Navy + Pink Wedding Invites for a Budget Conscious Bride

120 Water Street Wedding Invitations

I was excited to hear from Nathalie Carrigan, the designer behind custom wedding invitation studio, 120 Water Street, not just because she shared these oh so elegant custom invites in one of my favorites color palettes and featuring a lovely damask pattern, but also because she talked about something that’s on the mind of almost every bride and groom around, especially these days: budget.

When Nathalie mentioned that she created this suite for a very budget conscious bride who was having 400 guests (yikes!) at her wedding, I wanted to know how she managed to keep the invitation budget down while still creating an invitation that would wow the invitees.

120 Water Street Wedding Invitations
120 Water Street Wedding Invitations

One thing that Sarah, the bride, wanted was a pocket fold, a tall order for a very tight budget with as many guests as she was inviting. Nathalie found these pockets, which were slightly less costly than the traditional tri-fold pockets, but they allowed for savings in other areas, the most major of those being cutting costs.

120 Water Street Wedding Invitations
120 Water Street Wedding Invitations

All three cards in the suite were cut to the same size, which greatly simplified the cutting process, lowering labor costs while maximizing the content space, an added bonus because the couple needed to share a good deal of information with guests. Having everything cut to the same size also eliminated the need for adhesives, as there was no backing panel or mounting to the center of the fold.

The printing method chosen was digital, the quickest and most budget friendly option, and it also allowed for use of rich, saturated shades of navy and pink. Reply envelope costs were eliminated by the use of a detachable postcard RSVP, which also helped save postage costs.

Thanks to Nathalie for sharing a beautiful invitation suite, as well as her fantastic tips for keeping within a tight budget while still maintaining quality, a happy client, and great results!

In addition to creating lovely wedding invites, Nathalie also designs eco-friendly, personalized note cards that you can find in the 120 Water Street Etsy shop. She’s currently having a summer special, which runs through Labor Day, and she’s offered Paper Crave readers free shipping on her note cards to anywhere in the US. Mention “paper crave” when you order to receive either a shipping refund or six additional note cards, free of charge!

images from Nathalie Carrigan / 120 Water Street

Jordana + David’s Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations

My heart was set aflutter as soon as I laid eyes on these gorgeous yellow and black book style wedding invitations, designed by Christine Flynn of Love the Card. I’m completely taken with everything about this suite — the modern pattern, the custom envelope, the actual photos with photo corners (love!), and the story of Jordana and David, which is so personal and touching that many of the couple’s guests contacted them immediately after receiving their invitations to tell them that they teared up when they read the story.

Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations
Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations

Jordana, the bride, who has been an event manager in Toronto for 11+ years, has long believed that an invitation sets the tone for the event to follow (I agree completely), and when it came time to create her own wedding invites, she knew exactly what she wanted. Book style invitations are such a unique choice, and they allowed the couple to share their story with their guests, including those friends and family who live out of town and don’t get to spend much time around the couple.

Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations

Christine Flynn of Love the Card (her wedding stationery portfolio is a MUST see) instantly understood the blend of elegent and irreverent that Jordana and David were going for, and she created an amazing invitation suite that imparts the love and excitement that the couple feel about getting married, while also keeping it light and funny. These invitations aren’t just beautiful. I’m sure that they’ll also be kept as a memento for years to come by many of the guests and the couple themselves.

Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations
Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations
Modern Storybook Wedding Invitations

Bride & Groom: Jordana Novak & David Stephens
Design: Christine Flynn
Photos: Jason Nip

How to Make a Cupcake Liner Flower Tree

Martha Stewart Weddings 15th Anniversary Issue

If you’re a regular reader of Martha Stewart Weddings, then you might recognize this, the cover of the 15th anniversary issue, featuring an absolutely gorgeous sugar flower creation by Sylvia Weinstock. Pretty amazing, huh? The idea for the craft in this post started brewing as soon as I laid eyes on this cake. I thought that the intricately ridged petals looked a little like cupcake liners. Actually, for brief instant, I thought that they might be cupcake liners.

Cupcake Liner Flower Tree

I started my experimentation with full size cupcake liners, but I felt that they were too large for the look that I was going for. Then I remembered this great cupcake liner flower tutorial from Intimate Weddings, which used mini cupcake liners, and I used this as a jumping off point to create the flowers on the cupcake liner tree. I was delighted with the results!

Cupcake Liner Flower Tree Detail

The cupcake liner trees would make wonderful accents for reception or buffet tables at weddings, and you could use different colors and patterns for different looks. Red and white striped liners would be great for circus or retro themed parties, and I’m already planning on making a Halloween tree using black liners. Here’s a shop with lots of mini cupcake liner choices to inspire you.

You can easily change the look of the tree by adding crafty accents, too. Using a wire cutter, I disassembled a holiday berry pick from the craft store and used the berries to create a Christmas tree:

Cupcake Liner Flower Tree Christmas

I used one full mega pack (350 count) of the mini white baking cups (1 1/4″) from Wilton to cover one tree form, though I think that the 1 3/8″ size would work also work very well since there’s not much of a size difference. It took me a little less than two hours to put together my first tree, and since I had most of the supplies on hand already, the only thing I really needed to purchase for the craft was the baking cups, which were about $4 (less with a Jo-Ann coupon). If you had to purchase everything to make the trees, then I think you’d spend around $20, but the pins, glue gun, and glue sticks would last well beyond the first tree.

Okay, are you ready for some scrunching action?

DIY Cupcake Liner Flower Trees

Cupcake Liner Flower Tree Directions

Supplies you’ll need:

a styrofoam tree form (I used a 9” tall form)
mini cupcake liners (1 1/4” to 1 3/8” size)
straight pins, preferably with a ball head
a hot glue gun and glue sticks
accessories for decorating (ribbon, decorative picks, etc.)

Directions

1. Separate cupcake liners into groups of five. Flatten the liners, and poke a straight pin through the center of each group.

2. Gently “scrunch” the top cupcake liner around the pin head, taking care not to rip the paper.

3. Repeat the scrunching action for the remaining liners. When you’re finished, you’ll have a flower.

4. Using your thumb and forefinger, grab the flower at the bottom and press the liners together and away from the length of the pin. Add a bit of hot glue to the pin, and immediately insert into the styrofoam tree form.

5. Fold two or three layers of the liners over the pin head, taking care not to burn yourself on any hot glue that may have found its way toward the pin head, and press the pin head in until it’s flush with the tree form. Hold in place for five to ten seconds, until the glue starts to cool and the pin is firmly attached. Fluff and adjust the flower “petals”, if needed. Continue adding cupcake liner flowers, starting at the bottom of the form and working your way around and up, until the entire form is covered. Add embellishments and decorations to the tree to coordinate with your occasion, if desired.

images by Kristen Magee

JP + Kiera’s Dreamy Typographic Wedding Suite

What happens when two talented graphic designers, who also happen to be the bride and groom to be, decide to DIY their entire wedding suite, printing included, themselves? Pink and gold letterpress wedding invitation and save the date perfection, that’s what happens.

JP + Kiera Letterpress Wedding Invitations

JP and Kiera met when they were both attending the Parsons School of Design so, when it came time to create the paper elements for their wedding, they saw it fitting that they would create everything themselves. After window shopping dozens of fonts, researching wedding blogs for ideas and inspiration, and making a trip to a flower warehouse and photographing elements and colors that they loved, their concept was a lock.

JP + Kiera Letterpress Save the Dates

The couple took a letterpress class at a local Brooklyn shop and printed their save the dates themselves in mid-January. The biggest challenge, they said, was in cutting the cards and lining the envelopes!

JP + Kiera Letterpress Wedding Invitations

The wedding invitations were a further extension of the save the dates, and the design process was truly a collaboration, with JP setting the type and Kiera, who is also a talented illustrator, drawing the flourished letter extensions. During the process, the two said that they learned just how much they were meant for one another — don’t you just love creative projects that bring you closer to your partner? Best wishes, JP and Kiera!

You can check out many more photos of the gorgeously dreamy letterpress save the date cards and wedding invitations on Flickr, but here’s a little more pink and gold eye candy before you go:

JP + Kiera Letterpress Wedding Invitations
JP + Kiera Letterpress Wedding Invitations
JP + Kiera Letterpress Wedding Invitations

images from Jean-Pierre Gary and Kiera Ormut-Fleishman

Wedding Invitations from Meant to be Sent

Meant to be Sent Nautical Wedding Invitations

If you’re signed up for my Paper Goodies newsletter, then you’ll recognize these fun green and navy nautical wedding invitations by Meant to be Sent, which I sneak peeked in the newsletter last week. As promised, I have much, much more wedding invitation eye candy for you today from Meant to be Sent, including more shots of these nautical pretties, which feature rope closures and green and white striped envelope liners (love!).

Meant to be Sent Nautical Wedding Invitations

I’m also loving these letterpress, accordion fold wedding invites, featuring a more subdued blue and green palette, silhouette accents, and great typography. These have a cool, Art Deco kind of vibe.

Meant to be Sent Letterpress Wedding Invitations
Meant to be Sent Letterpress Wedding Invitations
Meant to be Sent Letterpress Wedding Invitations

And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t include this lovely, peacock-inspired wedding suite, which features vibrant teal ribbon and real peacock feather accents and is printed on gold metallic cardstock for an extra lush touch.

Meant to be Sent Peacock Wedding Invitations

Check out Meant to be Sent’s entire custom wedding invitation portfolio.

photos of the nautical and letterpress invitations by Melissa Hayes; peacock invitation photo by Melany Hallgren