Watercolor Wedding Invitations | Established 2012

fall wedding

Real Wedding
Rustic, gold foiled wedding at Front and Palmer
- January 14, 2016
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- by Allison
Jill and Poya were one of my favorite couples from 2015. I met them at last year’s Lovesick Expo and worked closely with them throughout the year on their custom save the dates, custom wedding invitations and wedding day paper. This couple was unique for me because while Jill managed the stationery process, I worked with both the bride and groom during the design. This clearly shows what a great team the two of them make.

Jill and Poya’s wedding in so many ways felt like my own wedding because along with the bride’s mom, the couple DIY’ed a lot of the decorations for their autumn wedding. I could definitely empathize with the amount of work that was to take on. But it is that effort and personal touch that truly made their wedding unique. The warmth exuding from the photos is clearly from love.

Jill and Poya were also my first clients to add gold foil to their wedding invitations, which added a lovely, antique look to the rustic design. Gold foil is so trendy right now, and for good reason—it’s lovely. They were also the first that decided not to add watercolor to their invitation suite (it was on their save the date). In my opinion the meaning of hand-painted can be taken literally or it can be taken as a couple who makes their wedding their own by painting it with love, and that is surely what this couple did.

I was fortunate enough to get the bride to give us some personal behind the scenes of her wedding, which are sprinkled throughout this post. Enjoy!

Allison: How did your wedding invitations tie into the look of your wedding?

Jill: “What Allison designed for us was perfect and just the look we were going for. We wanted something simple, a little rustic, and at the same time a little catchy, and I think Allison achieved all of those objectives with her design. The layering in of gold in particular was somewhat important to us because gold was one of the colors we featured throughout our décor. We were also able to incorporate Allison’s invitation design into the décor – both in our escort cards as well as our table cards. We really liked the consistency and clean feel that created.”

Allison: What was your favorite detail at your wedding?

Jill: “While I was so pleased with everything, I think the venue was my overall favorite aspect of the wedding. It was exactly what we wanted, and we knew that as soon as we saw it! We wanted something rustic, but still classic, and I think Front and Palmer definitely strikes that balance.”

Allison: Favorite moment at your wedding?

Jill: “My now-husband had a wonderful surprise for me – he hopped on stage and played a few songs on his guitar! Not only was seeing him in action such a treat (I generally only hear him playing in our apartment when I am trying to go to sleep!), but seeing everyone dance and sing along was wonderful.”

Photographer: LoveMeDo Photography | Venue: Front and Palmer | Gown: Sarah Seven gown from Lovely Bride | Florals: Beautiful Blooms | Videography: Lovesick inc.
Hand-Painted Other Wedding Goods
Autumn Leaves Watercolor Favor tags
- June 19, 2015
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- by Allison
Finishing out the week with some Autumn Leaves Watercolor favor tags I painted and designed for those popular fall weddings out there.

These watercolor favor tags would look beautiful tied onto bags of edible treat favors. Those edible treat favors can be autumn themed such as s’mores, caramel popcorn, candy apples, or mini pies.

What I like about custom favor tags is that you can customize the favors with the tags while leaving the favors classic and more universally liked. I’m not sure who likes those picture frames that say the couple’s names and wedding dates. I’m also a big fan of edible favors because they are cost-effective, can easily tie in a seasonal theme, and as a guest they come after a night of dancing and possibly a couple hours after the cake was served, making it the perfect time for a treat!

Autumn Leaves Watercolor favor tags now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Shop.
Hand-Painted Invitations
Autumn Invitation with Gold Shimmer Accents
- June 17, 2015
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- by Allison
This beautiful custom autumn invitation with hand-painted gold shimmer accents is an extension of the couple’s custom autumn save-the-date postcard that I featured on Monday’s blog post. One of the fun parts of my job is figuring out how to expand and grow a design from piece to piece such as I did here from the Save-the-Date to Invitation. It is much more fun if wedding paper is similar but not too matchy-matchy.

In this design the intertwined branches on the strong trees of the Save-the-Date design are zoomed into the delicate branches intwining in this loose border around the invitation. These intertwining branches expand and crawl into the edges of the RSVP card. The zooming into the branches is quite fitting from the Save-the-Date to the Invitation as the guest’s get more information about the upcoming wedding. I love how delicate yet strong this design is. I worked with this couple to design their Save-the-Dates at the same time as their Invitation and they were then able to stagger mailing them out.

Both the Save-the-Date postcards and the invitation had the gold watercolor accents added to them so they had a gold shimmer under the light, which I zoomed into for you in the photos above. Gold watercolor accents are a great alternative to gold foil for a couple that is looking to subtly add gold to their organic designs.

Custom Autumn Invitation by Hand-Painted Weddings.
Hand-Painted Invitations
Autumn Save-the-Date Postcard with Gold Shimmer
- June 15, 2015
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- by Allison
Autumn invitations…my favorite! I worked with the bride, Katie, to create her custom Invitation package including their Save-the-Dates. The Autumn Save-the-Date features two trees with intersecting branches which subtly symbolizes the strength of each tree (or person) as they intersect their lives together in marriage. The invitations are an extension of this design and zoom into the branches further…but I will share with you the invitation designs tomorrow!

Katie chose to have her Save-the-Dates as postcards. One little tip I like to give couples who choose to send out postcards is to ask their local post office to hand-cancel their postcards. Many couples choose to do this for their invitations as well, but particularly for a postcard, you’ll want to add that special attention. The reason I push this for postcard in particular is because some of the machinery that pulls the postcards through for metering tends to scuff up the cards. Not every post office does hand-canceling so be sure to inquire ahead of time, and drop off your Save-the-Date postcards or invitation sets during a slow time at the post office.

This couple also decided to have a little gold shimmer added to their designs. This is a great alternative to gold foil. I printed the Save-the-Date postcards and painted shimmery gold watercolor accents to the leaves on the front and back of the design. In the light, these gold accents shimmer beautifully!! Gold is all the rage these days, and it is perfect for autumn weddings, so if gold foil is not in your price range and a little too structured in design for you, consider adding a hand-painted gold shimmer to your order.

Custom Autumn Wedding Save-the-Date Postcard by Hand-Painted Weddings.
Hand-Painted Invitations
Add a Little Gold Shimmer to Your Wedding: Autumn Reflections
- September 5, 2014
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- by Allison
A little Autumn beauty for your nearly-fall Friday! We are now offering an add-on option for the Autumn Reflections invitation to add a little gold shimmer to your invitation and RSVP card. The shimmer is glorious in the light while exuding a down-to-earth feel in the same way Autumn shows its glorious colors around this time of year and yet leaves a earthy, rooted quality in all of us.

Autumn is my very favorite time of year! It is a time of reflection and gratitude. I know I have a lot to be grateful for this fall!

Please note that the Autumn Reflections design can be customized into Reception day paper goods such as Menus, Ceremony Programs, Escort Cards, Table Numbers, etc. Simply contact me here for your custom quote.

Autumn Reflections Invitation (with Gold Shimmer Add-On) by Hand-Painted Weddings.
Hand-Painted Programs
Inspired for Fall: Perfect Addition to Your Autumn Ceremony
- August 21, 2014
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- by Allison
It has been a fairly mild summer in Philly this season, and even though it is still August, I already feel the first signs that autumn is right around the corner. I love autumn, but I’m making these last few weeks of summer count with trips to the water park, beach, and the many outdoor beer gardens that have popped up in Philly this summer.

In preparation for all the exciting autumn weddings that are right around the corner, I wanted to share these two lovely photos that were taken of the Hand-Painted Weddings Pumpkin ceremony program in action as well as a peek of the customized Pumpkin invitation framed in the basket at one of our fall 2013 clients’ wedding. It doesn’t get much more autumn-inspired than the pumpkin! This would be a perfect addition to any fall wedding.

Remember, if you are interested in customizing any of the hand-painted signature invitation suite designs into ceremony programs, please contact me. I’d be happy to provide more information!

Photos courtesy of McConville Studio.
Hand-Painted Invitations
Hand-Painted Invitation: Autumn Reflections
- November 7, 2012
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- by Allison
The Hand-Painted Autumn Reflections Invitation is perfect for a (Drumroll, please)…an Autumn wedding. Particularly one that is near or on a lake. Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

This invitation is very different than the Autumn Leaves Invitation but would be nice in conjunction with an Autumn Leaves Save-the-Date. Which brings up a good point…Did you know that I can take existing designs and paintings from the Shop Invitations tab and create your own custom invitations, designs, menus, programs, etc. to coordinate with or stand-alone items for your wedding? Yep, that’s right! Contact me for more details.

Today, in Philadelphia, we are bracing for another storm…one with snow! I can’t believe it. I hope everyone in the Northeast stays safe today.

The Autumn Reflections Invitation is now available under the Shop Invitations tab.
Inspired by
Autumn Reflections
- November 5, 2012
- 1 Comment
- by Allison
Autumn is a perfect time to reflect. Nature gets a bit quieter as things die down for the year. The trees shed their life in the most magical way for us to enjoy. The smells change from blooming flowers to cozy smells of burning fireplaces. The air loses a bit of its heaviness and becomes crisp and cool. The days become shorter causing people to move indoors earlier in the evening. All of these changes create a beautiful setting to reflect on your life. If not your life, maybe just your year. This is the brief moment before the craziness of the holidays where you simply must take the opportunity to breath in the magic and reflect.

This painting is inspired by the beautiful reflection of the fall foliage onto Lake Jean during our last camping trip to Ricketts Glen National Sate Park.

Autumn Reflections Invitation is now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation shop.
Hand-Painted Invitations
Hand-Painted Pumpkin Invitations
- October 26, 2012
- 1 Comment
- by Allison
The Hand-Painted Pumpkin Invitation features a couple of orange pumpkins, one a bit smaller than the other. As I had stated before I think that the stems are the most interesting part of a pumpkin so I really zoomed in on the upper half of the pumpkin on the right in the invitation design. I think the design is cheerful but in a quiet Autumn sort of way.

It is also the first Hand-Painted Shop Invitation that includes your very own hand-painted lettering for your names. The Pumpkin Invitation is now available for ordering.
Hand-Painted Save-the-Dates
Perfect Seckel Pear Save-the-Date
- September 27, 2012
- 1 Comment
- by Allison
The Seckel Pear Save-the-Date has a lovely vintage feel to it. It would be great for the couple who is having a lot of vintage elements in their wedding. I think this vintage aesthetic works wonderfully with an Autumn wedding. There is something so cozy and charming about it. Also pears are seasonally appropriate for a wedding during the fall.

Have I mentioned that Autumn is my favorite season? It is the season of learning and slowing down to notice all of the subtle changes in the air. It is crisp air, warm colors, charming pumpkins, apples galore, light jackets, and fantastic scarves!

The Seckel Pear Save-the-Date is now available for ordering under the Shop Save the Dates tab.
Work in Progress
Work in Progress: Seckel Pear Still Life
- September 24, 2012
- 1 Comment
- by Allison
Two weekends ago at the farmer’s market I picked up some beautiful seckel pears with the intention of setting up a still life. This past weekend I started that still life. Here is a sneak peak of the painting. I have masked out the candle and the leaf branch during this stage of the painting. I love doing still lifes! It brings back my days of taking art classes. There is something so relaxing and meditative about drawing and painting a still life.

To view the Seckel Pear Save the Date, click here. Seckel Pear Save the Date now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Save the Date shop.

Painting by Hand-Painted Weddings.
Inspired by
Inspired by Classic Back-to-School Apple
- August 28, 2012
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- by Allison
Have you ever wondered where the tradition of giving an apple to a teacher came from? I wonder if it is because apple are in season at the beginning of the school year. Or maybe it is because of the smart, health benefits of “eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Whatever the reason, I like it.

Cherishing a single piece of fruit is so simple and yet so charming. There is this scene in Little Women where Jo is peeling an orange as a treat at her desk on a snowy day, and that orange looks like the most decadent treat in the world. That is what I think about when I think of gifting an apple to a teacher at back-to-school time….the beauty of slowing down and savoring the exquisite taste of an apple in season.

Back to School wedding invitation available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Invitation shop.
Hand-Painted Invitations
Hand-Painted Invitation: Autumn Leaves
- August 17, 2012
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- by Allison
I know it is a bit early to be so excited for fall and that I should probably just enjoy every moment of summer while it lasts because summer is a pretty freakin’ awesome season too, but I can’t help myself!

This invitation is perfect for an autumn wedding! Autumn weddings have become more and more popular here in the northeast the last few years. I tribute that to a lot of couples adoring fall foliage as much as I do. The bright colors in this invitation can’t be beat!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! See if you can spot your first autumn leaf!

Note: The Autumn Leaves Invitation is available for purchase under the Hand-Painted Weddings Shop Invitations tab!