Style Me Pretty

Wedding Invitation Trends by Ceci New York

January 16th. 2009 by Abby Larson | Filed Under | 13 comments

It’s time for our monthly guest blog by contributing editor Lisa Hoffman of Ceci New York! When I visited Lisa in New York a couple of months ago, I fell head over heels for her newest line of laser cut invitations. I’ve honestly never seen anything like them…they are incredibly tactile, begging you to feel their intricate designs and their exquisite patterns. So, I am thrilled that Lisa is talking about this new trend today on SMP!

* * *

For me, great invitation design begins with great execution. Experimenting with new printing techniques is what I am known for and love. I am always a fan of pushing the envelope and one of my newest trends in invitation design is laser cutting. Think beyond the standard letterpress, engraved or flat printing. Laser allows for a new sense of three-dimensionality and for a reveal.  It also adds a very new sense of unexpected luxury. I love to play with the transition as a guest opens the invite and give them the wow factor that will get them immediately picking up the phone raving about how this is the most incredible invitation they’ve ever received.

This invitation is all about Old World Hollywood Glamour – Chandeliers and Damask. Accents of deep blood red were added throughout for the a bit of color impact and variation. It also tied in her bridesmaid dresses and floral decor. The outer envelope came in red with silver calligraphy with matching custom designed stamps.

lisa hoffman

When guests opened their invitation the first thing they saw was the damask print that was laser cut to create a reveal technique with the paper. The invite slide out the top to present a french quote that was significant to the bride. As you know, I love to do modern interpretations of monograms. The logo I made for her presented the two J’s of their first initials surrounded by decorative damask in a unique die cut shape.  The last image is a close up of the french quote on the back of her invite. I blind embossed it on for a gorgeous tactile look. “On ne voit bien qu’avec le couer” roughly meaning “We only see clearly with our hearts.”

lisa hoffman

Below is some close ups of the rsvp. You can see the incorporation of the chandeliers on each of the cards. I love to mix and match printing techniques, paper types and ink colors. Keeps the experience interesting and always impressive.

lisa hoffman

More from Lisa coming up in a bit! And just wait until you see the next laser cut invitations…it just might be my all time favorite from Lisa’s collection!!


13 Responses to “Wedding Invitation Trends by Ceci New York”

  1. Jeana says:

    Those are just gorgeous! If I had an unlimited brudget I would definately be all over these, I can dream though!

  2. Vicki says:

    Wow!!! I've never seen invites that actually took my breath away. I agree with Jeana... absolutely gorgeous. Love the added french quote and the way it is embossed on. Love it!!!

  3. Liz says:

    um, wow. I'm speechless. I think this is the most beautiful invitation I have ever seen!! seriously! I'm in love.

  4. heidi says:

    Beautiful work as usual Lisa! Ironically, I'm designing our laser wedding invites as we speak...a fun challenge!

  5. JLS says:

    Gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. Can we please get more info on that "blind embossing" technique? That is my fav part. Thanks for the inspiration. I'll be back to check out the next posts.

  6. Lillindy says:

    Excuse me while I wipe the drool off the corner of my mouth...these are seriously BREATHTAKING!

  7. AnnC says:

    Lovely !
    Full quote is by the way "on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux" Antoine de St Exupéry, aviator, writter of the Little Prince (from which the quote comes). We only see clearly with our eyes, the essential is invisible to the eye... Love it (and yes, I'm french).

  8. AnnC says:

    Oops sorry, meant "hearts" above in the first part of the translated quote of course...

  9. Lisa Hoffman says:

    Hi! It's Lisa from Ceci. You all are so sweet to write such nice things, thank you! It's so great to hear and I appreciate it very much. I wanted to answer your question about blind embossing. Blind embossing is a fantastic printing technique that basically works like this. Instead of ink actually creating the definition of the artwork detail, it's just the paper being pushed upwards to define the image. So it's an embossed image without ink or foil that is the same color as the paper. The higher the emboss, the easier it is to see with the eye. A die plate must be made in order to "push" or stretch the paper into the image you want it to be. I hope that makes sense. And AnnC, thank you for the full French translation on the quote. So great to know. Always, Lisa "Ceci" Hoffman.

  10. WOW!

    These cards are absolutely exquisite! Amazingly intricate and detail oriented - these are keepsakes on their own. I may have to contact Ceci in regards to actual promotional packaging and as a referral for my brides. Simply stunning Lisa! Do you do letterpress as well?

    KEEP IT UP! :)

  11. [...] 19, 2009 · No Comments We’re all about personalizing your wedding, so when we saw this blog entry about laser cut wedding invitations on Style Me Pretty, we just had to share it with [...]

  12. Whoosh! I literally just lost my breath. Wonderfully conceived and executed. Bravo - nicely done

  13. [...] Design Inspiration! So I wrote a few days ago about how I loved this stationary suite from Ceci New York. Who has a really great new vintage suite, [...]

Leave a Reply

Visit us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Style Me Pretty