Introducing ‘Sweethearts‘, the latest of our new designs for 2011.  The inspiration behind this design is unashamedly romantic with the two hearts linking together signifying the bond of marriage.    These cards are a small work of art with  handmade linked hearts in gold or silver plated wire attached to ribbon and pearlescent beads used to sew the ribbon to silk paper with either gold or silver thread.  This is then mounted onto high quality 300gsm natrelle card with gold or silver foil printing and completed with 135gsm inserts.  We are certain that there is something for everyone with this new design as it’s available in 29 colours and can be finished in gold or silver to suit your colour theme perfectly.  The colours available are black, silver, old gold, chocolate, snow white, eggshell, ice blue, larkspur blue, royal blue, purple, lavender, violet, pale lilac, pink, baby pink, perla, cerise pink, raspberry, burgundy, red, brick red, tangerine, orange, yellow, light yellow, apricot,  lime, emerald and hunter green.  Yes indeed, we have been busy!

Origami Wedding Invitations from Paperbird

We like to uncover wedding stationery that is a little out of the ordinary and these Origami wedding invitations from Paperbird Design are our latest find.  We don’t usually start with the price but I think it is only fair in this instance because it may put some readers off.  Each invitation and envelope costs between £7.00 to £11.00 each depending on the complexity of the design.  This sounds expensive but I guess if you break it down into cost per fold you soon realise that is the labour that you are paying for here and not the materials (not to forget the rather exclusive design).

These origami designs are part of the Paperbird Signature range which includes paper fold creations featuring either a Heart, Lily, Lotus Flower or Butterfly.  I imagine, the butterfly design will be very popular because the delicate folds lend themselves well to this popular wedding theme.  My favourite is the Lotus Flower which I believe is the most expensive but it certainly looks the most complex and I have blogged about the symbolism of the Lotus flower before as a symbol of sexual purity in marriage.   The design comes with a clever protective folding envelope but I would question how vibrant those petals would look after they have been through the postal machines at Royal Mail.  Unlike most wedding stationery companies Paperbird do not appear to have a minimum order quantity so perhaps this design may be best suited to give to close family and friends where the invitations can be hand delivered.

Lotus Flower Origami Wedding Invite

Finally, if price is the only put off here, you could order the DIY option.  You get a ream of paper, a ream of card, and a reel of ribbon, a set of false finger nails, and a waste paper bin…… only joking.

Crystal Heart

Scouring magazines and trawling the internet as I do, to bring you some of the best wedding stationery designs on the market can sometimes be, franlky dull.  I often see the same old styles copied over and over again, with the same old bits and bobs stuck on cards that anyone could make, so it’s a real treat to find some refreshing designs such as this Crystal Heart wedding stationery range from Especiallymade.  It features a crisp white card with cut out heart from which a sparkling heart shaped Swarovski crystal dangles for maximum sparkle, finished off with a sheer organza ribbon.  The Swarovski crystal hearts and organza ribbon are available in a myraid of colours and there is a fully coordinated range of wedding stationery available.  A bespoke service is also offered if you’re after something specific and on their gallery of recent work is one of the most unusual inivtations I’ve ever seen based on a Paris themed wedding, take a look.

Paris Theme

These wedding invitations from artist Rebecca Stidson are truly unique, not just because they are all individually hand painted by her, but on each card the insert is printed parchment that is then sewn into the card with metallic thread for a really unusual look.  As she says, each card is a mini piece of art!  Because they are handmade, you can choose colours to suit you and she can design something especially for you.  What amazes me most though is the cost, I would expect to pay a premium for such time consuming work, but her invitations are priced at £2.20, with Orders of Service costing £2.50 and place cards just 80p. 

Dreamy heart clouds with your names printed in them sit on floral and spiral designed card to give a pretty and romantic wedding invitation from Pink Tulip.  The fully coordinated stationery is shown in six colours on their website, but if you have a specific colour you would like your stationery, then for a £10 charge you can send them a swatch and they will match it for you.  The pricing is split into quantity bands with the cost for 50-74 cards being £2.50 each for the wedding invitations which includes a white envelope.  Table plans are very reasonably priced at £18, so if your looking for unique and contemporary wedding stationery that can be tailored to your liking, have a look at their website.  

The great thing about handmade wedding stationery is that you can customise the colours to match your wedding.  I just love the Aura Crystal design from the Handcrafted Card Company.  The hearts are of course handmade and the colour can be changed to pick out any colour in your dress, flowers, or reception decor.  The other half of the heart is dipped in either silver of gold or enamel which creates a wonderful fire glazed finish.

I love the turquoise blue finish on the colour scheme shown and together with the twisted silver wire embellishment I think this design would be ideal for a winter wedding.  The sparkling diamante crystal symbolising a single snowflake.  There is a large range of items in the Aura Crystal collection so you can really go for a coordinated look and I was particularly impressed with the quality of the Table Plans.  The double frame around each table is cut to perfection and is great to see a table plan made to such a high standard.  Good quality handmade wedding stationery is often let down with ancillary items such as the table plan.  Not in this case.