Havana Inspired Wedding Invitations: Ashley & Nathan

For so many reasons, I am obsessed with these wedding invitations. When Ashley first filled out her questionnaire kicking off this project, I knew I had to be the one to work on them. First, I found out Ashley and Nathan were getting married at Havana 59, one of my favorite restaurants in Richmond. Then, I saw that they wanted a map and had fun ideas about illustrations for it.

I kick off a project by sketching three ideas based on what my clients and I chat about in my initial consultation. For Ashely and Nathan, I did one inspired by Spanish tile and pealing stucco so often found in Cuba, another inspired by cigar boxes and labels, and a third that focused more on tropical botanicals.

I brought these sketches to a meeting and presented the ideas. The cigar styling was a huge hit with Nathan, but some of the type from the tile design was preferred. Ashley also still wanted a little floral elements to show up so I began brainstorming ways to tie in a few flowers.

I ended up creating a crest on the RSVP that tied in two bicycles (how they met!) riding towards a tropical hibiscus – their new marriage beginning to bloom.

Once I had the go ahead from some more sketches, I worked through some color and type arrangements to see which way they were leaning. To pick the colors, I looked not only at Ashley’s bridesmaid’s dresses but at some photos from when I visited Cuba myself.

I loved the grey as the swirls because it more aligned with the cigar smoke swirls and ornamental illustrations you so often see adorning wooden boxes.

We priced out a few options for printing methods, but decided offset was the best for the bleed, color variations and price. The soft white paper had just enough texture and weight to make the images and type pop. But don’t worry – I got to letterpress some coral thank you’s for them. See how those turned out here.

For envelopes, we went with a coral so the bright paper really sang when you opened it. The lighter color was easier to address too and stood out in the mailbox. The details on each piece were lovely. Some of these ornate elements would have been a little lost if it had been letterpressed.

The map was simple. The wedding itself took place up on Libby Hill Park. The smoke stack that says Lucky Strike was included because Ashely’s dad’s nickname is Lucky! They also planned on using the trollies to shuttle people down the street to Havana 59 for a reception.

This is one suite that I am super proud of that left the client totally satisfied. I kept getting emails after the invites were in the mail with guests raving about the details.

I am so thankful Ashley and Nathan fell in love with each other and with an idea inspired by a simple cigar box. This invitation suite will live on in my dreams for years to come.