2014-03-21



Guys, sometimes being a married editor of a wedding website means that I bump into things that give me a big ol' case of the "wish I hads." This "wish I could have" is brought to you buy the nautical-themed wedding invitation designs of our sponsor Concertina Press. I had a beach wedding, and it was hard to find beach-y invitations that weren't super dull. And while I still think my invites were rad, I took one look at this octopus invitation and went "DAMN! WANT!"

Concertina Press creates nautically-inspired wedding invitations and stationery, using antique scientific illustrations of cool sea creatures like jellyfish, octopus, squid, sea snails, and even (my personal faves!) sharks.

Whether you're having an elaborate Cape Cod yacht club wedding, an intimate beachside ceremony, or a quirky wedding at an aquarium, Concertina Press has just the invitation design for you. Let's dive in…



Seahorse Save the Dates.

Ruth Bleakley, the owner/designer of Concertina Press, used to work at the scientific library at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, cataloging and scanning 200-year-old journals. Fast forward a few years later and she's working as a wedding invite designer at a stationery store…

The local scientists getting married would come in looking for something nautical, but different, and I felt like they didn't have too many options with the template software we had: "How about… this flip flop? No? Lighthouse?" When that stationery store closed in 2011, I started my own line, Concertina Press, to fill the niche of unusual, beautiful, nautical wedding invitations and stationery.



Holy hell, I want these Beach Waves invitations too!

It's not all science, tentacles, and creatures with Ruth's designs. Concertina Press also has more generic "beachy" invitations, that could work with all types of weddings. I love the waves design (that also would have been perfect for my wedding, ARG!). The Cape Cod map is perfect for destination wedding. There's even this adorable blue pennant design that's great for non-beach weddings!

Jellyfish wedding suite.

If you've somehow looked around the Concertina Press shop and still haven't found the right invitation for your shindig, that's okay! Ruth takes on custom design projects. Her last request was for a "tasteful shark design" — now that's a couple after my own heart. That also gives me another one of those "wish I had" moments.

Cuttlefish thank you notes.

While I sit here, nursing a bad case of the "wish I hads," you should head over to Concertina Press and go for a blissful swim in this ocean of nautical wedding invitations.

This business has paid a fee to be listed on Offbeat Bride because they feel their products and services are in-line with our philosophies and needs … and we agree. Here's more info about how advertising works on Offbeat Bride.

Recent Comments

Karen: My partner would have absolutely flipped for these. They are stunning. I would have bought the whole suite. Just … [Link]

Join the discussion

Show more