So we’ll admit that after we received business cards from these guys, we spent an unusually long time marvelling at their quality and gently caressing these beautiful little squares of art that we now get to carry around with us. An oddly long time…

But what we should also mention is not only is The Distillery’s work awesome, but their team is too. Super friendly, prompt, professional and full of helpful and patient guidance.

They were lovely enough to share some of their background with us, as well as advice and trends for couples planning their stationary. Take a read – and then a look below at some of their work.

What is Celebrations by The Distillery?

We are a specialty design, illustration and production studio, who are great lovers of all things paper and weddings. Our team also includes a family of restored Heidelberg printing presses, which we use to produce beautifully crafted wedding stationery.

How did you guys get into letterpress design and printing?

We’ve found our way to letterpress by joining The Distillery (often as interns) and learning the craft of letterpress printing on the job. Our founder Nathan was inspired by a former teacher of letterpress printing at TAFE Sydney, and these days we love to spread the love of letterpress, and even run short-courses and workshops.

How would you describe The Distillery’s style?

We have team of talented illustrators and designers who all have a broad range of skills, each with their own style and aesthetic. An invitation produced at The Distillery is modern design mixed with heritage soul. Our printers are perfectionists, and our stationery stands out with it’s refinement, luxurious finishes and superb tacitly.

What do you reckon makes The Distillery’s wedding stationery so special?

Our team at The Distillery is passionate about bring creative ideas into the world with our own hands. The same love and attention to detail is carried on from the design process right through to production. Working together with your designer and consultant, you will have the ability to choose from broad range of colours, design styles, and paper stocks until we have created the perfect wedding stationery for you and your fiancé.

Featuring deep printing impression into premium textured cotton, letterpress printed wedding stationery is sure to make a statement. We also offer extra touches of loveliness  – additions such as colourfully lined envelopes embellished with hand-lettered calligraphy, accents of metallic foiling and custom invitation shapes are just a few ways that Celebrations can make your stationery extraordinary.

Is there anything that you find couples often forget to include on their wedding invitations?

Our approach is a thoughtful and considered process, so we like to make sure that no detail is missed. After all, this is the most important invitation that you will send out as a couple!

When couples visit our studio for a consultation, we love to send them home with a pack of printed samples and further information on wording and etiquette. Take the time to go over your wording with your fiancé, even your bridal party or your parents, to make sure that everything is perfect.

What can sometimes, but shouldn’t be forgotten is including your own personality as a couple in your wedding stationery. Consider what makes your love unique, and let this inspire you to create your dream stationery.

What advice could you give to couples who are planning on designing their own invitations?

Be true to yourselves as a couple – feel free to embrace trends and follow traditions, but don’t let them steer you too far away.

Your wedding stationery is so much more than letting your guests know about the time and location. The tone of your design will shape the overall feeling of your wedding, so help your guests know what to expect by taking particular consideration to wording, typography and imagery.

If you are willing enough to design your own stationery, then don’t hold back. This is the first official announcement of the start of your new lives together – so be bold, brave and yell it from the rooftops!

What’s your all-time fave colour combo?

Simplicity is often the highest form of elegance, and we love neutral palettes which help accentuate the deep printing impression and lovely soft fluffy cotton paper stocks that letterpress printing offers. At the moment, we are loving the combination of deep navy with metallic copper.

Besides the wedding invite, what are other common wedding bits-and-pieces that couples have printed?

Gathering friends and family from all areas of the world is no easy feat, so should your wedding require some extra travel or accommodation, then we highly recommend sending out a Save the Date a few months prior to sending out your formal invitation.

When it comes to your wedding invitation, they are best when the design and print quality speak from themselves. With this in mind, don’t overcrowd your main invitation with too much text. If you and your fiancé have plenty to say, then consider sending out some smaller, secondary cards which hold all of your accommodation, gift, and RSVP details. These cards will be designed with the same attention and care as your main invitation, so your guests receive a perfect suite with matching pieces.

The style of your wedding stationery is so important in setting the overall tone of your big day, and we recommend that you carry this theme across to the styling of your wedding. Expanding on your personalised design, make your order of service a thoughtful memento for your guests to take home, and adorn your tables with letterpress printed menus, place cards and favour tags.

When the wedding is over and you’ve returned from your honeymoon, make your guests smile once again with personalised thank you cards from the new Mr. & Mrs. It’s a lovely way to finish off a wedding that is magnificent down to the last detail.

Any trends you’re seeing at The Distillery when it comes to wedding stationary?

There are always plenty of trends emerging, but we have identified some of our all time favourites:

Metallics

For wedding stationery that is both impressive and unique, embrace the metallic trend. This can be achieved by foil stamping elements of your invitation design. Twinkling as your guests slide it out from the envelope, a foiled invitation is a great way to add that extra impact and touch of class to your big day.

Hand Lettering

Hand lettering is not only beautiful, but a lovely method of instilling some personality into your wedding stationery. At Celebrations, we have a team of lettering-specialists, who will express your vision while carefully considering typography. This trend can be interpreted in countless ways, though at the moment we are loving free-flowing, whimsical lettering with plenty of flourish and character. Let us help you pick a style that is unique to you and your fiancé.

Wedding Guides

Ideal for weddings with plenty of information to convey, we now offer tri-fold guides that contain enough room for everything to fit on the one piece. Accommodation and transport information, a note on gifts, your Instagram hashtag and even a trusty map can all be included. A lovely touch is to incorporate an easy tear-off RSVP, and its also a great way to not crowd your envelope!

+++

In need of some beautifully crafted wedding stationary? Do yourself a favour and head to Celebrations by The Distillery‘s website, or find them on Facebook and Instagram (@thedistillery).