Wedding-cards and invitations

Over the years, since 1881, our name has been connected with innumerable weddings, illustrious and not, in Milan and all over Italy and, for about the last twenty years, even in the rest of the world. In our view, the wedding-card, or the French "faire-part", ought to be simple, clear and elegant, without frills or flounces. Sometimes customers ask "Is that it...?", doubtless referring to the elegant simplicity of our cards. What we feel is important is the choice of paper and character. The selection of papers includes smooth ivory or white paper, ivory-coloured hand-made paper, or, even more refined the AMALFI rag paper in ivory shade, with ragged, irregular edges.

The characters we normally recommend for wedding-cards are classic English Italic and millerighe because we believe that these are the most suitable for the announcement of a wedding. The choice of a wedding-card printed using the lithographic engraving technique deserves a special mention. This is effectively a supremely elegant card which, printed exclusively in English italic characters, is guaranteed to stand out for the sophisticated play of chiaroscuro lines which make it a veritable miniature masterpiece. It has to be said that, in the past, all wedding-cards were printed by lithography; the idea of printing them by other means was unheard of. With the development of more modern printing techniques, this was gradually abandoned because of the elevated costs and the complexity of the workmanship.

We ourselves, however, still produce a vast number, and we are truly content that our customers are in a position to appreciate both the craftsmanship and the result. The classic wedding-card comprises the announcement made by the families involved, starting at the left with the family of the bride. Otherwise we can opt for the type of announcement made by the engaged couple themselves, and in this case instead of the folded double card, we can use a single sheet of heavier card with an embossed/ a ridged/a raised (sbalzo) border (this was an original creation of ours which, widely copied, went on to become a classic). The shop staff are in any case always ready to offer suggestions and advice, and attentive to all our customers' requirements. Enclosed with the wedding-card is the invitation to the reception, which recently is often accompanied by an artistic map to assist guests in identifying the destination.

A real gem, and very useful in the organisation of your wedding, is the "Bride's book" created and printed exclusively by Pettinaroli. This will enable you to record in alphabetical order all the people involved in one way or another with your wedding. In this way you can tell at a glance whether they have been sent the wedding-card, whether they came to the wedding, the gift they made, etc. As well as being practical, this book bound in Varese paper will remain as a magnificent souvenir, which you can leaf through with pleasure even in later years.