to work with!

Marget
August 9, 2012 9:27 am

Also, I just noticed what is the most fantastic part of this — Mr. and Mrs. Banks! Welcome to the 90s! ;) You are too cute.

Meghan
August 10, 2012 10:42 am

Emily- Love the invitations and was SO excited to see the link to this post on Snippet & Ink today! You and the invitations both deserve the recognition! Hope to see you soon.

August 10, 2012 1:08 pm

STUNNINGLY pretty!!!!!

[…] my last update: – Invitations have arrived, been addressed and stuffed, and sent back out the door! So far we’ve received […]

September 5, 2012 4:54 pm

SO GORGEOUS.. Pick my chin up on this floor! For the calligraphy you did for the outer envelopes…did you use a nib + ink or a calligraphy pen?

September 22, 2012 12:44 pm

[…] these invitations for Southern Weddings’ […]

August 22, 2014 10:12 am

[…] Dress :: Cake :: Floral Centerpiece :: Calligraphy :: Blue and White Still […]