Royal Steamline The Blog | Inspiration for Brides & Grooms

Before we repair to sweltering SoCal to meet our new nephew, we’d like to formally announce two new designs: Looking Glass and Wildwood:

Looking Glass

Using Mr. Carroll’s magic mirror as inspiration, Looking Glass seeks subtle elegance — while still capering lightly across the chess board. And while every mirror has two sides, Looking Glass is available in four colors.

Wildwood

Wildwood displays a slightly different complexity. Referencing several Belle Époque styles, Wildwood uses a watercolor approach to suggest sylvan glens and verdant copses. A perfect invitation for those holding events on warm afternoons under sheltering boughs.

Ready to Go! {Bob Burman image courtesy of LOC via Flickr Commons}

Our 48-hour Code Update Jamboree was a great success! The flagship (royalsteamline.com, natch) has never been as powerful or as clean “under the hood.” We’ve reopened the shop and are ready to help you with your unconventional wedding invitation needs!

And we must thank Sarah Neuber and her team at SN WebDesign & Development. She has really gone above the call of duty to help us with our intensive adaptation of her code. Vielen Dank!

We just heard from a bride that she and her betrothed will be getting elements of a Royal Steamline invitation design incorporated into matching tattoos for their wedding!

Hopefully, they'll be happier than this gent... {Via Flickr Commons}

Wow, soon we’ll be giving Ruedi a run for the money!

All kidding aside, we think this is amazing and we are very flattered to be included in the wedding in such a lasting way.

{A related aside: we think we’ve decided on Atlas Tattoo for our next tattoo. It’s become a Royal Steamline tradition to be tattooed in each city we’ve lived in and, after checking off New York, LA and San Francisco, we’re finally getting around to Rip City!}

For actors, performers, and those that hold a special place in their hearts for the stage, we present a new design that we call Velvet Curtain:

The rich reverse side of Velvet Curtain in gold

However, don’t think Velvet Curtain is just for theatre devotees. Available in black, Velvet Curtain can be the perfect subtle accent for a goth-inspired event…

Velvet Curtain in black -- just enough darkness for an understated goth affair...

…or any wedding that has conceptual ties to iron and velvet.

The front of the invitation -- note that the words "lengendary wits" and "fearless performers" are customizable!

Please note that the phrases “legendary wits” and “fearless performers” are placeholders only! You’re welcome to replace those two phrases with anything you’d like (provided you match the approximate character count).

Enjoy!

We’ve been meaning to post about this for a while, but you know how other things always seem to crop up. Well, no more excuses!

Earlier this year, Royal Steamline was invited to participate in a wedding concept photoshoot co-coordinated by Jessica Monnich (of Jessica Monnich Photography), Erin Coleman (of Peppermint Pretty), and Beth Bennett (of Stylish Happenings). The shoot, held at the Three Points Ranch outside of Austin, Texas, had a vintage carnival theme, so we thought that our Two Ring Circus design would be a perfect match:

Two Ring Circus invitations (as well Steamside on center right) -- photo montage by Jessica Monnich

And here’s a fun shot of the matching Table Cards:

Two Ring Circus table card at the Austin shoot -- photo by Jessica Monnich

There are tons of great images from the huge shoot, which included amazing fashions, cute couples and…fire eaters!

Flames of Love -- photo montage by Jessica Monnich

Please check out the full spread at Jessica’s blog or see the awesome compilation over at Utterly Engaged (our invitation is on the cover!).

Finally, thanks to Jessica, Erin, Beth and everyone else who made this a fantastic project. We were so happy to be a part of it!

Inspired by the scorching heat we’ve been experiencing (as well as Viktor Vasnetsov’s fantastic depiction of a triumphant Ivan Tsarevich), we present Flight of Fancy, a new invitation design that celebrates ancient mysteries of sand and steppe:

Flight of Fancy

Incorporating elements that blend the 19th with even earlier centuries, Flight of Fancy whisks you to an imagined Arabia — but remains adaptable to wedding themes ranging from steampunk to the Old West.

Now please excuse me while I refill my skins at the oasis…

The lowdown: We’ve upgraded almost all of our double-sided designs from 80# to 100# paper!

The backstory: Over the last year, we’ve offered a paper upgrade to several customers who voiced a desire for a thicker, heavier invitation. We were really happy with the results of those projects; the invitations were more substantial, more impressive and more likely to become keepsakes. So we looked into making the permanent switch but never pulled the trigger.

Well, we recently got word from our print house that the price of 80# linen was going up. We figured that since we were being forced to raise our prices anyway, why not add a little more and make everything 100#? So that’s what we did. While there are a few exceptions (for example, the Wireless Series is still on 80# paper because of the special texture of those invitations), we’ve officially bulked up. (Oh, and just in case you’re wondering about our duplex invitations, they’re still going to be on Neenah 120# linen paper. Super premium, one might say.)

Now, let’s be clear about a couple of things. First is that our new prices aren’t a money grab. They reflect a better paper and when you see your invitations — to paraphrase Eric Stolz’s be-robed drug dealer from Pulp Fiction — you’ll know where your money went. Second is that if 100# paper just isn’t in your budget, let us know and we’ll give you a quote for 80#. Times is still tight, to be sure, and we’re always willing to try to work something out.

Thanks!

After a weekend like the one we just had here in PDX, there’s no doubt that summer has arrived. We thought it seemed like the perfect time to re-introduce Laurel Canyon 1904:

Re-introducing Laurel Canyon 1904

It’s always been one of our warmest designs..but we thought it needed a bit of color adjustment. We replaced some of the yellows with more muted blues and purples, accentuating the watercolor approach. Oh, and new fonts, too! We feel that the new look maintains the quietly psychedelic tone of the original while using a more appealing palette. Perfect for an wedding in a breezy meadow or under a maple tree in June!

Love all the Gorey details in this Portland wedding captured by the fabulous Jessica Hill Photography. See more of this wedding on her blog.

Recently, we’ve been in the lab perfecting a suite of six invitations that we’ve dubbed the Wireless Series.

Aether-Gram

Cable-Gram

EdisonGram

Marconigram

Teleogram

Tesla-Gram

(Click on the images to see larger versions of each design!)

Based (very loosely) on early telegram designs, these invitations reflect a unique blend of styles and periods; Victorian corner pieces frame Edwardian accents while surrounding Bauhaus-era fonts. The Wireless Series suggests a lighthearted affair that still retains an air of glamour, civility and mystery.

All designs in the Wireless Series are larger than our standard invitations (5 x 8 inches vs. 5 x 7 inches), reflecting measurements more accurate of actual telegrams. Also, all Wireless Series invitations are printed on a tan, textured 80lb paper that is made of 100% recycled content. (Please note that the tan background of the images shown on this page is a simulation of the paper color and texture — but it’s darn close to the real thing.)

They’re available with all black ink, the names in color, or the names/message/accents in color. In the the example images, we’ve used a crimson color. We can replace the crimson with blue, green, purple or just about any other color you choose. (However, please note, that we cannot match colors exactly.)

We hope you like them!