You're Invited

Custom Calligraphy Wedding Invitation

2012-01-08T21:44:00.001-06:00

We were super excited about this gorgeous custom calligraphy invitation we did recently. The whole thing is written by a calligraphy and then printed on a Crane 100% cotton paper in Thermography. It really makes a statement with its larger 6x9 size and rounded corners. This invitation can take your breath away.

Feature in Southern Living Weddings

2012-01-06T15:35:00.000-06:00

Southern Living Weddings feature of a Hindu Fusion wedding

Southern Living’s annual Wedding Issue is on the newsstands tomorrow and we’re thrilled to have Chris and Sangeeta’s double wedding featured.

That’s right, they did two ceremonies! One Hindu and one Western to honor their diverse heritage. In fact the whole event was a mesh of different traditions and styles. Read more below…

Chris and Sangeeta’s Mix:

Elegant and rustic: their reception was in a draped tent with chandeliers, all in a meadow on a private ranch in Hill Country. Guests sat at long wooden tables with Chivari chairs. For dinner, both BBQ and Indian food was served.

Colorful and more colorful: Hindu weddings are known for saturated colors. Sangeeta and Chris playfully added even more color, with bouquets and table decor featuring reds, oranges, indigos and fuschias, and bridesmaids wearing bright coral dresses.

Ice cream was served right after the ceremony as is traditional with Hindu weddings, but the ice cream was Texas’ very own Bluebell, complete with the little wooden spoons.

Sangeeta went shopping for her beautiful ceremony saris in London, plus had a gorgeous Reem Acra gown for the reception. Chris wore traditional Hindu attire paired with white Converse, then changed into a suit for the reception.

Family was super important. Family photos were hung on many of the oak and pecan trees for the cocktail hour. Plus, Chris’ mom made her famous pecan pies to go with the cupcakes and other traditional Indian treats.

Thanks to these wedding professionals for collaborating on Chris and Sangeeta’s big day:

Event planner:  36th Street Events

Catering:  Kurant Events

Floral Artist:  Rose Hip Flora

Paper Suite:  Inviting Affairs

Cupcakes:  Delish

Mandap Decor:  Saffron Affairs

Henna:  Mehndi Time

(Southern Living’s cover photo of a cake is by Iain Bagwell)

End of the Year Annual Sale

2011-12-21T21:22:00.003-06:00

Kentucky Derby Wedding

2011-12-05T21:55:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to finally post the pictures of Page's amazing invitations for her wedding in Lexington, Kentucky. We had the privilege of getting to do everything from the invitations to the menu.

Kentucky Derby Wedding

2011-09-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

We were approached by a bride in New York City who is getting married in Lexington, Kentucky and we jumped at the chance to design her invitations. We also love the fact that she trusted us with such a important part of her wedding without even meeting us. We have finished the invitations with everything down to the calligraphy and mailed them out. Pictures will be posted soon and you do not want to miss those. We have included here some of the inspiration for this fabulous wedding. So excited for your Page!

Mustache Bash

2011-09-14T13:48:00.001-05:00

We love to concept of a mustache party. There are so many different parties for this fun theme. It could be a baby shower, birthday party, fun addition to a wedding. We were inspired by so many things we found on the internet and wanted to share these cute ideas with you.

What we love now!

2011-07-11T21:38:00.002-05:00

Jennie & Jake's Custom Calligraphy Invitations

2011-06-07T17:30:00.000-05:00

Victoria's Circus Wedding Invitations

2011-06-01T09:38:00.000-05:00

Here is a recent custom invitation that we did for a couple in California.

Their colors are blue and red and they requested a whimsical fun invitation that matches the vintage circus theme of their wedding.

Custom Design: Rustic Montana Wedding Invitations

2011-05-24T18:12:00.000-05:00

Rachel and Dan found us via Oh So Beautiful Paper and asked us to create a custom wedding invitation that matched their Montana wedding. The couple loves being outdoors hunting and fishing with their dogs. Their wedding is going to be on a rustic ranch in the mountains of Montana. When designing the invitation, our designer Emma, made sure to include imagery that reflected their love for the outdoors as well as their personal style.

{Invitation Design by Emma James}

Real Wedding: Paige + Adam

2011-05-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

We always love it when our Brides send us the photos from their wedding. You may remember the custom equestrian invitation that we did for Paige and Adam.

Here are the pictures from her gorgeous wedding.

You can view more photos from Paige's Wedding Here.

{Photography by Tanja Lippert, Calligraphy by Bailey Amon}

Vintage Poster Invitation

2011-05-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here is a custom vintage poster inspired wedding invitation for a Texas Hill Country wedding.

{Invitation design by Lindsey Webb}

Custom Destination Invitation: Puerto Rico

2011-05-02T10:00:00.046-05:00

William and Camillia came to us wanting a custom invitation for their destination wedding in Puerto Rico. They wanted a vintage yet whimsical invitation that would capture the look and feel of their destination and get their guests excited to join them in Old San Juan.

The invitation, reply postcard and website card were letter pressed using a soothing light grey ink with pops of magenta.

To spice things up, we added a bright yellow envelope liner and a colorful map of Old San Juan.

All of the pieces were then tied together with yellow bakers twine.

{Invitation suite designed by Emma James, Calligraphy by Bailey Amon via Inviting Affairs}

Aly & Chase's "Retro Cabin" Save the Date

2011-04-10T16:26:00.001-05:00

Aly & Chase are getting married next year on a ranch in Colorado. I had the pleasure of designing a custom save the date for their wedding. Aly wanted a retro ticket style design that evoked the spirit of their wedding: a rustic ranch house, fields of wildflowers, music, dancing and their beloved labrador. We used accent colors from her color palette to make the design really "pop".

{design by Emma James for Inviting Affairs}

Custom Save the Date: Victoria & Andrew

2011-03-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

I have been working with Victoria to create a custom design suite for her wedding. I am about to get started on her invitation design so I thought I would share her save the date.

Victoria's wedding has a whimsical circus theme with pops red and blue.

Below are a few of the other design options I gave her when we were developing her save the date.

Custom Texas Hill Country Invitations

2011-03-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

I had such a great time designing this invitation for Sangeeta & Chris. They are getting married in the Texan hill country at their family ranch and wanted an invitation that reflected the theme and style of their wedding.

Papel Picado Custom Invitation Design

2011-03-02T14:48:00.000-06:00

I recently had the pleasure of working with a lovely bride, Isidora, to create a custom invitation suite for her wedding. I just love the way the invitations came out. The inspiration came from Mexican Papel Picado and the lovely mood board that Isidora put together (below).

The invitation suite is tied together with a raspberry rayon ribbon. I hand painted a Liberty of London inspired floral pattern that we used for the back of the directions card and the envelope liner.

All of the pieces were printed on 100% Bamboo paper which has a luxurious feel to it (it's also eco-friendly)

{Original Invitation Design by Emma James}

Custom "Ticket" Save the Date

2011-02-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

A recent custom "Ticket" inspired Save the Date postcard that I designed for Laura & Ryan.

Emily Ley

2011-02-16T10:24:00.000-06:00

We are currently loving the wedding album from Emily Ley. As one of the most recent additions to our wedding collection, it's the perfect balance of modern and classic. All of the designs are offered in both letterpress and flat printing, suiting all budgets. We also love her wedding crest/monogram selection which can be added to any invitation.

Vintage Postcards

2011-02-07T13:31:00.000-06:00

We love the use of vintage postcards as Save the Dates or Reply Postcards. Below are some of our favorite Austin/Texas postcards:

As Seen in Southern Living Weddings Magazine

2011-01-31T13:37:00.002-06:00

Our graphic designer, Emma James, recently had her wedding featured in the Southern Living Weddings magazine. Emma designed the fan programs, escort cards, table numbers.

Here are a few more images and details about her custom reception details:

~Escort Cards~

Possibly our favorite detail, the escort cards were printed with a variety of vintage flourishes and stuck into a table of moss.

~The Table Names~

The tables were named after different Cactus and incorporated quirky cactus illustrations from the 1950s that Emma had scanned out of a vintage book.

~Seat Assignments~

Although most of the guests were free to sit wherever they wanted at their assigned tables, the table for the wedding party had assigned seating. We printed name labels and wrapped them around potted succulents. In addition to adding decoration to the table, they were also nice little keepsakes for the wedding party.

~The Programs~

The program fans were perfect for the outdoor ceremony. Emma got creative with layout, fonts and wording which fit perfectly with the theme of her wedding.

~Special Thanks~

Thank you notes were folded in white linen napkins and placed at each seat. The border colors alternated between coral and aqua at each table to add color.

If you are interested in having something similar for your wedding, you can contact Emma at emma@invitingaffairs.com

{All designs about by Emma James}

Getting Creative with Postage

2011-01-25T11:56:00.014-06:00

Why not get creative with your postage? I love the look of multiple vintage stamps on an envelope. There are several ways to find vintage postage. If you are looking to pick and choose yourself, ebay is a great place to find stamps. Remember to search under "Unused United States Stamps". If you need someone to help you, Verde Studio and The Paper Nickel will curate vintage postage for you.

{Paige used a combo of Vintage Horse, Love, and Texas stamps}

{Via Verde Studio}

The above were our designer, Emma's wedding invitations. She used a mix of the current king & queen stamps, vintage cactus stamps, vintage love stamps, along with other vintage stamps. She found all of her vintage postage on ebay and the others she ordered from USPS.com.

Paige's Invitation Featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper

2011-01-25T11:35:00.000-06:00

We recently had the pleasure of designing a custom invitation for Paige & Adam. It is featured on one of our favorite paper blogs, Oh So Beautiful Paper. Read more about the invitation here.

{Invitation Design By Emma James | Inviting Affairs}

Custom Design: Vintage Citrus

2011-01-19T11:42:00.000-06:00

Inspired by vintage citrus labels, this invitation was designed for a summer reception in Santa Barbara, California. The invitation was printed on archival rag paper, the envelopes were lined with a custom liner and addressed in turquoise ink. Vintage postage found on ebay completed the look.

{Invitation Designed By Emma James}

Custom Halloween Wedding Invitations

2010-09-16T18:06:00.000-05:00

We recently had the pleasure of designing a custom wedding invitation for Leslie & Darrel, who are getting married on Halloween. We fused historic Calavera illustrations with southwestern imagery to create something completely original for them. Once the designs were finalized we used a combination of letterpress and flat printing( the full color items) to produce the pieces.

{Invitations designed by Emma James at Inviting Affairs}

2010-08-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

We recently had the pleasure of designing the paper for this lovely wedding.

We love it when we get the opportunity to work with a couple from start to finish.

We worked closely with the bride, Cyndi, to design all of her paper starting with the save the date all the way through her reception. We had so much fun with her whimsical vintage style!

{Whimsical Pinwheel Escort Cards let guests know where to sit}

{The menu & thank you were designed to be double sided and alternate at each place setting. Shown above are the salsa bar and signature drink signs}

{Custom fan programs}

{Custom Koozies}

{the invitation designed especially for Cyndi & Trea}

{custom photo magnet save the date}

Congrats Cyndi & Trea!!

All above designs were created by Emma James & Lindsey Webb at Inviting Affairs.

Photography: Ashley Garmon

Planning: Clink

Fourth of July!!

2010-06-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July from Inviting Affairs!

We are so excited for the upcoming weekend of July 4th. With it being Lindsey's favorite holiday the excitement surrounds the shop. We put some great invites, paper goods and craft ideas that just inspire us. Hope everyone has an amazing holiday filled with friends, family and fireworks!

Good Things direct from Martha Stewart

Check out this adorable invite from Polka Dot Pear

Super cute invite from Starfish and Dreams

Great paper goods from Caspari

Summer Begins!!

2010-06-24T15:53:00.003-05:00

Since this is the first week of Summer we are inspired by the amazing parties you can have. Since Austin is a city with great lakes we thought what a better party to have then a party by the lake.

We love this invitation by Inviting Company for perfect cookout party by the lake.

These are great plates that can be personalized from Fontaine Maury for the perfect party.

These trays that can also be personalized by Fontaine Maury are a cute accessory to any outdoor party.

Also do not forget the food. We are love this grilled chicken with corn. What a great summer drink idea: Bing Cherry Mojito. Here's to the beginning of a great Summer filled with fun, sun and family!

Real Invitations - Chris + Emma's Vintage Texas Cactus Invitations

2010-03-23T16:00:00.005-05:00

We were super excited when our very talented in house designer, Emma, had her wedding invitations featured on one of our favorite blogs Oh So Beautiful Paper!

Emma + Chris's southwestern cactus-inspired wedding invitations are a true representation of their upcoming Texas wedding. Emma is employed as a designer and salesperson at Inviting Affairs. We are so excited for her upcoming wedding.

Emma drew her inspiration from nature, art, and all things vintage.

Emma's wedding will be out doors in the hill country of Austin and she wanted an invitation that reflected the southwest without being overtly western. I had the invitations letterpress printed at our awesome vendor Stationery Works using a warm grey ink.

Keeping all the letterpress printed pieces one color helped keep the overall cost down and Emma was able to add in pops of color with the bright yellow envelope liner and a reproduction vintage postcard (which she printed herself). All the pieces were then tied together in little bundles with yellow bakers twine from Whisker Graphics.

The outer envelopes brought it all together with calligraphy and vintage cactus postage that Emma found on Ebay.

{Western Cactus Invitations designed by Emma James}

New Arrivals: Save the Dates that we love

2010-03-09T09:54:00.001-06:00

We absolutely love the new Save the Date Album from our friends at Happy Envelope!

They are fun, creative, quirky, and perfect for the Austin couple. Above are a few of our favorites but there are many more in the book. Reasonably priced starting at $205 for 100, they are a great option if you are looking for a photo Save the Date!

The Martha Stewart Wedding Album!

2010-03-05T16:48:00.000-06:00

The Martha Stewart Wedding Invitation book finally arrived at the store this week! We love the die cut edges and the colored papers! It's the perfect choice for the modern yet classic bride.

Get Organized!

2010-02-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

These Bella Nizzi are the perfect organizational tool for every bride. Each organizer comes with a full set of folders for all your wedding details, and a monogramed tag of your choice.

{Bella Nizzi organizer $75}

Affordable Letterpress

2010-02-10T12:49:00.000-06:00

{Spark Letterpress}

{Designer's Fine Press}

We know....affordable letterpress? It does actually exist! We have two lines in the store that have very reasonable prices, great quality, and fun designs. Spark design suites start at $850*. They have really fun, original designs and even make their own pocket folds. Designer's Fine Press starts at $709*. Their quality is great and can turn an order around in less than 2 weeks! Our custom letterpress is printed with Designer's Fine and we have been consistently pleased with their product.

{*prices based 100, 1 color invitations, reply cards, and printed envelopes}

Our Treat: Halloween Fonts

2009-10-27T13:48:00.000-05:00

Perfect Pairings

2009-10-22T11:23:00.004-05:00

Send retro cool Jonathan Wright greeting cards and wear Egyptian Jasmine solid perfume from K.Hall Designs.

We also love the Tonic, Peony, and Grapefruit Mint scents!

Currently loving........

2009-10-14T16:53:00.005-05:00

In the spirit of cold days and wood fires, we had to share some autumn inspiration. This week we are loving woodland inspired motifs including Pinecones, Acorns, Trees, Mushrooms, Squirrels and little birds. We especially adore the "Frontier" invitation suite from Simply Put By Ashley Woodman (the plaid envelope liner really hits the spot!).

{Motifs from Dauphine Letterpress, table setting designed by Joy Thigpen, photography by Labor of Love, via Oncewed Blog}

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2009-10-07T08:00:00.003-05:00

Can you beleive it? It is time to start thinking about the holidays again! At Inviting Affairs, we are already picking out our personal Christmas cards and accesories and busily prepping for our Annual Holiday Open House!

{Take advantage of 20% off holiday cards from

Tag & Co, Boatman Geller, and Bella Ink.

Personalized ornaments from Light of Mine Designs}

Come Join Us

Thursday, October 8th

5-8 p.m.

drinks, hors d'oeuvres, door prizes

and 20% off the entire store!

The sale extends through Saturday, October 10th.

We have a huge selection of holiday cards, stocking stuffers, gift wrapping, unique gifts, and party supplies.

{sale excludes wedding invitations}

New Arrivals

2009-10-03T10:36:00.004-05:00

We've been waiting on the new Fontaine Maury samples and they finally arrived yesterday! We are super excited about some of their new items including the melamine trays, coasters, monogramed canteens, and custom home office accessories. Of course, there is a still a great selection of their classic melamine plates and place mats. We love the new patterns and monogram options!

{photos via Fontaine Maury on Flickr}

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-02T12:46:00.002-05:00

We were excited to put our Halloween display last week. We have lots of fun Halloween accessories, decorations, and invitations. Come in and check them out!

{It will also all 20% off October 8-10th during our Annual Holiday Sale. We will be posting more about the sale soon.....}

Lovely Blue Bonnets

2009-09-04T11:59:00.003-05:00

After many requests for invitations with Blue Bonnets, we recently had our resident artist, Emma, draw this beautiful Blue Bonnet for us. We are always happy to work on any of your custom needs, so if you have something special in mind, come see us!

End of Summer Bridal Sale

2009-08-21T12:16:00.012-05:00

We love Mindy Wiess bridal products! It's modern, fun and has something for every aspect of a brides life from wedding planning to the big day. Come in and enjoy 30% off the entire collection. Check out some of our favorites:

{Best Wedding Planner ever was $100 now $70, Response Card Organizer Box was $31.50 now $22, Event Planning File Folders were $15 now $10.50}

{Mr.& Mrs. Passport Covers were $25 now $17.50, Scented Candles were $19 now $13.30, Mr.&Mrs. Luggage Tags were $18 now $12.60}

Exciting things are happening!

2009-07-30T15:26:00.017-05:00

We have been in our new shop on Far West for five months and things are going great! We have been printing some great invitations, meeting new people and loving our new location. We have also added some new gifts that are really unique and new to Austin. Here are a few of our favorites.

These birds are a perfect addition to our store. We love birds! These little guys are handmade of paper mache from recycled materials by artisans in Haiti. They come in many great colors.

These boxes are one of our favorite new items and we can hardly keep them on the shelves! A colorful assortment of flowers selected to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and bumble bees to your garden. Peek inside and you will find three 5 inch biodegradable, plantable tissue seed ribbons of nectar rich flowers for each garden visitor.

I love these new organic hooded towels we just got. These make a great gift for any newborn. The organic cotton is so soft and the different designs are very cute!

The same company also makes these great toy bins.

We are so excited about these great letterpress cards with cute illustrations of sock monkeys. We have some for every occasion.

We have also added some great gifts for women like these leather envelope wallets that can carry everything from recipes to cards. The best part is that they come in 15 beautiful color combinations!

We have some great new bath and body products from 80 Acres. These products are enriched with McEvoy Ranch estate-produced pure organic olive oil. 80 Acres takes it's name from the 80 achres of their 550-acres ranch upon which they first planted Tuscan olive seedlings. The signature scent Verde takes its freshness and green aromatic notes from their very own gardens in the spring.

With a passion for craftsmanship, detail and the environment Nightowl papers is a stationary company devoted to creating handmade letterpress cards and eco friendly wooden gifts.

Come in and check out everything we have. We are so excited about the new changes and can not wait to share them with our customers.

New Store

2009-05-07T08:44:00.003-05:00

Inviting Affairs is now at it's new location on Far West. We are so excited for our new space and it so beautiful! We love our new place and the community we are in. With the move we have added some new unique lines. Please stop by and check us out!

New Store

2009-05-07T08:35:00.006-05:00

Inviting Affairs is finally settled in our new store on Far West and we could not be more excited. We have so much more space! We are really happy about our new location on Far West and the new products we have added. We love the other stores in our area and the customers. Come by and check out our new location!

Invitations You Can Feel Good About

2008-10-08T15:02:00.000-05:00

With the increasing awareness of our planet and the difference we all can make, Brides are becoming more and more interested in hosting green weddings. When it comes to invitations, there are so many options to consider that are beautiful as well as earth friendly, without resorting to the unfortunately sometimes used....get ready for it.... evite.

Let's look at some fabulous options:
Lucky Onion is one of my favorite lines to show. They not only offer invitations and enclosures on 100% recycled paper, but can also back them with beautiful seeded papers. Don't forget to include a small enclosure that lets your guests know they can also plant the pulp paper backer which is embedded with wildflower seeds. One thing we hear over and over from brides is "Just because I want an Earth friendly invitation, does not mean I want a leaf on it." Well Christy at Lucky Onion definitely understands this and has created tons of elegant and artistic designs that do not always feature your typical nature motif. On top of it all, the price point is unbeatable, so the cost will not be a deterrent if this is what you are looking for. Here is a sample of Lucky Onion:

If letterpress is what you dreaming of, Smock Letterpress is sure to suit your fancy. Smock is the first letterpress company in the U.S. to offer printing on 100% bamboo paper. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth and is grown completely pesticide free, therefore is sustainable and renewable...a great alternative for the green bride. The company is entirely wind powered, uses vegetable oil based inks, recycles everything, and donates 1% of sales to the Pesticide Action Network and Amazon Conservation Association. These are invitations that you will definetely feel good about sending. Here is a beautiful example of a Smock Invitation.

Across the wedding industry, vendors are aware and respondent to the green movement. We understand that this is not a new wedding "trend" that we have to cater to but a responsibility that we are thilled to uphold. Inviting Affairs is happy to announce that 5% of all proceeds from the following lines will go to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center whose mission is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.
The lines that qualify for this offer are:
Lucky Onion Seeded Papers
Smock Letterpress
Naturally Ever After