We recently ran a save the date giveaway on Style Me Pretty - participants sent us their concepts for their upcoming weddings and we chose winners whose ideas we found especially inspiring (it was a tough, tough decision - everyone had such lovely ideas! In fact, we ended up choosing multiple runner-ups because we just couldn't decide!). This save the date card design was inspired by one of our runner-ups and by old school Sailor Jerry tattoos and the Rockabilly aesthetic, which we absolutely love. We even have a card line dedicated to this style - check them out here.
One Love Campaign
We're thrilled to be participating in The One Love Campaign, a new initiative to promote same sex marriage which launched this week. Originating from the recent California same sex marriage ruling and San Francisco's status as a leading destination for same sex weddings, the Campaign's mission is create a national movement to raise awareness and support for all couples of decide to tie the knot.
The Campaign will showcase select high profile Bay Area businesses, of which Hello!Lucky is one, who offer a full range of luxury services for relationships, weddings, events and honeymoons for all couples tying the knot.
The One Love Campaign includes a select list of high profile local businesses representing the first group of vendors openly promoting their services to all gay & straight couples getting married. The One Love Campaign Preferred Businesses offering Wedding Services include:
Hello!Lucky: Hello!Lucky is a specialty design firm, creating vintage-inspired, artisan-printed custom letterpress, social stationary, and wedding invitations. www.hellolucky.com. In honor of The One Love Campaign, Hello!Lucky will donate 5% of each One Love client package to SF Pride, sfpride.org.
One Life, LLC: One Life, LLC established by renowned relationship expert Ali Berlin (the aforementioned co-founder of The One Love Campaign), is a San Francisco based company dedicated to visionary relationships, innovative global service and the active expression of conscious love. As One Life’s passionate leader, Berlin offers both private custom coaching and exclusive wedding officiating services for progressive couples and individuals. www.aliberlin.com In honor of the One Love Campaign, One Life will donate 10% of all One Love affiliated client services to the client’s choice of SF Pride, sfpride.org or SF LGBT Center, sfcenter.org.
Paula LeDuc Fine Catering: For twenty-eight years, Paula LeDuc Fine Catering has pushed the boundaries of what is possible, by creating unique and unforgettable events for each client and their guests. Create, celebrate, experience ~ the extraordinary. www.paulaleduc.com. In honor of the One Love Campaign, Paula LeDuc Fine Catering will donate 5% of your total event catering to the client’s choice of SF Pride, sfpride.org or SF LGBT Center, sfcenter.org.
Alison Events: With a fresh take on weddings, Alison Events doesn't just lead couples down the aisle, but helps them create unique, authentic and inspiring wedding experiences. With a down-to-earth planning process and a sophisticated take on style, we will help you create the wedding of your dreams and enjoy the process along the way. www.alisonevents.com. In honor of the One Love Campaign, Alison Events will donate 2% of each package purchased to SF Pride sfpride.org.
Lisa Lefkowitz Photography: Lisa Lefkowitz has been documenting unions since 1999 and has earned a national reputation for her luminous images and sensitive style. Her approach to weddings is photojournalistic in spirit; she unobtrusively captures each moment as it unfolds. Lisa’s work has been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Elegant Bride and Bride’s magazines, as well as many other publications. www.lisalefkowitz.com. In honor of the One Love Campaign, Lisa Lefkowitz Photography will donate 2% of each package purchased to SF Pride sfpride.org.
The Claremont Resort & Spa: Perched majestically on a pristine mountainside in the Berkeley Hills, standing watch over the glistening Golden Gates of The San Francisco Bay, The Claremont Resort & Spa is a San Francisco Bay Area landmark focused on preserving its tradition while conserving the future. From Signature Journeys at Spa Claremont and fitness classes at the newly renovated Club at the Claremont to exquisite Four-Diamond restaurants and the famous Bay Area views, The Claremont is a tradition, an entitlement of generations and America's quintessential grand resort. Please contact The Claremont for special packages. www.claremontresort.com
Mulberry Photography: Mulberry Photography specializes in fashion inspired weddings and portrait photography. Led by husband and wife team Albert and Tari Lewis, these two accomplished professional photographers have made Mulberry Photography an innovative and highly recognized company, with a style that is unmatched in the industry. Mulberry Photography has studio offices in Lake Tahoe & Palm Springs, but travel globally to shoot. www.mulberryphoto.com. In honor of the One Love Campaign, Mulberry Photography will donate 2% of each One Love package during 2008 to SF Pride, sfpride.org or SF LGBT Center, sfcenter.org.
TRuEStyle: TRuEStyle offers expert personal styling for fashionable weddings and everyday elegance. Founded by Teresa Kuhl, TRuEStyle translates each couple’s unique taste into a sophisticated and polished look with a flare all their own. www.truestylesf.com. In honor of The One Love Campaign, TRuEStyle will donate 5% of One Love client services to SF Pride, sfpride.org.
Sillapere: Sillapere is a San Francisco-based style lab, inventing parties and celebrations with irresistible sassiness and enduring sophistication. While providing the highest quality of service and design to clients, Sillapere also uses creativity to instill cutting-edge style with a strong commitment to sustainability for our planet. We believe in celebrating love and designing weddings that allow people to connect at a deeper level. www.sillapere.com. In honor of The One Love Campaign, Sillapere will donate 2% of all One Love packages to the client’s choice of SF Pride, sfpride.org or SF LGBT Center, sfcenter.org.
Southern Weddings invitation contest
We're excited to announce a new contest on the Southern Weddings blog - we're giving away 100 1-color letterpress wedding invitations (retail value of $600). Just respond to their blog post to describe your wedding vision, and we'll pick a lucky winner! Contest closes July 30. Need inspiration? Feel free to browse our wedding invitation collection, custom design gallery, and wedding inspiration boards!
Hello!Lucky UK website launch
We celebrated the launch of our UK website this week with a smashing meet-n-greet with top UK editors at the luxurious Mayfair Suites. The launch came just in time for the current issue of Cosmopolitan Bride, which features neutral-tone versions of Antoinette (a slight variation on the one shown on our website), L'Oiseau, and Enchanted Garden letterpress wedding invitations, as well as our new Calla Lily wedding invitation. Stay tuned for big improvements to both sites in the coming months!
New Wedding Inspiration Boards
We're thrilled to announce a new wedding inspiration board area of our website, where you can browse through pretty, creative ideas for coordinating all the design elements of your wedding.
The boards cover a wide variety of themes and were created by the lovely and inspiring Kathryn of Snippet & Ink; they (of course!) feature our letterpress wedding invitations and paper. There are lots of fresh ideas for other wedding vendors, as well - just click on any of the images within the boards to link to its source (note the images shown above are just excerpts - click here to browse the full boards). Happy browsing!
Calla Lily Wedding Invitations
We just created these calla lily wedding invitations and coordinating fan program, menu and place card, for Cosmopolitan Bride (UK), which debuts its new look this month. This invitation design features a loose, pen-and-ink and water color style of illustration that we've been developing. These photos show mock-ups that we'll soon be letterpress printing, making them even more gorgeous!
Exotic Moroccan Style
We've been obsessed with Moroccan style lately - we just love rich color palettes and geometric patterns of the textiles, tilework and architecture. We recently designed a custom wedding invitation inspired by Morroccan textiles and the color palette of Petra, coordinating with the colorful Moroccan Save the Dates we posted about a while back. As a Moroccan destination wedding or honeymoon, we vote for Riad El Fenn, Amanjena, or Kasbah Tamadot, Sir Richard Branson's retreat in the foothills of the Atlas mountains.
Shown above: Custom wedding invitations by Hello!Lucky (courtesy of Sara Remington), images from Riad El Fenn, Marakesh, Morocco.
Save the date: June 17, 2008
We're very pleased to be living in San Francisco these days. Not only does the recent California Supreme Court ruling allow same-sex marriages (which begins on June 17), but The California Field Poll shows that the majority of voters support it (52%) - so a ballot measure to revoke the ruling, slated for November, is unlikely to pass.
Over the years, we've created wedding and commitment ceremony invitations for many same-sex couples, and these experiences have been among our most rewarding. In these weddings, the exchange of vows is much more than the usual (though still remarkable) declaration of the couple's lifelong commitment; in many cases, it is the first formal, public recognition of the couple by friends, family, and society at large -- a "coming out" celebration, if you will! -- as well as the affirmation of a basic civil and human right (marriage, and love, respectively).
So thanks, Gavin, Arnold, the Supreme Court, and fellow Californians! We look forward to celebrating with you on June 17!
P.S. Our London office is happy for us, but non-plussed. Civil partnerships have been legal there since 2005 and were supported by many Conservatives as a matter of individual civil liberties! Shown above: one of our civil partnership invitation designs.
Photo courtesy of Sara Remington.
Moroccan Save the Dates
Today we continue this week's Save the Date theme in conjunction with our promotion on Style Me Pretty! We created this intricate save the date card for a multi-cultural couple who are getting married in Lausanne, Switzerland. The pattern blends Moroccan tile work and Mexican textile patterns to reflect the couple's travels.
Photograph courtesy of Sara Remington.
Apple Farm Save the Dates
In light our current save the date give-away on Style Me Pretty, we thought we'd feature some of our latest letterpress save the date designs! This one was created for Tom and Heather (last names and details have been changed), a wonderful couple who are getting married on an apple farm in Cape Cod this fall. We designed the save the date to be reminiscent of vintage fruit crate packaging, and letterpress printed it on a natural cardstock for a weathered feel.
Photograph courtesy of Sara Remington.
Letterpress Seating Cards
Our designer Shauna Leytus created these mix-and-match letterpress printed seating cards featuring two different vintage chairs for her own wedding. They're now available for purchase right here. $7.50 for 10 flat seating cards (2 x 3.25") with ecru matching envelopes.
Photograph by Sara Remington.
Western Wedding Invitations
We originally created these Old West-inspired wedding invitations for a couple getting married on a ranch in Sun River, Oregon. Since then, we've adapted the design to a number of stationery items, including save the date cards, thank you notes and even coasters, and added personalized details such as an icon of the state of Texas, above. The invitation design features cowboy boot stitch, and a pattern of vintage stars inspired by riding spurs, and old-fashioned type faces. Perfect for riding off into the sunset! The invitation is available here and can be customized by our designers.
For more western wedding style inspiration, check out Snippet & Ink's Ranch Romance inspiration board here.
Photography by Sara Remington.
English Wedding Invitations
We debuted several new letterpress wedding invitations at the Designer Wedding Show in London last month, including several elegant designs inspired by the traditional English wedding invitation - a simple folded card with plain type and reply details printed on its face (no ticking of boxes for the truly traditional!). We couldn't resist adding a small hint of our signature vintage-inspired flare, of course!
Photographs by Sara Remington.
Orchid Wedding Invitations
We created these orchid wedding invitations for Su-Lynn and Pierre, a wonderful couple we first met in London. Their January wedding was held at Au Jardin des Amis at the Singapore Botanical Garden followed by a reception at the Ritz Carlton. The letterpress printed invitations featured a modern, minimal orchid design in a fresh spring green, plum and gravel color palette, a Warhol-inspired "hair of the dog" invitation for the post-wedding brunch, a fan-shaped program, and a custom-illustrated map. We're grateful to Su-Lynn and Pierre for their vision, and to collaborating with us to create our favorite wedding invitations of late! Congratulations, Su-Lynn and Pierre!
Photography by Sara Remington.
The Knot: Lime & Cherry Color Combo
We have to hand it to Christa at The Knot Magazine for styling this fresh new spread for their Spring/Summer issue, showcasing a yummy lime and cherry color combo. The spread features our L'Oiseau wedding invitation (note to brides: you can have this color combo at no extra cost), and coordinating cocktail napkins and matchbooks available right here from For Your Party. We also love the way they used Toord Boontje's Until Dawn Curtain as a backdrop (available at Unica for $123).
Real Wedding: Kelly & Erich
Kelly & Erich's Art Deco-inspired wedding at Gaia Arts Center, Berkeley, was nothing short of glamorous. Kelly, a manager at Hello!Lucky, has a sophisticated 1940's and 50's-inspired style and dry, quick wit (think Tina Fey). Both were incorporated in her letterpress wedding invitations and save the dates, which featured custom-illustrated silhouettes of a toaster, the couple, and their faithful dog, Montana.
Kelly looked stunning in a beautiful tea-length dress with her hair tied in a fabulous side bun. The crisp palette of black, white, and yellow was carried through all the details, from calla lily bouquets by family friend Irene Birch to Uncle Billy's home-made cupcakes. Silhouettes of Kelly and Erich graced custom-printed cocktail napkins by For Your Party, as well as signage for the men's (Erich) and ladies' (Kelly) rooms by Hello!Lucky.
Congratulations, Kelly & Erich!
Photographs courtesy of Akiko Photography.
Real Wedding: Shauna and Jeff
We were honestly blown away by wedding of Shauna and Jeff's wedding at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin last August. (Shauna is a designer at Hello!Lucky and was kind enough to invite us!). What inspired us most were all of the thoughtful, lovely, personal details -- it made for an incredibly fun, happy, and beautiful celebration.
Shauna wore a beautiful beaded cocktail dress which her grandmother had worn her own 1953 wedding. Jeff walked down the aisle to Johnny Cash's Walk the Line (possibly the most romantic song ever!), and guests received lovely (and much-needed!) vintage handkerchiefs to dry their eyes. Post-ceremony, we all indulged in "Hitched Hooch," a delicious, peachy cocktail that Jeff concocted to pay homage to his Texas roots (coasters with a cowboy boot stitch motif spelled out the recipe!).
The reception dinner was held in a rustic, cozy dining hall with an open kitchen which allowed us to see the chefs at work. The exquisite food and wine were all local and organic (Shauna and Jeff are both devoted foodies, and Jeff is a wine buyer at Andronico's Market). The centerpieces and flowers were designed by Mary Lois Hare (at Loop Flowers) and included local, seasonal flowers of yellows, creams, browns and oranges displayed in blue glass mason jars collected from the local flea market.
Shauna designed her own gorgeous, vintage-fabric-inspired wedding invitations, save the dates, and day-of stationery, which were (of course!) letterpress printed by Hello!Lucky. (Her invitation and related stationery are available for purchase here.). Shauna's photographer was the talented Marla Aufmuth
It was a truly special and unforgettable day. Congratulations, Shauna and Jeff!
The Letterpress Connoisseur: How to Spot Fine Quality Letterpress Printing
You’ve set the date, picked a venue, and read every back issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Now, you’re thinking about taking the plunge for letterpress printed wedding invitations. You’ve shopped around and know that letterpress wedding invitations can be more expensive that other types of invitations. What you may not know is that the product you get can vary wildly in quality.
These days, with so many designers and hobbyists diving into letterpress printing, it can be easy to overlook the fact that letterpress printing is a craft (some go so far as to call it an art form) that takes years to truly perfect. The difference in experience between an amateur- and a professionally-printed product is not unlike the difference between wriggling into that itchy sweater than your best friend knitted for you (too-small arm holes and all!), and slipping into a beautifully constructed couture garment. Since a letterpress wedding invitation sets the tone for your entire wedding day, it should be of the best quality.
Here are some tips for spotting fine-quality letterpress printing:
- Detailed impression that gently depresses into the paper. One of the lovely things about letterpress is the tactile impression the plate leaves after it has been pressed into the paper. However, it is possible to go overboard. Less experienced printers often press the plate so hard against the paper that the type or design punches through the back side, making your invitation feel more like a ticket than a piece of fine stationery (and making the inside of a folded card, such as a thank you note, difficult to write on). The hallmark of fine letterpress printing is that the plate “kisses” the paper, leaving the back of the card smooth yet achieving enough indentation to achieve depth and detail in the design.
- Thick, soft paper. To truly showcase its tactile quality, letterpress wedding invitations should use soft, 100% cotton archival printmaking papers. These papers are thick, soft (almost cashmere-like), and absorbent, so are thus best able to receive the ink and impression of the letterpress plate. Commercial papers tend to be harder and less absorbent so result in a less deliciously exquisite result.
- Even ink coverage. One of the trickiest aspects of letterpress printing is to get just enough ink on each area of the design. When the design includes a large solid area as well as an area of fine type, (as in our L’Oiseau invitation above), the large area requires more ink and the fine type less ink. A skilled printer will make numerous detailed adjustments to achieve perfect coverage in all areas. Squishy and/or uneven ink coverage are hallmarks of a novice printer.
- Perfect registration. Since each ink color is printed in a separate press run, each colored area of the design is printed separately, too. After the first layer is printed, the plate for the second later must be mounted and adjusted so the second part of the design fits perfectly with the first. This can be especially difficult when the design has details that require tight registration, for example small pink polka dots against a brown background.
Designing for Letterpress. Like printing, designing for letterpress is an art as well, requiring the ability to work within a constrained color palette (since each ink color is applied separately, letterpress printing typically involves one or two ink colors) and intimate knowledge of the printing process and the printer’s capabilities. The more skilled the printer, the more flexibility the designer has to experiment creatively.
The best design for letterpress capitalizes on the vintage nature of the printing process, capturing an authentic, vintage feel that is updated for modern style, whether it be Art Nouveau, Pop Modern, or Chinoiserie. Letterpress printing has been around since the 1400s, so there’s a wealth of stylistic history to draw on. The best designers have a broad stylistic vocabulary and thus can customize your invitations to suit your style or theme.
Real Wedding: Matt & Sarah Adler
We first met Sarah and Matt at a wedding show at San Francisco’s Fort Mason. We were immediately taken by their adorable vintage-inspired style. Sarah has demure, impeccable taste and could be a 40s-era movie queen, and Matt is always dapper and the consummate gentleman.
To our great delight, they invited us to collaborate with them on their wedding invitations. Their inspiration was tall ships and nautical imagery. They had already designed an icon for themselves, a heart and anchor. We poured over pages upon pages of nautical diagrams and images of tall ships, and created a design that combined a tall ship, lighthouse, message in a bottle, and, of course, hearts and anchors. We letterpress printed the wedding invitations, reply cards, and map. The wedding invitation suite was wrapped in a glassine, tied with baker’s twine and sealed with a wax seal bearing Sarah and Matt’s icon. Since Sarah and Matt are very crafty (Sarah subsequently contributed a DIY card-making project to our forthcoming book, Handmade Hellos), they did the assembly at home.
The wedding reception was held at the Lodge at The Regency Center, where a Maxfield Parrish-inspired theatrical backdrop set the scene. Escort cards for the guests were fashioned after the "message in a bottle" idea with each bottle containing a personal note from the bride and groom - most of the miniature apothecary-style bottles were found at antique fairs, flea markets, and on ebay. Photographer Julie Mikos took the gorgeous photos of the ceremony and Melissa of A Simple Ceremony did the exquisite floral arrangements. The stunning black and white cake was created by Carolyn Wong.
Congratulations, Sarah and Matt! We are so happy for you! Photographs courtesy of Julie Mikos and Sara Remington.
Letterpress Wedding Invitations: It’s All About Style
We have to admit it – we are style-obsessed over here at Hello!Lucky. We love seeking inspiration from all over world and from every medium imaginable, from vintage packaging to old spurs to haute couture in pursuit of creating the perfect custom invitations.
Plain and simple, style and good design give enjoyment and meaning to our lives. What we wear, how we decorate our homes, the objects we surround ourselves with, and what we write on (of course!) all contribute to the day-to-day experience of living. Our aesthetic environment shapes our psyche - great style and design can shift our outlook from stressed out to serene.
A wedding is a (sometimes daunting!) blank canvas for expressing your personal style and creating a joyful experience for your closest friends and family. The pleasure of that experience will be emotional, to be sure, but it will also be aesthetic – from the flowers, to the dress, to the invitations, and the photographs. As such, the wedding should have a design or a style to make it cohesive, positive, beautiful, and unforgettable.
Wedding invitations are the first step to creating the style of your wedding day. They are the first thing that guest will receive, and first impressions do matter. The invitation will indicate whether the event is formal or casual, what guests should wear (your guests, appropriately attired, will become immortalized in your wedding photos!), and what to generally expect from the experience. And, of course, they will showcase your fabulous taste!
Wedding invitations should be approached thoughtfully and imaginatively. Feel free to look far and wide for inspiration– from fashion to textiles to home décor. Reach beyond traditional wedding resources, and find something truly meaningful to guide your vision. Once you’ve decided on your style and theme, focus on quality design and craftsmanship, which is all in the materials and details. With wedding invitations, as with most things, great quality comes at a price or (if you are inspired to do-it-yourself) through a labor of love. The key is thoughtful consideration in creating a truly special experience for your guests.
One the wedding invitations are in the mail, you can turn your attention to styling the rest of the wedding day – it’s all in the special detailed touches, everything from flowers to food to favors. Keep these design elements in mind as you’re picking out our invitations and choosing vendors. Stay focused, organized, and seek help from experts if you’re feeling overwhelmed…it may sound clichéd but the wedding day you create truly could be the best day of your life!