Sometimes you get clients that are a dream to work with. Not to brag (ok, totally to brag), but I get them quite often.

Working on Jonah’s bar mitzvah invitations with his family was definitely one of those experiences.

We started with the gatefold – a representation of the tree of life to reflect the phrase (written in Hebrew) “It is a tree of life to all who grasp it.” Since we’re talking about a tree, why not use wood? It’s been a favorite substrate of mine for a while and I haven’t had the chance to laser-cut it yet (though I have laser-engraved it).

We decided to wrap that laser-cut gatefold around a two-color letterpress invitation. Citron and Silver for a modern look still befitting of a(n almost) teenage boy.

There were multiple RSVP cards and inserts to accommodate the various events. We decided it would be best to tuck those in a diecut pouch on the back of the gatefold, in the same silver that we duplexed to the inside of the wood and lined the envelopes with.

Simple and sophisticated, with the perfect amount of whimsy, I’m so happy to share these invitations with you.

As with most inviting experiences, this gave us the opportunity to create some new processes and tools to make different processes work better. In this case, we’ve started screen-printing our glue to duplex paper. It made for a much more consistent glue-up and eliminated visible glue lines.

We also brought on a new partner – an incredible laser-cutter with the same heart for adventure that makes A Fine Press the last call you’ll need to make to dream up your own inviting experience.

You can see more of this invitation in our portfolio. These stunning photos were taken by Jordan Weiland.