{top left} “Pattern and color drive my creative decisions, so these things always find a place in my work,” says Jamie Lea Bertsch, invitation designer for Bella Figura. Her purple polka dot design, Nola Dots, illustrates the designer’s quirky, modern style and the trend toward whimsical, down-to-earth weddings. Translation? Bridezillas need not apply. “I’m seeing less obsession over every little detail and more attention to sweet elements of surprise,” Bertsch notes. Not that she’s willy-nilly with her creations; Bertsch first crafts her designs by hand, then experiments with color and arrangement until every element is perfectly placed.
{top right} A hydrangea-loving bride inspired this chartreuse invitation suite by Kathy Marcelle, the creative force behind Sugar Pear Design. The letterpress invites included details for the couple’s luncheon wedding reception as well as an evening picnic. For extra flower power, every invitation was packaged with a freeze-dried hydrangea. “Most of my clients say, ‘This is my wedding and we want to do it our way.’ And that’s what we do,” Marcelle says. Although the typography and layout are traditional, the striking color and lively hydrangea pattern make these invites pop.
{bottom left} Venn diagrams aren’t just for geometry class anymore; they also make for an eye-catching, modern design, like on these invitations by Cracked Designs' Tara Scheuerman. The couple was going around in circles trying to pin down their wedding theme, but they knew that for their invitations, they wanted something simple that captured two people uniting. Scheuerman’s design brought it, well, full circle. “I definitely see couples wanting to be more creative and whimsical with their invitation designs. I’ve been seeing a lot of bold colors and bold patterns, like this one with the green and yellow, which is really cool to work with,” Scheuerman says.
{bottom right} As anyone who’s read Fifty Shades of Grey can attest, this neutral shade doesn’t need to be dull. These stylish invites by Bertsch for Bella Figura prove that the color is anything but boring. An expert at marrying elegance with playfulness, Bertsch treats each design as she would a textile or pattern, collaging different elements until they jibe on the page. Bella Figura’s line of wedding invitations allows couples to customize designs with foil stamping, edge painting or envelope lining. Bertsch recommends pairing these letterpress invitations, called Indie Twill, with a vividly hued envelope or edge painting for a dynamic look.
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