Lovely Letterpress

We happened upon these photos of  a charming letterpress wedding invitation suite via Inspired Bride and  (oh so) beautiful paper.  Maddy, bride-to-be and writer of  Inspired Bride, is also a graphic designer and lover of letterpress (we're with you Maddy!).  And, she asked us to print the beautiful stationery she designed.

How sweet is the bird and pretty dotted pattern?

So wonderful that Maddy is lending such a personal touch to her wedding and we're tickled to have helped.  You can read more details about the inspiration behind the stationery here and can visit Maddy's blog for more wedding details.

Sneak peak: New designs by Joel Dewberry

And now for a sneak peak of our new wedding designs, part deux - Joel Dewberry! Joel is an incredibly talented textile designer and whose fabrics we'd been coveting! When we finally met we instantly connected - we completely identify with his "eclectic modern" philosophy  - it was a match made in heaven! Here's a sneak peak of the results of our collaboration on a new wedding invitation collection...

These designs will be available exclusively on our website in 2 weeks (both letterpress and digital). Check back soon, and check out Joel's amazing fabrics here.

Sneak peak: New designs by EIEIO

We have long been huge fans of Jean Orlebeke over at EIEIO - she's created an amazing range of modern gift wrap designs, which are sold at high-end boutiques (think MoMA design store). She's hands-down one of the most talented designers we know, so we were thrilled when she agreed to collaborate with us on an exclusive collection of wedding invitation designs! Here's a sneak peak...

We're so excited to be working with Jean! This designs will be available in both letterpress and digital formats on our website in the next 2 weeks. Check back for more info, and call us to order in the meantime!

Photos by Sara Remington.

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to all for all the wonderful comments!  And, the winner is (drumroll please).....Mandy Murphy who wrote:

I would love to be in the drawing! The new site is awesome! I keep using the personalize option to create invites. I just can’t pick a favorite because i like so many! I hope I’m the lucky winner!!!!

Congratulations Mandy!  Please email info@hellolucky.com for the prize code which you can use toward any custom stationery on our website.

Thanks to everyone for participating - and stay tuned for more opportunities to win fabulous stationery.  You never know when the mood may strike!

One Hundred Smackers Giveaway!

We're in a celebratory mood (new President, new year, new website, etc...) and want to share the love!  So, we're giving away $100 toward any custom stationery product on our website.  Take a gander at our wedding invitations, save the dates and personalized stationery and leave a comment if you are interested in being included in the random drawing. The winner will be announced on Monday!  Good luck!

2009 Preview Party!

We recently held our 2009 Stationery Preview party and are thrilled to report that it was a huge success!  We collaborated with some of the most amazing wedding vendors in the Bay Area to transform our working letterpress studio into a beautiful event space complete with red carpet!  Above, the fab Morgan Doan, event planner extraordinaire and mastermind behind this event, and Sabrina chatting by the welcome table.  Our sponsor booklet featured our new Sparrow design by Joel Dewberry.

Guests arriving...it was a fantastic crowd - some of the best and brightest in weddings...

The studio on its way to being transformed. Got Light? did an amazing job with the lighting and draping - we were truly blown away by the difference a little "pipe and drape" made.  The back-lit bar was provided by Blueprint Studio Collection and Wildflower Linens provided the lovely table clothes. DJ John Jow turned the place into a mini-nightclub with his expert music mixing.

Jane Hammond Events provided the seriously delicious hors d'oeuvres, including bite-sized crab cakes, empinadas, and mushroom tartlets and the most amazing brownies of all time.  Andronico's Market provided the excellent wine (selected by the talented Jeffrey Porter).

We made these little buffet signs - the holder was just a standard restaurant sign holder that we spray-painted a matte pink and the orchid pattern on the sign is from one of our new collaborations with Joel Dewberry.

One of the things we were celebrating was the launch of our latest invitation collections including a collaborations with EIEIO, Joel Dewberry, Julia Rothman, and the always amazing Lab Partners.  They did a destination series featuring New York, San Francisco, Hawaii and London (London and New York pictured above).  We've already gotten such and incredible response, we're already thinking about adding some new destinations to the line!

Sharla Flock designed the gorgeous floral arrangments - we love her subtle use of color and texture.

She used pieces from our large collection of flea market found vases and bowls to create an eclectic look.

One of our talented printers, James, did demonstrations of the letterpress printing technique.

We were also celebrating the launch of our new website which we are SO excited about.  The dapper Mr. Daniel James of Three Rings and brilliant event planner, Lisa Feldman, check out the new look.

We had a whole selection of our work on display - this was a variation on our popular Cherry Blossom design - including fan programs, and round menus designed to fit into the dinner plates.  We were also introducing our new digital printing option - an excellent (and fast!) alternative to letterpress (or a budget-friendly way to augment beautiful letterpress invitations).

Gorgeous photography by Allure West.

Thank you so much to all our incredible partners in this event and to everyone who came out for the party!

Destination wedding invitations

We're thrilled to release our new Destination series wedding invitations designed by local artists (and friends!) from Lab Partners. Inspired by vintage travel posters, their adorable illustrations couldn't be more perfect for a fun San Francisco affair, a glamorous London soirée, a tropical event in Hawaii or an elegant wedding in New York!

Don't see your destination? Contact us to learn more about our custom design services.

Website sneak peak

We've been busy little bees over here at Hello!Lucky working on our new website...and it's finally almost ready!

Here's a little peak! Stay tuned for more...it's launching Monday!! (with a little luck!)

Real Vow Renewal: Nancy and Ryan

We were so delighted when Nancy over at Chronicle Books came to us with her brilliant idea for renewing her wedding vows: she asked us to create a single invitation to her husband, Ryan, to meet her at The Tides resort in Mexico to renew their vows. The invite appeared in the mail as a surprise - so romantic! Our design (available for purchase here!) was inspired by Mexican cut paper picatas, with a cute label and lined envelope.

Nancy shared these lovely pictures from their trip - love these welcome petals - so pretty!

The rooms at The Tides - perfect place for a romantic getaway!

Gorgeous star lanterns in the dining room.

The happy couple soaking up the Mexican sunshine!

Frothy drinks!  Cheers & congratulations, Nancy and Ryan!

Real Wedding: Nicole and Colin

We had a fabulous time working with Nicole and Colin on the stationery for their Bay Area wedding this past summer.   Nicole is passionate about letterpress, a design fanatic and has to be one of the most detail oriented, organized and thoughtful brides we have ever had the pleasure of  working with.   As you will see from these photos courtesy of Alisha & Brook Photographers, the results of her thoughtful planning are stunning!

Nicole writes:

 We were married in June at the Grand Island Mansion in Walnut Grove, one of the gems of the Sacramento Delta.  We wanted to create a lush, magical atmosphere for the event with a profusion of hot pink peonies, while also keeping it fresh and modern with shades of purple and fuchsia.  My primary sources of inspiration were our gorgeous Hello!Lucky invitation suite, the ethereal Anthropologie bridesmaid dresses by Saja, and my own Kenneth Pool gown.

Love this sweet photo of Colin before he sees his bride!

The floral design from the invitations was carried through to other details like table cards, reserved seating signage and letterpress programs. Can we hire him?

Floral arrangements came from Flowers by Anne  and  Got Light? provided the lighting in the ballroom including projecting a pattern from the stationery on to the dance floor.

Such a gorgeous celebration.  Congratulations Nicole and Colin!

bridal makeup:  Maria Chang of Professional Makeup Artistry

bridal jewelry:  Haute Bride

Real Wedding: Michelle and Ken

A big thanks to Mollie from Paula LeDuc Fine Catering for referring her friends, Michelle and Ken, to us for their stationery for their wedding this past September at The Tides in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.  We designed and letterpress printed invitations, menus and fan programs with a delicate floral pattern in bright raspberry and acid green.  And, from the looks of the photos from the talented Melissa Mermin, it was quite a  party (sorry, resistance is futile)...fiesta!

Fireworks, shot glass necklaces and absinthe lollipops?  Quite a festive evening, we're sure.  Love the cocktail napkin!

Congratulations Michelle and Ken!

A big thank you to Melissa Mermin Love Stories for sharing these photos.  You can read more about this wedding and see photos here.

Real Wedding: Heather and Tom

We are so excited to share these amazing photos of Heather and Tom's wedding this past August! We met Heather and Tom when they approached us to work with them on their wedding stationery.  When we heard they were getting married at Heather's dad's home in Cape Cod (where Heather grew up), we were smitten.  Oh, did we neglect to mention Heather's childhood home is an amazing 11-acre property with an apple orchard, pond and a farm house built sometime in the late 1700s?  Obviously, we drew heaps of inspiration from their venue and designed their wedding stationery accordingly - the save the dates and invitations were designed with vintage fruit crate packaging in mind.

Heather looked stunning in French chantilly gown by Liancarlo with a floral motif resembling apple blossoms.

A vibrant color palette of oranges, reds, greens, yellows and pinks was evident throughout.

Guests were greeted with vodka spiked Arnold Palmers (iced tea and lemonade) and Heather walked down the aisle to "You are My Sunshine"  performed by Uni and her Ukelele who also played during the cocktail hour.

We worked with the delightful Allison of Pineapple Productions on these seating cards which Allison threaded onto bamboo skewers and inserted into mini macintosh apples.

Allison writes:

The party tent, provided by UnderCover Tents, featured lanterns in various abstract shapes in the spectrum of late summer colors -- pomegranate red, spicy orange, mango yellow and deep raspberry.  Tables were dressed in linens in the same color palette.

Guests lounged on hay bale "sofas" draped with colorful quilt and outdoor pillows all placed under an heirloom apple tree.  We used upturned antique cranberry crates as occasional tables.  Hanging votives and staked lanterns were placed throughout the property.

Guests danced (and sang) the night away to Sticky Fingers, a Rolling Stones cover band.

Beautiful photos courtesy of Kristin Spencer Photography.  Check out more photos here.

Catering:   The Lobster Trap

Cake:   Delicious Desserts

Flowers:  E. Sandwich Florist

Congratulations Heather and Tom!

Photo shoot props

We just wrapped up a photo shoot of our brand new wedding invitation series with brilliantly talented Sara Remington, and we couldn't help but get excited about all the neat props that some of our staff brought in to liven things up!

Before shooting, we lined all the items up, and there were some fabulous flea market finds in the mix!

We've got to say, though, that some of the best items were brought in by Alex, our new sales associate, including this vintage book on how to snag a man! Pretty hilarious stuff.

Also in the mix is this retro book on the wonders of San Francisco, which matches perfectly with our new destination wedding invitation series coming out!

Now we can't wait to see how all the photos came out!

Message in a bottle save the date

While 3-d invitations can be a little extravagant (postage costs can exceed $3 a pop!), we love it when they're tied conceptually to the design or theme - like these message in a bottle save the dates we created last year. The message was tied with a blue ribbon and inserted in the bottle, which was filled with a bit of sand, and mailed in a simple cardboard mailer. So sweet! (P.S. this is a great DIY project!)

Real Wedding: Mary-Kevin and Patrick

This week we're thrilled share these gorgeous pictures of the wedding of Mary-Kevin (founder of Luxe Paperie) and her husband, Patrick. The wedding took place on July 19 in La Jolla, California. The bride wore a beautiful gown by Jenny Yoo, and used pink peonies in her hair and bouquet. The groom wore a summer suit from J. Crew and an orchid.

The ceremony took place at Calumet Park in La Jolla, with a garden party at the lovely Darlington House. Each guest received a program and a fan decorated with a pretty DIY patterned flag that said "Welcome."

The reception was on a veranda surrounded by lovely rose bushes...

Mary-Kevin used lots of DIY details throughout the celebration. She writes:

We also made our favors, which were kraft boxes filled with salt water taffy from my most favorite sweet shop...Marini's at the beach in Santa Cruz.  We tied the boxes with brown and white baker's twine and a tag that we made using a custom rubber stamp and white tags that you can purchase at any office supply store.  My mom also participated in the diy fun...she made the beautiful champagne colored silk shantung runners that were used on the dining tables!

Mary-Kevin's stunning (and, we're sure, delicious!) cake was by Miette Patisserie, one of our favorite bakeries in San Francisco:

Mary-Kevin used our Cherry Blossom wedding invitation with calligraphy by the talented Crystal Kluge. We provided patterned papers and images from the invite, which she used to make custom rubber stamps and other DIY details.

An avid collector of milk glass, the bride used several stunning pieces to present the cake and other baked goods/sweets. The couple asked guests to fill out "Wish" tickets - such a cute idea!

These fabulous photos were taken by Carrie McCluskey.

Congratulations, Mary-Kevin and Patrick!

Designer Wedding Show

We're exhibiting our wedding invitations at the Designer Wedding Show in London this weekend - here's a sneak peak of our stand in the process of being set up...

Also at the show are gorgeous selection of wedding vendors and designers, including Temperley London and The Vintage Wedding Dress Company.

Please stop by and say hello!

Designer Wedding Show 10 - 12 October Battersea Park, London

Inspired Cake!

French Deco is one of our favorite wedding invitation designs.   Inspired by a vintage French perfume label, it reminds us of the Great Gatsby and a sparkling '20's charm and elegance.  We think that the invitation really sets the tone for any event (ok, so perhaps we're a little biased, but still!), and love the idea of drawing inspiration from the invitations for all kinds of event details.  So when we came across this cake designed by the talented Shinmin of I Dream of Cake for one of our brides, we couldn't help but emit a little yip of pleasure! We're sure it was as delicious as it is stylish.

Visit I Dream of Cake to see more elegant cake designs.

Real Wedding: Julia and Mathew

We were thrilled to receive photos from friend and collaborator Julia's recent wedding, beautifully shot by Jennifer Causey.  Julia and Mathew were married at The Oaks on Long Island, a beautiful estate on the water.

The classic green and white color scheme was carried throughout. We love that Julia bucked tradition and had her bridesmaids select their own dresses in various shades of green.

The wedding was full of handcrafted details featuring Julia's illustrations, of course!

Julia herself looked radiantly happy in a dress from David's Bridal and a hairpiece from ban.do.

Congratulations to Julia and Mathew! It looked like an amazing evening.

Real Wedding: Liz and Ryan

Thanks to Audrey of Urbanic Paper Boutique for sharing these adorable photos of her friends' wedding.  The couple coordinated their invitations with Audrey and chose our Classic Cowboy letterpress wedding invitation.  We love this invitation (no bias here, of course) and were especially pleased with the eye catching color palette they settled on.

The invitation, in pool and lucky red inks, makes such a refreshingly cheery and bold statement for what is sure to be a festive day.

The crisp color palette was evident in the the rest of the the thoughtfully planned details on the wedding day.  The cool blue of the Pacific Ocean provides such a lovely backdrop for the ceremony though we have to say that the popcorn bag seating cards take the cake!

Such a quaint, fun and creative touch...details like these make for such a warm and memorable celebration.  For more firsthand info about this wedding and others, please visit Audrey's blog.

And, if you're in the area, be sure to visit Urbanic Paper Boutique for greeting cards, personalized stationery, unique gifts and more.  Check out photos of the space in Venice, CA  here.

Real Wedding: Aleishall & Matthew

Thanks to Ritzy Bee for bringing our attention to these gorgeous photos of Aleishall & Matthew's wedding by photographer Mel Barrow. When we met Aleishall, she was running Olive & Peach, a delicious food site she had co-founded with long-time friend Katie Lee Joel, so it was natural that food should feature in their wedding invitation design. We created this pen-and-ink illustration of two pears, complemented by Aleishall's own gorgeous hand lettering, and letterpress printed it on coaster board.

Mel captured these gorgeous photos of their nuptials in Golden Gate Park.

Love these romantic peony flower arrangements, and the sweet little hand-made ring box below!

The intimate ceremony was followed by dinner at Greens Restaurant, a mecca for organic, eco-conscious cuisine in San Francisco. See more photos here