Royal Steamline The Blog | Inspiration for Brides & Grooms

Mon dieu! Like many, we’ve been fascinated by the myths and realities that surround Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen. As Marie Antoinette, she’s come to symbolize beauty, youth and extreme luxury. Allow us to introduce our first invitation design to salute her legend, Petit Trianon:

Not only does Petit Trianon reference the young Dauphine de France, it alludes to a perplexing and eerie incident in which time itself may have become momentarily and capriciously malleable. A bizarre incident matched only be the decadence of the court at Versailles…

Last week, we posted about our new Broadside invitation style. It didn’t take us long to realize that this design was crying out to be steampunkified. The result of our, um, enhancements is Steamside:

Like Broadside, we’re offering customers the chance to customize most of the wording should you wish to do so. Have fun with it!

We’ve been listening to the feedback that we’ve received from fans of our Vintage Rock invitation: give us more rockabilly/early rock ‘n roll/kustom kulture/Sun Records-era-inspired designs! We’ll be introducing several new designs in the coming weeks that fit these categories, starting with Lucky in Love:

Lucky in Love comes in two styles: the RS Elements style that you see above, or as Lucky in Love (Spirit of ‘51):

Remember that all RS Elements designs come on your choice of 120 lb Neenah duplex paper (featuring a black linen reverse) or a clean, 80 lb white paper on front and reverse. We’re offering this choice as a way of lowering prices without lowering quality. We love our paper, so rest assured the 80 lb looks great!

Introducing Para Siempre:

This is the first of several Día de los Muertos-inspired invitations that we’re introducing this month. Not only is the calavera such a powerful visual figure, but we also felt that the underlying theme of the celebration — to remember and commune with the souls of departed loved ones — fit very well with the idea of weddings and the vows we make to each other.

Click here to see the full stationary set. (If you feel that the large calavera image on the reverse is a bit overwhelming, we’re also offering Para Siempre on super-heavy Neenah duplex paper that features a solid black linen reverse.)

We just had to point out that America is being overrun by giant squids.

Don't get too close...

…Sorry for the hyperbole, but we get excited by shoals of Humboldt mounting a concerted attack against the US. While the fishermen have won the battles so far, we’re sure that it’s just a matter of time until a 400-pounder shows up to teach Man a lesson about Mother Nature.

In the meantime, our Coney Island 1896 design will just have to serve as inspiration…

Ever since October, I’ve been following the Tweed Ride phenomena. I mean, what’s not to like about a combination of Victorian gear and cycling that emphasizes fun and camaraderie? I’d noted that my former home of San Francisco had been a major force in American Tweed Rides. This, however, left me all the more disappointed that my current home — and de facto cycling utopia — of Portland was noticeably ignoring a phenomena that seemed like a perfect fit.

Well, we finally got our collective act together and produced a smashing Tweed Ride not two days ago.

Photo by william200549 on Flickr

There are many fine photos of the event on Flickr here and here. Oh, and some fine video footage, too (note the pipe-packing at 1:25):

Now, why are we at Royal Steamline posting about cycling? Because we were quite impressed with some of the riders’ ensembles, particularly the gents. Upcoming grooms leaning toward a vintage wedding would be well served to peruse these images and take note of any styles they find particularly fitting.

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out the perfect connection between Tweed Rides and our Rovers and Country Ride invitation designs.

Looking forward to the next ride!

Announce your wedding with a dash of hullabaloo! Recalling the style of 19th century advertisements for the rare and spectacular, Broadside sets the stage for a lighthearted and irreverent affair.

As with all of our RS Element designs, Broadside comes on your choice of 120 lb Neenah duplex paper (featuring a black linen reverse) or a clean, 80 lb white paper on front and reverse. We’re offering this choice as a way of lowering prices without lowering quality. We’re mad about paper, so rest assured the 80 lb is going to look great!

Finally, please do keep in mind that all of the lines are customizable — keep, change or cut anything you want (within reason)!

Click here to see the full stationary set.

First off, a hearty “thank-you” to everyone who took advantage of our New Year’s Week sale! While that sale officially ended today, be on the lookout for more discounted designs in the future. You never know just what we’ll mark down next…

Next, we’d like to introduce a line of invitation designs that we’re calling RS Elements. Simply put, RS Element designs are offered on your choice of our favorite 120 lb Neenah duplex paper or a clean, 80 lb white paper on front and reverse. We’re offering this choice as a way of lowering prices without lowering quality. (We’re mad about paper, so rest assured the 80 lb is going to look great!) We know times are hard and we’re pleased to give you a choice that will stretch your wedding budget.

Our first design in the Elements line is Black Butterfly:

It’s the summer solstice counterpart to Luna Moth:

While Black Butterfly is only our first offering, we plan on steadily adding to the Elements line. We promise to keep you posted!

If you haven’t been already, head over to Offbeat Bride to get all the brass, glass and goggle details.

Love this ode to parfum photography collection – a twist on the traditional wedding memento by the fabulous Jessica Hill. For more (and larger) gorgeous photos, check out her “Best of 2009” collection.