Tickled Ink

Tickled Ink

Choosing Fonts

Emily Johnson

Being an artist at heart, I absolutely love painting or illustrating crests, maps, monograms, and all things custom. But some brides would prefer to keep the invitation clean with just fonts, and have custom details on the envelope liners, belly bands, vellum wraps, or other cards (or none at all). The font choice really impacts the style of the invitation. Choosing the right font can be overwhelming, but as a graphic designer and typography “nerd”… I am here to guide you through it! During the initial phone consultation I discuss the wedding style, colors, and budget with the bride. This gives me an idea of the fonts that would work well, and I also suggest that the bride sends me some inspiration from Pinterest or my website to make sure we are on the same page. I have taken some photos of previous wedding invitations with only fonts to demonstrate some of my client’s favorite styles.

  1. Classic Script + block print: this font has been very popular for the traditional bride. All of these invitations have the same font, with different variations in the printing and invitation size (also some of the capital letters are a “fancier” option, but it is still the same font).

We can add a custom envelope liner (or other embellishments) to the traditional invitation suite to make it more unique. I painted this mountain scene for a personal touch.

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2. Formal Script- below are some examples of more formal swirly scripts. In addition to the font chosen, you can also see the difference in all script and mixing with script and block fonts.

5x7 invitation suite in taupe letterpress with a simple border

5x7 invitation suite in taupe letterpress with a simple border

Traditional and formal script, medium size invitation, in taupe letterpress

Traditional and formal script, medium size invitation, in taupe letterpress

5x7 size invitation suite, gold foil printing

5x7 size invitation suite, gold foil printing

5x7 invitation suite, letterpress printed in taupe, adding a card stock to frame and a ribbon.

5x7 invitation suite, letterpress printed in taupe, adding a card stock to frame and a ribbon.

Black letterpress, all script, medium size invitation

Black letterpress, all script, medium size invitation

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Charcoal engraved invitation suite on cream paper, medium size invitation, all script.

3. Clean + Simple- the following invitations feature a script font that brings a fresh, simple, slightly modern, yet still a very traditional feel to this suite.

4. Playful, swirly script + block fonts. This invitation is a fun script for the bride who wants clean and simple, but not too “traditional”. I added a hand drawn flourish of leaves with flower buds to break up the wording, which is also a way to add an illustration without it being too “much” (although I love illustrations, some brides prefer simplicity for the invitation).

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5. Modern calligraphy font + block font. These invitations feature a modern font with block fonts. The first one is the same as the above invitation, which shows a whole different look. The second photo shows how different the black paper looks with a modern font.

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5x7 invitation, white script on black card stock, digital printing

5x7 invitation, white script on black card stock, digital printing

6. Hand Calligraphy- this is a beautiful way to have your invitation custom while still keeping it simple. This invitation is calligraphy (no fonts) and all script. The calligraphy style, just like the font, can transform the look of the invitation. Hand calligraphy is a custom fee, but it is so beautiful!

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In another post I will talk about adding other embellishments and the different printing types, because all of these decisions play a big part in the overall invitation suite. Leave the design up to me, and I will walk you through the process…. I am here to make this part of your wedding one less thing you have to worry about!

Tess + Richard: Barnsley Gardens

Emily Johnson

Bride and Groom: Tess + Richard | Wedding Planner: V Love Events  | Photographer: Bamber Photography

Venue: Barnsley Gardens | Location: Adairsville, Georgia | Flowers: The Clay Pot

Wedding Style: Classic + Romantic | Invitation Printing and design by Tickled Ink: Taupe Letterpress with double thick invitations, vellum, wax seals | Save the Dates, Invitations, and all products below (signage, place cards, koozies, napkins, itinerary (and drawing of the couple’s dog, Pablo), were designed and created by Tickled Ink and designer, Emily Johnson | Drawing of Barnsley Gardens was provided by the bride’s sister | Monogram was drawn and provided by Laura Lines

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Nickie + Matthew: Reynolds Plantation

Custom Design, Monograms, Vintage, Outdoor, Romantic, Luxury, Hand DrawnEmily Johnson

Bride and Groom: Nickie + Matthew | Wedding Planner: An Elegant Occasion Photographer: Kristy Dickerson

Venue: Private Estate at Reynolds Plantation | Location: Lake Oconee | Cake: Lush Cakery | Calligraphy: Ginna Dunlap

Wedding Style: Vintage + Romantic | Invitation Printing: Gold Engraved with Deckle Edge Arturo Paper, Custom Pocket Folders, design, and custom drawings/monogram all designed by Tickled Ink and used throughout their wedding

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Yakira + John: Atlanta Luxury

Custom Design, Foil Printing, Invitations, Luxury, Modern, Monograms, RomanticEmily Johnson

Bride and Groom: Yakira + John | Wedding Planner: Elly B Events Photographer: Milanes Photography

Venue: Private Estate | Location: Bishop, Georgia | Florals: Akeem Clayton

Wedding Style: Modern + Romantic Luxury | Invitation Printing: Custom Box & Pocket Folio with Gold foil, custom design, and custom monogram all designed by Tickled Ink and used throughout their wedding

As seen on Inside Weddings

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Haleigh + Trey

Emily Johnson

Every wedding invitation that we create is a little different, unless a bride orders from our pre-designed collection. This sweet bride wanted a delicate wreath with a custom vintage monogram. Designer Emily Johnson hand drew this wreath (which can now be ordered as one of our pre-designed monograms) for this bride and created a vintage monogram. The wedding mark featured the first names of the bride and groom (this is the etiquette before the wedding, we will talk about the monogram etiquette in a different post). Haleigh and Trey used this monogram for their Save the Dates, invitations, ceremony programs, and napkins. After the wedding, Haleigh also ordered thank you cards with her monogram. Innamorata Photography did a beautiful job capturing these photos (the first three photos below) of our work from Haleigh and Trey's wedding. We had so much fun working with this sweet bride and congratulations to both of them!

Napkins with gold foil

Save the Dates and Invitations (with gold foil and letterpress)

Ceremony Programs (fold over)

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Callie + James

Emily Johnson

Because I work behind the scenes with most brides, the conversations usually consist of the initial consultation (either by phone or in person), and emails about the order and proofs (sometimes a lot of emails depending on the complexity of the order and design). Although I only spoke to this bride on the phone a few times and never met her in person, she was a very sweet bride, and I was honored to design these invitations for her. 

This bride and groom got married at the Aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina. She wanted the invitations to be a mix of modern calligraphy font with a monogram that she could use on everything. She wanted the monogram to resemble the gates of Charleston, and it was hand drawn. The invitations were printed in one-color black letterpress, and the envelope liners were black and white striped to have a bold look.

Callie and Jim- wishing you both the happiest life together and it was such a joy to be able to create and design these for you!

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DoAnn + Sam

Emily Johnson

This bride and groom were married at White Oaks Barn in Dahlonega, Georgia. They wanted a rustic and calligraphy style invitation printed in navy letterpress with navy envelopes. We were thrilled to work with this sweet bride, and hope that she loved the invitation suite!

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Amy + Dan

Emily Johnson

Amy and Dan were married in beautiful Lake Oconee, at the Ritz-Carlton. They wanted a very traditional and elegant invitation suite. While I love creating something hand drawn or painted, I also love the beauty of these script invitations printed in one-color charcoal letterpress on Royalty size invitations. 

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For the rehearsal dinner invitations, this couple wanted something custom designed in a picnic style, yet still simple. 

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Congratulations, Amy and Dan! It was such a pleasure working with you on these!

Susie + Joe

Emily Johnson

Susie and Joe were married in Texarkana, and they wanted a hand drawn custom crest with quail and greenery. I designed a few for this lovely couple to choose from, here is a screenshot of some of the crests...

 I love the crest that they chose! The invitation suite was printed in one-color black letterpress, and with black and white envelope liners in a floral pattern. The bride purchased the monogram for her to use on all of the wedding materials, which brides can either do that, or they can choose to order everything through Tickled Ink. Enjoy!

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Amanda + Greg

Emily Johnson

This wonderful and sweet bride and groom loved to be unique and wanted everything custom, and because they were open to so many creative possibilities.... it made my job TONS of FUN! I created several different pieces for this lovely bride and groom starting in February of 2016 for their New Years Eve wedding on December 30, 2016. I am just SO excited to finally share all of these pieces. This blog post has most of pieces that were designed for this couple. I absolutely loved having the opportunity to be a part of such a special year for these two. 

This couple really knew how to think out of the box, and after getting engaged, they had a "Proposal Reveal Party" to ask their groomsmen and bridesmaids to be in their wedding. They gave each bridesmaid and groomsmen boxes as a gift and in the box, I created the signage "Will you be my Bridesmaid", and fold out packet for her bridesmaid's gift box, and the magnets. All the photos from this party are taken by the talented Cindy Harter and I so appreciate her sharing these photos!

PROPOSAL REVEAL PARTY

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For the groomsmen boxes, I created the signage, magnets, and "Eat, Drink, and Suit Up" tags. These photos by Cindy Harter are beautiful, if you need a great wedding photographer, she is amazing!!

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SAVE THE DATES- part one

The next step for me was to design the Save the Dates for this amazing couple. This couple wanted their Save the Dates to be fun, elegant, and of course add some glitter and confetti since it is a New Years Eve wedding. The Save the Date was printed in gold foil on blush Arturo paper (double thick) with the Accommodations Card in confetti gold foil on Crane Lettra Pearl White paper. I wrapped these together with a glitter belly band and glued a gold foil label with their names printed on the Arturo blush paper, mounted on top of the Crane Lettra Pearl White paper (to frame it). The envelopes were white with gold glitter envelope liners. I assembled and mailed these out (which is a service that we offer) at the end of February, to give guests time to make accommodations during the holiday weekend. 

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THANK YOU CARDS

This couple wanted a variety of designs for their thank you cards, so I created some different variations for them to choose from. (photos to come)

SAVE THE DATES- part two

Because the Save the Dates were mailed out so much earlier, Amanda and Greg wanted to mail out a reminder photo magnet for guests to put on their fridge (photo taken by the talented Cindy Harter). We had these printed on 5x7 size magnet with rounded corners, and a peony design. The envelope was a textured blush. We printed the addresses in the same font as the design, and stuffed and mailed these out in July, so that guests would be reminded of their upcoming wedding on New Years Eve. 

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ROOFTOP PARTY

The happy couple had a rooftop engagement party to recreate their first date. I designed some of the printed materials for this party. (photos to come)

BOXED WEDDING INVITATIONS- Now to the best part.....

This bride and groom's wedding was a remarkable event to remember, so they wanted the invitations (the first impression of the wedding) to be just as spectacular. This bride and groom decided on a boxed invitation design so that guests can have a keepsake to remember their wedding weekend. First, I was to design the custom monogram that the bride and groom purchased to use throughout their wedding (the monogram was used as a backdrop, and on other printed materials). I started with a crest design, and then went to a painted crest, and ended up with a beautiful combination of their initials in the script and block font with a peony. I had one version which was painted watercolor, and one version which was not painted (for foil printing). Here are the two final monogram designs:

These invitations have many layers, so let me do the best to show them..... 

1. The outside was in a cardboard mailer box. This box had custom labels with the guests addresses and custom stamps printed with their painted monogram. When opening this box, there was a ribbon that tied the invitation box together. This kept the box secure, and also made it pretty for guests when they opened the box to unwrap the ribbon, like a gift. Here are photos of part of the assembly process with the boxes....

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2. The box envelope was made of pretty metallic crystal pearl paper (which had a shimmer to it) and our calligrapher addressed the names of each guest on this box, serving as an inner envelope. The back flap of this box was a die-cut shape, with the monogram and return address printed in gold foil. 

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3. The invitation box was made out of a white linen fabric, and the custom monogram was printed in gold foil on a die-cut shape which was mounted on the linen box. The box opened from top to bottom, and had blush ribbon on the sides to tie together. 

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4. When opening the box, the invitation sat on top with a pull out ribbon, so that guests could easily take the invitation out. The invitation was printed on 8-ply thick beveled and painted edges in gold foil, with the peony design and invitation printed in gold foil.

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5. Underneath the invitation is a packet of information for the guests that is wrapped in a metallic pearl belly band (flat printed). The pieces include a tri-fold packet of information for the guests (restaurants, things to do, and accommodations on the island), and a hand painted map (I had SO much fun painting this!) with rounded corners and double thick paper and the wedding weekend itinerary for the guests printed on the back. These pieces were printed flat.

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6. On the lid of the box is a quote printed in gold foil on the pocket of the crystal metallic pearl paper. 

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7. Inside the pocket of the lid is the reception card in double-ply thickness with beveled painted gold edge and rounded corners, printed in gold foil. Also the reply card is printed the same way and thickness as the reception card, and being the reply card is the reply envelope with the custom stamps to match the invitation suite. 

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And there you have it! We assembled and boxed up each invitation suite with care, and mailed them out to the guests in October.

WEDDING CHECKLIST and ITINERARY

I also designed and printed the wedding checklist and itinerary to mail out to guests in November as a fun way for everyone to get excited and backup for this holiday wedding.

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FIRST LOOK BOOK

This sweet bride wanted to surprise her soon to be husband with a "first look book". This gift was given to the groom on their wedding day, and she wrote him an endearing note. The bride wanted the book to have whimsical illustrations and a hard cover. I illustrated and designed this book as a special piece.

And there you have it! The wedding was so memorable for guests and it was such a remarkable event for us to be a part of. Thank you Amanda and Greg, for hiring Tickled Ink to design all of these special pieces for your wedding. Also, as a thank you, Amanda and Greg created a professional testimonial video for us, which you can view HERE.

Katie + Tim

Emily Johnson

I will start this post by saying that I LOVE this lovely bride's style. For the Save the Dates, she wanted something clean, simple, monochromatic, and we chose a more modern font. The paper was backed with gray card stock (mounted flush to the back) to make it double thick.

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We used the same color scheme throughout. The bridal shower invitations were also backed with gray card stock (mounted flush) to make it double thick, and for this design I created some pretty vintage florals, with the same fonts as the Save the Date.

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The invitation suite was printed one-color taupe letterpress with double thick Crane Lettra paper (220lb) with a vintage monogram. The invitations were a royalty size, and the reply postcards had the monogram printed on the back in digital print, and the details cards had a lovely vintage frame. 

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The welcome bag inserts were printed in a trifold design with the monogram and same look as the invitation suite. 

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The ceremony programs were a small fold out with a design of a vintage cross on the front. 

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