The DIY Art Nouveau wedding invitation books that you’ll want to keep forever on your shelf

Guest post by Franklinminty

DIY Art Nouveau book invites

I love Art Nouveau. So we've been making DIY Art Nouveau book invitations, with the help of a very talented friend, who owns an old letterpress.

Want to take a peek inside?

Each one was a different title, which we personalized to the recipient.
Each one was a different title, which we personalized to the recipient.

 
Aging them with red wine and a little ink.
Aging them with red wine and a little ink.

 
I'm also a beekeeper, hence the bees everywhere.
I'm also a beekeeper, hence the bees everywhere.

 
Other titles by same authors.
Other titles by same authors.

 
We even bound them.
We even bound them.

 
The RSVPs (each one has a different pattern), and we wanted to have the Harvey Milk stamp to celebrate the LBGT wedding equal rights.
The RSVPs (each one has a different pattern), and we wanted to have the Harvey Milk stamp to celebrate the LBGT wedding equal rights.

 
The RSVP cards are placed as library cards.
The RSVP cards are placed as library cards.

 
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Comments on The DIY Art Nouveau wedding invitation books that you’ll want to keep forever on your shelf

  1. these are incredibly, totally, spectacularly BRILLIANT!
    I cannot even imagine what the wedding will be like but I can’t wait to see it!

  2. Oh my goodness. I wish I could get married all over again just so I could steal this idea, it is so fabulous. Great job- these are beautiful.

  3. We used the Harvey Milk stamps too! I loved the timing of the release of those with the timing of sending our invites out. Fuck yeah LGBTQ rights!

  4. Thank you so much, everyone. Our friend is very talented – we gave her the ideas and themes, she did the tough work. Then we provided the elbow grease to get it done. Luckily, we have a small wedding planned, so not many invites to make!

    We also invited the President (Hunt for Wed October) and updated the RSVP card to include an option to “request more security”. He hasn’t responded yet.

    We actually also included some text at the end of the invite that asked guests to return the books to the library, if they didn’t want them, so we could keep them as a keepsake on our bookshelf. None have been returned yet.

    A missing photo of the back plate says:-

    ” Please support your neighborhood bookseller. If you cannot obtain copies of these works at your local store, send prices per book (plus postage) to:-

    Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. If you received this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and you are not actually invited. Sorry.

    Please save this wonderful handmade volume amongst your books. If you choose not to, we will happily keep it amongst its brethren on our shelves”

    I should also add that I’m not sure the wedding will live up to the same level as the invites. We may have peaked early!

    • Thank you Tamsen!…

      It was a blast to work on these with her and Robert. They were gracious enough to let me explore and experiment and so encouraging when they saw something they liked. They made it really rewarding process. I am a little sad that we are done making them.

      As long as it is alright with them I am happy to answer any questions about their construction.

      -kelly

      • Beautiful!! Please share information about the bounding process. I would like to make my programs in book form since they will contain photos and poetry. Thanks in advance

  5. I worry I will never love and work an item as beautiful as this. This is astounding.

  6. Oh my god. I have no words because of the admiration and envy. My (Art Nouveau-ish) invites are nearly done, but this makes me want to scrap the lot and attempt it this way instead! I wouldn’t have any idea where to start though. It’s too late for me, but I’d totally love a tutorial to see how they were done.

    • I’m sure they are wonderful, @catwings. I’m sure Kelly would help with a tutorial.

      Franklinminty (aka Tamsen from the books)

  7. “THIS!” to all the gushing praise above — you three accomplished a fantastically creative and crafty project with panache.

    But what I really commented to say was: Yay beekeeping! Careful bee-gloved high five!

    • Want to drop me an email and we can talk about specifics? simpleoctopus@gmail

      • These are amazing. Do you know how much it would cost to make something like these for our wedding? We are probably sending out approx 100 invites, so my guess is the cost would be prohibitive. But I have an artist friend who is designing an inage for our invitation that will look like a vintage book cover — we never even considered making then into books, but that would fully cemebt our theme.

        If you are still willing to take on commissions, what is your current contact info? (I know this post is a few years old, and we aren’t sending out invitations until May 2019.

  8. I would absolutely LOVE to make these or pay to have these made as they totally reflect our personality as a couple.

    Any videos on how to make them? Or any chance I could commission them?

    Thanks x

  9. Gorgeous!

    I would love to know more about the exterior of the books. Is that a special printed paper you found? Or are they (impressively) designed and printed or (even more impressively) hand painted? They’re stunning, and while I’m not using books anywhere, I’d love to get my hands on those lovely Art Nouveau patterns.

    • Hey there – the patterns were punted from vellum and mounted on board to make the covers.

      Kelly gave me a book of patterns to choose from, the. She did the magic.

      • Stupid fat fingers… “The patterns were PRINTED ON vellum…”

        Written too early in the morning on too small a device!

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