Invitation Suite ~ Klein

Spencerian script engraved in crisp navy on white.

Engraved stationery, spring green, navy with white and tulips ~  just a few of my favorite things.



Invitation Suite ~ Hakeem

This week was the wedding anniversary of a very sweet bride I had the privilege to work with a few years ago, so I thought this would be the perfect time to post her invitation, as I never like to post them before the guests, themselves, receive them...therefore, I find myself posting them a year or more later!

Also, she wrote me the sweetest note I want to share.  Even when we love the work we do, kind and appreciative words, from a client, are truly priceless. ~

 

Dear Dana,



Thank you so much for creating our beautiful wedding
invitations!  Your meticulous and artistic work was the perfect introduction to
our wedding weekend.  While researching photographers for our wedding, I kept
coming across your work on their websites.  I was so intrigued that I started
looking at your website and knew I wanted you to create our special
invitations.  From the start, I knew I wanted them to be unique.  A childhood
friend created the artwork for the invitation and we wanted "non-traditional"
wording.  You made my vision come to life!!  The beautiful Italian paper with
deckled edges was perfect!  Coupled with your flourishes in eggplant ink, our
invitations are a piece of artwork!  In fact, I had our invitation framed along
with my bouquet, and it is displayed prominently over our
fireplace!

Thank you for your patience to make everything perfect!!  I
wanted the beautiful "loopy" letters and you came through!  You were so
responsive to my emails and made sure that you were creating exactly what I was
thinking!  When our invitations arrived in the big beautiful box, I could hardly
catch my breath!  I teared up immediately and KNEW that everyone would love our
invitations!  I can't imagine any other way that I wanted to announce our
wedding than with your artwork!!

Sincerely,
Lori Oxley

Invitation Suites ~ Pollard

Maybe a part of me is a little "Emily Post old fashioned" but not many wedding invitation suites are more elegant than classic, hand-written Spencerian script, engraved in black ink on 100% cotton ecru paper, with the family crest.

As much as I love tradition with a twist, some things just never go out of style.

Invitation Suites ~ Piazza

This is an invitation suite I designed a while back, and like many, have not had time to post.  The true colors are more like the photo below ~ with my lettering engraved in a beautiful café au lait ink.

I love the way the colors repeat themselves in her luscious wedding sash. Isn't it gorgeous!

I will be showing more from this elegant wedding in a featured wedding coming soon.

~~~

last two photos by LaCour

Invitation Suites ~ Lowrey

I love everything about this custom suite I created for a bride that was married this past weekend. 

She wanted a vintage, elegant feeling, for her invitation suite with a unique custom motif she could use throughout her wedding.

The calligraphy was engraved with a dark chocolate ink and combined with a chocolate tissue envelope liner ~ and of course, I addressed the envelopes with the same ink color and lettering style.

Since it was a Fall wedding, she asked me to design a unique, autumnal leaf which we could use starting with her save the date to her wedding programs and beyond.  She told me she was having it carved into an ice sculpture. I can't wait to get some professional photos to share ~ as well as to see myself.

I painted the leaf on the program, to coordinate with the hand-dyed ribbon I found for her, in the same shade of plum she was using at the wedding and reception.  (It really was not as pink as it looks in the photo - but more of a watercolor wash of the ribbon color.)

I loved seeing the ribbons lined up, as I packaged them, and look forward to seeing how she displayed them.

Here are her sweet comments about the process.

~I hope it was a perfect day for her and the groom. ~

I can’t say enough about Dana’s work except that I am blessed with the fact that I found her work online as I was searching vendors in Asheville one day. Chad and I both love visiting the mountains and Asheville in general, and decided early on that we wanted Asheville as our wedding destination.

Dana- as soon as I saw your work online I knew I wanted to have you as my wedding calligrapher. I knew I wanted to have an elegant and traditional wedding, but with a creative, vintage twist. I have had a hard time putting into words what I have visualized, but I can say I could not be happier with what you have done! It is actually my favorite part of the wedding so far and I think it has inspired a lot of my plans. And all the while, you have been so absolutely wonderful to work with and professional that I feel like I am your only client which I know is not the case because you are so freaking talented! Thank you for all you have done! 

Invitation Suites ~ Searles

This adorable bride asked me to design a contemporary invitation, with a vintage twist, based on another invitation design she had seen and liked ~ however the other style, she felt, was a bit too 'angular' and sharp for her, so here is what I came up with. I softened the capital letters and combined them with my Allegro style.  We both loved the final piece!  Here is what the bride had to say~

We LOVE them! It was like handling little perfect pieces of art. It is going to be painful to part with them! They honestly could not have turned out any better, they surpassed my expectations. They are just wonderful and I thank you one thousand times over for all the work you put into them. I wish I had sent myself 10 invitations so I could get these little beauties in the mail.

THANK YOU THANK YOU! I love the invitations, thank you for making this process so joyous for us!

Engraved in Gray Suede on Soft Ecru.

...and a close up view.

The bride later sent me this comment. The invitation really does set the tone for the entire event!

We have been getting GLOWING feedback about the invites. Everyone is just ranting about how gorgeous they are, and you can tell the invites have just upped the excitement level about the whole party 100%!  

I love to see my lettering backwards on engraving plates!

I repeated the style on seating cards, which were arranged on a mirror, and place cards that were placed on top of a gift at each place setting.

There were three long feasting tables at the reception.  Each table was divided into three sections which were named after favorite, meaningful places the couple had visited, helping each guests find their 'section' at the table.

I also designed three original menus per table.  I love the scrumptious vintage paper, which was a pale blush, combined with the soft gray calligraphy. No two pieces were alike.

Since each piece was created by hand, they are not perfectly centered ~ but that is the charm and uniqueness of handwritten pieces versus a computerized font, isn't it?

I hope to get some photos from the professional photographer to share with you in a Feature Wedding ~ but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy these I took. It was a beautiful wedding.

~~~

Invitation Suites ~ Felts

This invitation suite was designed using my flourished Spencerian script. I created it a few years ago for a bride who wanted a very elaborate and intricate invitation.  It was later submitted to a magazine and my engraver was kind enough to engrave in in several colors.  I am posting only a few.  They were all so gorgeous, but the French Blue, Copper and Sweet Pea were my favorites.  Other yummy choices were Pink Petal, Wisteria and Chocolate.

  

Your Presence is Key ~ no. 2

For brides not wanting to add an actual key to this save the date style ~ a hand-painted, illustrated key is the key.

The formal invitation and reception pieces from this wedding coming soon...

Also, I will be posting my J and K - from my alphabet project - together in a few weeks.  For now ~ little time for painting and posting as I am penciling, penning, planting, pruning and pulling. 'Tis the season for spring weddings, time spent working in my gardens and not enough hours in the day!

~~

Invitation Suites ~ Pendergrast

This is an invitation suite I created for the most precious bride last year.  Even though the couple attended the same university, they did not meet until much later, when they studied abroad in Sicily. It was not until after we already decided to do an illustration of sweet peas on the invitation that we found sweet peas are native to Sicily ~ serendipity!

The suite is also engraved on Italian paper - making it more meaningful to the couple.

The bride asked me to have the invitations engraved in an ink that coordinated with the swatch of her bridesmaid's dresses and to paint the sweet peas the color of this small piece of ribbon she sent to me. I don't think I could have gotten any closer!

She also wanted the watercolor to shimmer, reflecting the envelope liner, so I hand-painted the sweet peas on each invitation and reply card.

More on this beautiful wedding in my featured wedding this weekend.

~~~

Invitation Suite ~ A-Z

This is an older invitation suite that is still a favorite and a style that will never be dated.  It incorporates all the rich things I love ~ handmade paper, double-sided velvet ribbon, my favorite colors (green and white), engraving, embossing and some hand-lettering ... although I would have preferred it be all calligraphed.  There are so many fonts that now look very similar to calligraphy and handwriting, but as this client discovered, there are some things a font and computer cannot do - for example, create an intricate monogram.  So I took the first letters of the bride and groom's name to created a monogram and included a custom illustration.  We used this on everything from the save the dates to the programs.  ...and of course, I calligraphed the envelopes to match the font since it is a no-no to address your formal invitations with a computer/font ~ so as I see it, handwriting is never out-of-fashion, but always in style.

~~Have a beautiful week!~~

Invitation Suites ~ Brier and McDonald

On this first day of Fall, I thought it would be the perfect time to share two invitation suites I created for autumn weddings. Normally, I do not like to do the same, identical design twice but one bride wanted the same flourish and motif I had designed before ~ so I did. She asked that her leaves include more reds ~ so there is a slight variation ...and of course, the words are always different! So, I guess it really is not exactly the same design!

They are both printed in chocolate, on Italian paper, and individually hand-painted.

~~Have a lovely, fall day!~~

Invitation Suites ~ Snipes

I had so much fun creating this invitation suite. 

The bride was using eggplant and mossy greens throughout her wedding and asked me to incorporate these colors into her wedding invitation suite.

It was printed in eggplant on gorgeous Italian paper.

It is difficult to see the true colors of this suite, as I am having some camera issues, but the eggplant ink is truly beautiful. I mixed an ink to address in the same color.

The bride also asked me to illustrate an antique hydrangea for the formal invitation.

After it was printed, I hand-painted each flower.  No two were alike ~ ranging from various shades of purple to dark eggplant.

~Have a lovely week ~

Invitation Suites ~ Derby

Dianne, the bride I created this suite for, is one of the most appreciative clients I have ever had the pleasure of working with ~ a beautiful person inside and out.  Working with clients like her makes me realize why I love, love, love what I do and do what I love!!!

I want to share with you accolades from Dianne :)

“From the moment I first saw Dana Cochran’s work I knew I had to have her design my wedding invitation. Dana answered endless e-mails into the late evening hours and constantly consulted me through her design process. Her attentiveness, professionalism, and impeccable taste helped to create the invitation suite of my dreams. When I finally saw my invitation and the lettering on my envelopes I was in tears. It was exquisite. It made such an elegant statement to my family and friends before their arrival in Carmel, California for my wedding. I still receive compliments about it and no one can believe it is actually her handwriting. My matron of honor had my invitation custom framed for me since she knows how much I love it. Now everyone who visits my home will get to see Dana’s fine work.

Dana is the perfect pick for a bride with elegant taste and an appreciation for beautiful writing. I am so pleased she was part of my special day.”

Dianne Derby Knudsen 

I will share photos from this wedding this weekend~~

invitations ~ a fine line

photography ~ mike steelman

Invitation Suites ~ Stewart

This is an invitation suite and monogram I created for the sweetest bride.  It is my version of "Spencerplate" ~ combining Spencerian script with Copperplate.

I have photos of this wedding that I will post soon in a Featured Wedding.

Invitation Suites ~ Portwood

I have had several requests from clients to post some of the invitation suites I have designed ... since my website is in major need of updating, I suppose. :)  I am currently working on two suites that I can't wait to show you. They are hand-lettered and each have hand-painted watercolor flowers.  Since the brides have not even seen them, I will have to wait until they are finished and sent to their guests. I am going to start by posting some of my favorites from past weddings in a series called Invitation Suites, which I will post a few times each month.  A bride can then refer to the suite by name.

This is a suite I really loved from last summer ~ and one of my favorite scripts to do.  My calligraphy is engraved, in charcoal, on a beautiful Belgian paper and the envelopes lined in a soft, celery green.  The suite set the tone for a lovely summer wedding.



We also carry lots of others fabulous designs, through stationery lines we offer, at A Fine Line ~ both letterpress and engraved, calligraphed and not ~ all very unique and customized.

Invitations and Calligraphy ~ A Fine Line

Your Presence is Key

I had so much fun designing and constructing this save the date.  The bride and groom were engaged in Europe and wanted the announcement to reflect their style and set the tone for their upcoming wedding.  The bride said her motto was "the harder to read, the better!"

... although I do hope it is somewhat legible since I addressed all the envelopes in the same script!

The save the date is printed on fine Italian paper, with a skelton key from France tied on with a hand-dyed silk ribbon in French Roast.

I love this ribbon and the little hand-dyed cards attached to each roll, showing the color.  These are a few colors I currently have in the shop and seem to be the trend at the moment. Chocolate, eggplant, plum, mossy green and steel blue/grey have been the most requested colors I have had this year.

I am thrilled the bride loved her announcements! She said, "I couldn't have asked for anything better!"  Does that mean I met the requirement of the more unreadable the better? :)

I look forward to working with her to create her formal invitations!