Less is More: The Best Simple Wedding Invitations

Simplicity

Simplicity is one of the founding and never failing rules in the design world. It is encouraged in graphic design, photography, interior design, painting, drawing, really any aspect of art or functionality. But as a wedding designer, it ends up being harder to keep invitation design really simple. There are so many fun ways to add in cute and eye catching elements so it is easy to go overboard sometimes. As brides scroll through Pinterest they are bombarded with a abundance of patterned envelope liners, floral arrangements, ribbons, belly bands, foil, vellum and your brain is over stimulated and overwhelmed. Although all those elements can be beautiful and elegant, sometimes the best way to get there is through a more simple design.

Check out this beautiful French invitation that embrace simplicity. This invite is called “Fleur 1” and was a collaboration with an artist in Paris named, Laura Horrocks by the PAPER/PAPER company. Beautiful work!

Acrylic Vellum Invitation

Here are the acrylic invitations that I had more of a challenge with because just how simple the bride wanted it. The RSVP and envelopes are digitally printed gold with a plane vellum wrap and neutral tissue paper wrap. The acrylic invitation were done in both Spanish and English for her guest. I think they turned out very elegant despite my urge to add more colors and design elements!

Here is another beautiful example of a simple design by the design studio, Graphikkart. This font is more dramatic but the colors and other design elements keep it elegant and natural.

Jennifer Egan, Sofia Invitations, and New Cannon Library Collaboration

See how the award winning author, Jennifer Egan, the beautiful historic New Canaan Library of Connecticut, and Sofia Invitations all have in common.

Let’s talk about Jennifer Egan for a sec…

Jennifer Egan, is a award winning novelist and short story writer. Her first major successful fiction book was A Visit from the Good Squad, a set of thirteen interrelated stories with a large set of characters all connected to Bennie Salazar, a record company executive, and his assistant, Sasha. The stories shift back and forth in time from the late 1960s to the present and into the near future. Many of the stories take place in and around New York City, although other settings include San Francisco, Italy, and Kenya. The book was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award and the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2011. HBO wanted to make a show out of her novel but she turned it down because of how complex and difficult it would be to portray the time line and characters. Although that book did not make it to the screen, her first novel, Invisible Circus did. Invisible Circus stars Cameron Diaz, Jordana Brewster, and Christopher Eccleston and is about a teenage girl who travels to Europe in 1976 in search of her older sister’s suicide. She has published short fiction in  The New Yorker, Harper’s, Zoetrope: All-Story, and Ploughshares. Her other periodicals and journalism appears frequently in The New York Times Magazine.

Her most recent novel, Manhattan Beach, takes place during the World War II era and tells the haunting and propulsive intertwined stories of heroine Anna Kerrigan, the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s only female diver, her father Eddie Kerrigan, who works for both the union and the mob, and nightclub owner Dexter Styles, Eddie’s complex and charismatic boss. The book went on the to on New Yorks Times Bestseller. It was also one of New York’s “One book, one new York” pick, named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Esquire, Vogue, The Washington Post, The Guardian , USA Today, and Time.

Needless to say, she is a big deal. OH, and she also dated Steve Jobs in college.

Library of My Dreams

New Canaan Library

is located in Connecticut in the adorable town of New Canaan, Connecticut. It has been the towns intellectual center since 1877. As the town grew, the people and leaders knew the importance of a center for reading and learning and so in 1913, they built the building that it still is today, letting its legacy and inspiration live on. This library is not just a building of dusty books and old people, it is a vibrant community resource for learning and innovation, offering an extraordinary print and digital collection, dynamic  programming, reader’s advisory services, up to the minute technology, technology assistance, and maker spaces. Through their art exhibitions, musical performances, documentary film series, workshops in robotics and coding, and wellness seminars, New Canaan is a place for much more than just learning. It is a place for community, connection, and culture.

Sofia Invitations

As I wrote about in my previous blog, I lived and worked in New York for over ten years. There, I cultivated and crafted my work as a wedding designer and my business grew. Having New York City as my backyard is how I created the New York Skyline wedding invitation, which is one of my best sellers. This invitation caught the eyes of New Canon Library.

I moved to Greenville, South Carolina to be closer to family and grow my business and start a family of my own. I have been here ever since!

Check out my website and etsy shop to see my other invitations and to see if I have designed your city skyline yet:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/sofiainvitations?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

How we all Connected!

One might be asking by now, how does this small wedding invitation business from South Carolina associated with a New York Times Best Selling Author and historic mecca of learning and innovation?

New Canaan Library, the booming place that is is, needs major donations to sustain and grow. Back in 1877, they started from volunteers, donated books, and money they raised together. They still are a donation based facility, which also means elite events and luncheons to keep those checks coming. They have various events throughout the year, and last year their 11th Annual Literary Luncheon featured (you guessed it), Jennifer Egan. She attended and read from her new book , Manhattan Beach. They need unique and creative invitations to invite the right people and right wallets to come and donate to the event and library.

So they contacted me to see if I could design a custom invitation that incorporated the setting of Egan’s Book, Manhattan Beach. I looked at vintage pictures of Brooklyn to base the buildings after. I decided on a horizontal gatefold to have more room to combine the Brooklyn Bridge, which was a major setting throughout the book. I wanted to do a dusty grey color to highlight the dark time period in New York where the war loomed, mobsters ruled, and grey smog was everywhere. The submarine hat was a reference from the book that is placed on the donation cards. Check out the results below!

I am honored to be apart of this event and loved how we all connected through the love of New York, innovation, design, and learning.

References:

https://newcanaanlibrary.org/about/

http://jenniferegan.com/books/manhattan-beach/

https://www.instagram.com/newcanaanlibrary/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Egan

http://www.hojaenblanco.com/jennifer-egan-y-el-arte-de-la-escritura/

Southern Charm

Being originally from Boston and New York City gave me immense hesitancy when my husband wanted to seriously start discussing moving and taking our business to South Carolina. Although in the south, the wedding industry is abundant and thriving, I was worried about how much I would have to change my invitation style and aesthetic to fit the Southern style. Was I going to have to add palm trees, pearls, and bible verses to all my invitations from now on? We decided to make the move to be closer to our parents and family since we wanted to start a family of our own. And of course the idea of having a back yard and more than one bedroom was super appealing as well. We have been here ever sense and it turns out the embracing Southern style and culture has been much more than just monograms and stale tradition. Check out some of my favorite designs I have done that have Southern style and charm that I have come to appreciate!

The Pineapple

The pineapple has been a southern icon for centuries. It represents hospitality, what the south does the best. In the colonial times, pineapples became so hard to come by because of the war and trading was limited. The hostesses of southern homes wanted pineapple at their dinner table for guest because it was known that pineapples were so rare and hard to find at this time. The guest would know they are valued and welcomed by the simple presence of fruit. The pineapple symbol still stands today!

Monograms

Monograms are a Southern tradition that will probably never die. Rather that is a good thing or not, I wanted to find a way to embrace the monogram into my invitations in a fun and creative way. See how these monogram belly bands enhance and give all these invitations a extra special and eye catching touch.

Fancy Fonts

So many modern designs are based around simple, clean, sans serif fonts. While that style is very beautiful and popular, the south has never stopped loving the fancy feminine fonts with all the curls and twirls that go along with it. Its fun to work with a bride who loves and appreciates the slightly over the top but oh so fun fancy fonts.

Doilies

While doilies are not originally a southern invention, they represent tradition and style; something the south values very much. This beautiful letterpress invitation features a blue foil doily design, a modern way to embrace tradition!

Magnolias

Magnolias are a southern icon through and through. They are grown only in the south and are even the state flower of both, Mississippi and Louisiana. Probably more popularly associated with the movie Steal Magnolias, a film about the strong bond and friendships of six southern women despite their eccentricities and complex lives. The film features Julia Roberts, Sallie Fields, Shirley Maclaine, Olympia Dukakis, and the queen and legend of the South, Dolly Parton. Take a look at how we incorporated the magnolia in this brides invitation!

100 % a Belle

This invitation includes all the big ones: monograms, pink, fancy fonts and letterpress. This bride wanted all the components of a traditional southern invitation and she got it.

Greenville Wedding

I had to post this invitation even though I did not design it. This bride, Meagan, had already had a design previously made but needed me to letterpress print it. I loved this design she made because it is modern and simple but still pays tribute to her city and where she is from. Greenville has little mice statues hidden throughout the city and has become a quirky trademark of the city that its businesses and locals have come to love. At the bottom of her invitation and RSVP, she has a little mouse illustration; as well as a map of Greenville on the details card!