I’m excited about this first post in a new series I’m calling, “Color Me This!”, looking at color and inspiration. One of the first questions that I ask a bride when we meet to discuss invitations is about her color palette. Color (or lack thereof) seriously informs the design of a wedding from the beginning to the end.

Recently, we worked with a bride who was getting married at a beautiful, sort of crumbly ruin set in a lush garden located in Antigua, Guatemala. She started by sending just a couple pictures of the venue so that I could get an idea of the mood/feel of the place.

As you can see, there are beautiful neutrals (layer upon exposed layer!) and soft green grass, blue skies and a boatload of colors to choose from. Our client didn’t feel like she had “wedding colors” that she was tied to, but wanted to incorporate soft natural colors taken from the venue and its surroundings.

We landed on a color palette of fresh and light, airy blues, greens and grays.

Although the venue felt organic and natural, the tables were set with crisp white linens, silver beaded plates and silver flatware… we needed to keep the invitation spirit in line with the classic nature of the wedding decor.

And here’s where we ended up:

Utilizing simple slate gray ink letterpressed on cotton paper for the front of the invitation, we maintained the integrity of the classic, upscale mood, but injected personality and whimsy by adding reverse side letterpress printing in a variety of inks and patterns. We pulled in silver with the calligraphy, and utilized a few pops of spring green and lamb’s ear (minty green) alongside the dark and light grey inks.

You get a really great picture of all those colors coming together with the above shot where all the parts and pieces are layered and assembled.

Gone are the days of black script straight down the page! What’s your inspiration? A beach scene? Fun and festive barn? Joyful backyard bash? Let’s turn it into a color palette and paper suite worth singing about!

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