Mr. Boddington’s also has a fabulous new line up of engagement/rehearsal dinner, bridal showers, and thank you notes… all just as sweet and chic as the wedding invitations.

A little bit about the collection from owner, Rebecca Schmidt Ruebensaal…

Through the past year, Mr. Boddington traveled around the globe collecting all sorts of musings to inspire his new collection: vintage wedding invitations from Bombay, typography from Shanghai, preppy fabrics from sailing camps in New England, pine needles from Eastern European forests… and the list goes on! He also bent an ear towards what the most fashionable brides chatted about in connection with their wedding correspondence… it appeared that they were chasing not only smart paper designs but those that may save them some pennies.

Wedding, engagement, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower invitations, save-the-dates and thank you notes are offered in both letterpress and flat matte printing. All letterpress is printed on one hundred percent cotton paper (tree-free), and the flat-matte using rich, slightly saturated color palettes. Envelope liners are hand-cut and tailored to each piece of correspondence.

It’s not easy to do playful and elegant… and it’s even harder to do it really well, but Mr. Boddington’s Studio has it down to an art. All of their work is sophisticated and fun… the silhouettes, the envelope liners, the fabulous fonts, I love every square inch of these charming little pieces.

So, get your bookmarks ready, Mr. Boggington’s (seriously adorable) new website and blog are full of even more invitation eye-candy. Enjoy!

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Post tags: Letterpress, Mr. Boddington's Studio, Vintage, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Before we unveil the invitation, I wanted to share some of the history behind this invitation. The inspiration with a little movie called Harold and Maude.

credits, clockwise from right : Elizabeth Messina Photography, Harold and Maude movie advertisement, Bari Zaki custom vintage stamps, Sarah Drake Love Notes.

From Sarah…

This 1971 movie is my favorite love story: unconventional, a little dark, and deeply sweet. It inspired our personalized stationery, Love Notes, back in 2006. Then, we decided to take it a bit further, taking our love of all things vintage, the uniqueness of written correspondence, vintage stamp collections, and unabashed declarations of love and combined them into a new kind of invitation.

Okay, now for the absolutely gorgeous, completely appropriate new design which will use letterpress printing charcoal ink on imported Italian paper …

Believe it or not, this is exactly what wedding invitations used to be. Sweet, personal, handwritten notes that left guests feeling utterly touched and hugely special. So here is the deal.

Sarah is asking that you guys send in your own personalized wording…something that captures your personality, style and the sentiment of your wedding. You can either leave a comment right here OR if you feel more comfortable, you can email your wording to Sarah at info{at}sarahdrakedesign{dot}com.

She’ll then choose 1 lucky reader to receive a set of 100 invitations with printed envelopes, 100 response cards with envelopes AND 100 thank you notes. The invitation is tidied up with a string and a wax seal, also included in the giveaway. In a nutshell…that is HUUUUUGE. To see the FULL SUITE, click right here!

Here’s the catch. You MUST have your wording in by the end of day tomorrow. That’s 6PM on Friday the 31st of July. This means that your final, final wording for your invitations has to be submitted by Friday, as it’s going to the printer on Monday. Sarah can help you finalize it if you are unsure. But, if you aren’t basically ready…don’t play! Sarah will choose the winner on Saturday.

Good luck to all! We’d love to feature the final design on SMP when all is said an done!

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Post tags: Giveaway, Invitations, Letterpress, Sarah Drake, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Here is a little bit of detail about the new line from the team at Smock…

Everything in the new album is offered as mix and match letterpress and offset printing with five choices of bamboo paper colors and the option to go with 1 or 2-ply paper. All of these options allow brides to create truly unique and personal stationery that is beautiful and special to them, but can also be customized to fit a wide range of budgets. All of the patterns, ink colors, motifs, monograms and fonts are fully customizable and interchangeable and can also be mixed and matched with the designs from our existing wedding album. We are so excited to see what our awesome clients create!

How much do you love this? It’s absolutely gorgeous. And in my book, a set of really chic, personalized stationery is a MUST for every new bride and groom! Please look at how adorable these envelopes are…

Check out the full line of offerings right here! And to Smock, thank you so very much for inspiring us time and time again!

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Post tags: Letterpress, Personalized Stationery, Smock, Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

LOVE! For any of you paper snobs, like myself out there, elum is the cream of the crop! Spend some time checking out their gorgeous letterpress portfolio! You definitely won’t be disappointed.

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Post tags: Elum, Letterpress, Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Invitation by elum, Gown by Monique Lhuillier on Brides, Flowers by Matthew Robbins of Artfool, Cake by K. Rosecakes

Elum is one of my all time favorite invitation design houses. Their letterpress invitations are simply spectacular, with each impression done by hand in house so that every piece is perfection. I actually asked elum to do my business cards because their letterpress is so gorgeous (I’ll show those in a later post).  Here is an up close of their latest design…

More to come in just a bit!

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Post tags: Elum, Letterpress, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

The team at Smock is gifting one of you TEN boxes of their unbelievably lovely letterpress thank you notes. The notes are bundled in packages of 6 and come complete with hand-lined bamboo envelopes. You can either have all of one design or you can mix and match!

To enter, just let us know which wedding invitation you love the most…of the three newly launched designs. We’ll announce the winner on Monday afternoon!

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Post tags: Giveaway, Letterpress, Smock, Thank You Notes
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

And, lucky for us, they just launched three new wedding invitation lines that they are debuting right here on SMP! The first, Dorset, showcases one of their new calligraphy fonts, Smock Spencerian, and uses 1-color letterpress with offset patterning (the stripes).  Swoon.

This next one is called Sabion and it just happens to be my fav. As Cynthia, Smock’s invitation guru told me, Sabion is very lady-like and feminine, but ultimately very classic. The creamy pink background is offset with black letterpress featuring gorgeous gold edge painting and a lined envelope.

And last, but certainly not least…Cindrel. This one features the second of Smock’s two calligraphy fonts, Smock Clermont, which is based on the calligraphy of their calligrapher, Debi Zeinert of Blooming Quill. The calligaphy fonts allow them to offer gorgeous calligraphy without any additional calligraphy fee. It’s also shown in 1-color letterpress, which helps to keep it more budget-friendly. Cindrel was actually inspired by a wrought iron fence that their FABULOUS designer, Amy Graham Stigler, stumbled upon one day. LOVE.

Pretty gorgeous right? Well, the loveliness doesn’t stop there. Smock also carries Thank You Notes, Party Invitations, Gift Wrap and so, so, so much more. Stay tuned to hear the fabulous giveaway we are doing with them in just a bit!

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Post tags: Letterpress, letterpress wedding invitations, Smock
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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Post tags: Elum, Giveaway, Letterpress, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Featured

Well, the absolutely, positively lovely team at Elum is hosting their very first invitation giveaway! It’s one of the biggest giveaways that we’ve ever had here on SMP and by one of our all time favorite invitation houses to boot. We’ve said it a million times, but Elum equals perfection in our book.

Here’s the deal. Every Elum invitation suite is an inspired collection designed to evoke a visual, tactile and emotional connection.  Each unique piece has been designed to compliment the next, but it has its very own story to tell.

So we want to know…What will your story be? In a few sentences, tell us what message you want your invitations to say about your own special day.  Then, choose the invitation that you feel best suits your story from the elum line.

The contest winner will receive an Elum suite to include an invitation with printed envelopes, reply card with printed envelopes and a reception card, up to 250 sets. The winner will also be featured on the Elum blog along with pictures from their wedding day! We’ll announce the winner this upcoming Friday, May 22nd.

Ummm…hello. Didn’t I say this was going to be a great day here on SMP?

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Post tags: Elum, Giveaway, Letterpress, Wedding Invitaitons
Post categories: Contests, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

It’s the quality of the letterpress that really sets elum apart from all others. The deep impressions, the luxurious papers, the perfectly timeless and yet modern designs. This piece is one of the works of art from their newest album which should hit stores in the next couple of months!

Is there a word that means “better than perfection?” We need to come up with one because that is exactly what this is! Thanks so much elum for giving us this fabulous sneak peak!

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Post tags: Elum, Letterpress, national stationery show, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

For my last post, I thought it might be fun to share some of the inspiration boards behind Mika78’s most requested designs. This first board inspired the In Love design.  I wanted to capture the feeling of vintage Parisian glamour, but done with a modern twist.

I also wanted to create mood with just typography and nothing more… I love how the calligraphic flourishes just dance all over the page.  Calligraphy… gotta love it!

This second board helped to inspire the design The Quote.  I fell in love with the touching quote from Corelli’s Mandolin; his words on love are so truthful, inspiring, and beautiful… I just had to design a wedding invitation around it!

And here is the invitation that the board inspired…

This last board inspired the Romance design.  Soft, pretty, and simple.  Enough said!

And the invitation that the board inspired…

I’ve had such a great time guest blogging today and hope some of my tips from my earlier post were helpful.  Abby, thanks so much for having me on SMP today (I seriously think I’ll still be reading your blog when I’m old and gray!).  And to all you lovely brides and grooms out there, have a blast planning your wedding!!!

* * *

Stay tuned to find out the winner of the Mika78 Discount Giveaway!

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Post tags: Inspiration Boards, Letterpress, Mika78, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Inspiration Boards, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

Dilemma #3: I want ceremony programs, but I can’t afford them.
Solution: Order letterpressed labels instead of the entire program cover.

Letterpress escort sized cards with all your ceremony information instead of printing larger size program covers.  I’m working with a client now who’s doing this to save on costs.  We’re purchasing a variety of different printed paper to use as the cover and sewing the labels on to the front.  We can even letterpress the labels onto sticky paper, so all you have to do is stick them on.  This is a great way to incorporate letterpress, at a fraction of the cost.  It also has a great, handmade quality it!

Dilemma #4: I want to order escort cards, but I can’t fit it into my budget.
Solution: Moo cards!

I’m a big fan of Moo cards…the possibility of these are endless.  Moo is a printing company where you can upload photos or designs directly from your computer.  You can get really creative with these since you can have a different design on each card in the 100-pack box.  I love the Mini Cards since they’re such a fun, cute size… Especially for escort cards!  And at $19.99 for 100, you can’t go wrong!

One of my favorite uses of Moo Cards from Kelly & Terrell’s wedding shot by White Box Weddings. These were for Save the Dates, but they can work just as well for escort cards, don’t you think?

I hope these tips are helpful when trying to budget your stationery items!  I always tell my friends and clients: choose 2 or 3 things that you can’t live without for your wedding and go for it!  The important part is to balance your budget and take from the areas that you can do without.

For me, photography and music were my top 2 items I did not want to budge on, so I made it a point to get a less expensive dress and have the wedding on Sunday to make up for it.  It’s the same thing with stationery, you just have to find creative ways to make it all work!  At the end of the day, what’s most important is celebrating your new life together with family and friends.. but saving a little money along the way doesn’t hurt either!!!

* * *

More to come from Mimi Woo of Mika78 and Seven Eight!

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Post tags: Escort Cards, Letterpress, Mika78, Mimi Woo, Moo Cards, Programs, Wedidng Invitations
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

Solution #2: Order RSVP postcards or have guests RSVP on your wedding website

A lot of couples are choosing to forgo the RSVP cards in order to save on costs AND save on paper (love that!).  RSVP postcards are a great option because you don’t have to purchase printed envelopes or even envelopes at all!  Also, postcard stamps are 28 cents vs 44 cents to send an envelope (it’s a small savings, but everything adds up and it’s great to save where you can!).

One of my clients wanted their guests to RSVP on their wedding website, but wanted to include a little something for their guests as a reminder.  We decided to make RSVP bookmarks and guests really loved them.  Not only was it functional, but it was something that set their invites apart from the rest (and saved money – woo-hoo!).

Dilemma #2: I’d love 2 colors, but I can only afford 1 color.
Solution: Get a “wash”!

Use one color on your invites and another color on your reply cards.  With Mika78, you’ll pay a small “wash” fee ($50).  With letterpress, inks are laid on paper one at a time; so when you order a 2-color invitation, it has to go through the press 2 times (that’s why 2 color is more expensive, it’s more time and labor).  With Mika78, if you order invites in 1 color and rsvp cards in a 2nd color, it’s still considered a 1-color design since each piece is only going through the press once.  Another solution to this is to get your invites printed in 2 colors and your RSVP cards in 1 color.

Solution #2: Order colored envelopes

Order your invitation set in 1 color, but use colored envelopes to add the second color!

I have plenty more tips to share with you, so check back soon!

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Post tags: Letterpress, Mika78, Mimi Woo, Postcard
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

* * *

Hi everyone!  I’m so excited to be guest blogging for Style Me Pretty today!  I’ve been a longtime reader of Abby’s wonderful blog ever since I started planning for my wedding back in March of 2007.  I still visit Abby’s blog every single day, even though my wedding planning days are long over.  I think that just goes to show what a great and inspiring place Style Me Pretty really is.  (Yay for Abby and the gang at SMP!)

The one constant I hear over and over again from my clients is “I love letterpress, but it doesn’t fit into my budget”.  In this crazy economy, I totally understand the need to cut back where you can.  A lot of couples think they have to go with offset or flat printing because they just can’t afford letterpress and there’s no other option.  Well, I’m here to tell you there are options out there, you just have to get a little creative with how you mix and match your pieces.

I totally understand the want, even the NEED, for letterpress.  It’s such a gorgeous printing method; you can’t help but want to run your fingers across every single nook and cranny of each hand-pressed letter.  Simply put, there’s something about the feeling of a letterpressed piece in your hands that everyone just loves.  Today, I’m going to share with you some of my cost-saving tips:

Dilemma #1: I LOVE letterpress, but I can’t afford it!
Solution #1: Order your Invitation & RSVP card in letterpress with unprinted envelopes and purchase an address stamp/embosser.

The one thing many people don’t know about letterpress is that most of the cost goes into the labor, not the materials.  Letterpress is an artisanal printing method – everything is meticulously printed by hand and it takes skill to produce a great letterpress piece.

Because most of the cost goes into the labor, I suggest letterpressing your invite and RSVP card and ordering unprinted envelopes.  This will save you a good chunk of change, folks.  For return addresses, purchase an address stamp like the ones below.  These are from Lettergirl’s Etsy shop and are $34-$39 each. The great part about these is that you can use them over and over again – they’re especially helpful when it comes time to write your thank you cards!  Bonus: you get the look of calligraphy without the hefty price tag!

You can also use address embossers like these from Horchow (range from $24-$29). (link: )  If you go with this style, I recommend ordering your RSVP envelopes printed, but your Invitation envelopes unprinted.  The address embosser is great, but it might be too light for addressing your RSVP envelopes and we wouldn’t want those getting lost in the mail!

More to come from Mimi Woo of Mika78 so stay tuned!

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Post tags: budget, Letterpress, Mika78, Mimi Woo
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Lynn features 11 beautiful designs, each one totally customizable with fresh colors and lovely typefaces so that you can completely make it your own. Her new line was photographed by the AMAZING Max Wanger and in a word, it’s perfect.

Take a peek at Satsuma Press when you have some time…it’s definitely worth the trip.

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Post tags: Letterpress, Satsuma Press, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery