One of the simplest but most dramatic letterpress wedding invitation suites in our Dependable Weddings collection is Craneway, a modern black-and-white suite. Craneway can be dressed up (with wax seals and silk ribbon) or kept simple. With or without luxury finishing touches, its soft cotton stock, dramatic black letterpress and modern type design really stand out.
Design process
We originally designed this invitation suite for Dillan and Steve’s modern black tie wedding at the Craneway Pavilion. The design balances playfulness with formality, maintains a simple, elegant black and white color palette, and incorporates luxurious touches where possible.
We wanted to create a sense of drama and excitement for the recipient, and we took several steps to do so. We made the announcement card oversized, printing it on an A9 sized double thick cotton card, rather than the standard A7 size. The RSVP envelope is black with silver printing, which creates contrast and visual interest. Finally, a wax seal with the couple’s monogram, and a black raw silk ribbon encircling the suite completed the modern black-tie look.
The type design features a playful, modern, but very legible handwritten font for the couple’s names and the headers. We paired it with a more formal, traditional serif typeface in small caps for the text. We made sure to use a font pairing that is uncommon in the letterpress wedding invitation market, so that this suite would feel modern and fresh, despite its simple format.
Production
Most importantly, we paid the highest level of care and attention to the letterpress printing for this suite. Dillan and Steven wanted the text to be as black as possible, while remaining crisp. To achieve this, we paid special attention to ink coverage. Of course, they also wanted to see a deep bite or impression into the bright white paper (as many letterpress clients do)! So we carefully walked the line between creating a deep impression and maintaining the structural integrity of the paper.
We also assembled, addressed, and mailed this suite. We offer both modern handlettering and formal calligraphy, but in this case we digitally addressed the envelopes. Though not as personal as calligraphy, digital addressing creates a perfect match between the outside and inside of the envelope. The complex assembly for this suite meant that the couple saved significant time by hiring us to complete that portion of the process. Mailing services also really benefit couples who are traveling or moving to a new city in the months leading up to their wedding, like Dillan and Steve.
Rebecca Pfiffner of Be Hitched provided the event design and planning for Dillan and Steve’s wedding, and we worked closely with her in creating the coordinating day-of paper for this wedding.
shop the design
Like all the suites in Dependable Weddings, Craneway has coordinating designs for save-the dates, as well as thank-you cards and various day-of items, which are available by request.
For more details, and to shop this design as well as our other letterpress wedding invitations, click here. We provide transparent pricing for all of our suites, but if you are interested in further customization don’t hesitate to get in touch. We happily provide quotes for additional customization if desired.
This suite was designed by Annemarie Munn of Lady Bones Print Co. for Dependable Letterpress.
Photos by Trista Maja Photography