Linocut Wedding Invitations

Our wedding was very much our own, from the morning ceremony to breakfast food at our reception, to the family-friendly celebration. When we were planning the wedding, we knew that we wanted to incorporate handmade touches and elements. One of those elements was our invitations!

There are so many beautiful invitation designs available, but I had a hard time deciding as I scrolled through Zazzle and The Knot. After a while, they all began to look the same! I’ve always loved the look of linocut prints, and loved making my own, so I thought, “why not try this for our invitations?”

My goal for the invitation was to include elements that represented both of us. My husband is a stonemason, so I decided to carve a simple stone wall for the bottom of the print. I used one of his real-life work projects, and when I had printed a few tests and showed him, he knew exactly which project I had drawn inspiration from. A skilled artisan knows his work!

For my half of the invitation, I wanted simple flowers and vines. I carved a frame design and used it to outline the invitation. I also hand-wrote our names. After stamping a print I was happy with (clean, enough ink, etc.), I scanned it in to Adobe Illustrator and added in the remaining information, before sending the PDF off to a printer.

They most certainly were not perfect, but the labor of creating them was enjoyable and sweet, and I loved creating something that is both a keepsake and a memory.