{1} “Not your typical garden wedding” is the message Missy Stein of Paper Piper Designs sent with this sleek black and champagne invite on a backdrop of shimmering but sturdy patterned paper; the champagne in her paperwork matched the shade in the attendant dresses. The Art Deco vibe blends with the couple’s eco-friendly attitude (RSVPs are by email only) and dance-studio reception. “Our goal is to tease guests about what’s to come, to build a bit of anticipation,” says the designer, who stays atop fashion trends, especially hot colors.
{2} Designer Andrea Meyer drew side-by-side trees to represent two families joining as one, but her work also acknowledges the couple’s respect for nature and the desire to introduce simple elegance to a rustic setting: Their reception was a formal event in a restored pioneer village. Recycled paper and earth tones—moss green, chocolate brown—were priorities. Invitations were affixed inside the gatefold wrap, then folded and secured with a band proclaiming the names of bride and groom. A photo of the couple, wearing sweaters bought on a trip to Iceland, personalized their save-the-date postcards.
{3} Jan York of All About You Designs saves customers hours by using their guest lists and her digital laser-printing equipment to address envelopes and personalize any element she designs, from invitations to RSVP cards, all in matching typeface. For her son Nate and his bride Kelly, tree art intertwined invitations, envelopes, satin-ribboned programs, table numbers, placecards and thank-you cards, all made with recycled paper. The ivory invitations were mounted on dark brown, textured paper with a back pocket containing an RSVP card, event directions and hotel information.
{4} A mix of printing surfaces, typefaces and artwork from Heather Martens-Raffel of Sugar River Stationers leaves no doubt about a couple’s personal interests and style. Bold playbill type balances gracefully with feminine script in this invitation, mounted on embossed wood-grain stock, then folded and encircled with a wide, colorful band of pheasant-themed artwork. Pheasant silhouettes reappear on the wedding menus, printed on a curly-maple veneer. Placecards are die-cut leaves from recycled felt paper, with calligraphy by The Blooming Quill of Port Washington. Martens-Raffel, who collects wooden typesetting blocks and is trained in historic preservation, relishes out-of-the-box ideas and sources her fine specialty papers from a mill in Germany.