When Michelle and Chris asked us to design a wedding invitation suite for their celebration in Italy—where their guests would gather from every corner of the globe—it was clear that the paper had to reflect the rich history and beauty of the region.
The save the date featured a letterpress-printed custom illustration of the hilltop monastery nestled among cypress trees and the soft undulation of Tuscan fields. It offered guests that first glimpse of the bucolic setting, and set the tone for the magic to come.
From there, the invitation suite unfolded like the weekend itself— a mix of old-world charm and personal touches. Letterpress printed on cotton paper with rich olive green ink, the main invitation centers around a custom monogram of Michelle and Chris’s initials, gently intertwined with an olive branch. We paired classic chiseled type with a contemporary calligraphic script for their names—juxtaposing tradition with contemporary flair.
A warm terra cotta envelope, echoing the rooftops of Tuscan villages, opened to reveal an Italian paper liner—a traditional Florentine pattern printed by Rossi, whose craft dates back generations in the heart of Florence. The colors continued through each piece: the gentle stone of sun-bleached buildings, the green of olive leaves, the warm clay of the earth.
The details card invited guests deeper into the experience, with an illustration of the cloistered courtyard where Michelle and Chris would toast, dance, and feast beneath the stars. We titled each section in Italian—a playful nod to the location.
We tied the suite—literally—with a cotton ribbon from Studio Carta, imported from Italy by a fellow artist who knows just how much weight a simple, beautiful thread can carry.
Designing this suite felt like translating the feeling of arriving somewhere timeless and deeply loved, of gathering your favorite people in a place that takes your breath away, and handing them a piece of that magic before they even pack a suitcase. Michelle and Chris’s invitations weren’t just paper–they were a love letter to Italy, to their story, and to every guest who would join them on that hilltop under the Tuscan sun.
What story will your invitations tell?
Photos by Peterson Design and Photography