Carissimo Letterpress

Behind The Brand

What was the initial spark for your brand, how did it all begin?

It all started when we visited a print museum in Lodi, close to Milan, where we lived at the time. They handed us a personalized bookmark with our initials, printed on a small, antique tabletop press right before our eyes. We loved the tactile feeling of the print from the second we held it in our hands. Back then, we were still working in Milan, as designers at a fashion house and a graphic design studio, respectively.
After a year-long travel experience in Australia, our idea began to take shape, and we moved to Vienna, where we founded our studio in 2014. Our very first printing press is a 1920ies press from the south of Italy we brought to Vienna. We learned the craft of printing on this very press, hand-feeding and printing each sheet manually. Today our print room hosts 3 Heidelberg Windmills, a Hotfoil unit, a Heidelberg Cylinder press from the 1950ies, a swiss FAG proof press and endless drawers of wood and lead type.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

Our design is rooted in our love for timeless European elegance, focusing on authenticity and beauty.

What inspires your work creatively?

Our inspirations come from our Italian heritage, decorative arts, fine porcelain, editorial design, antique books, and architectural features. As stationery designers, our work is created for our couples’ most important life events, so we need to be respectful of that and ensure that they feel their unique bond is reflected in our designs.

Tell us about the process for couples when designing/purchasing their wedding stationery?

We offer Bespoke stationery as well as a Design collection (Semi Custom). The two have a slightly different process. For Bespoke stationeries, it’s a personalized process that involves an initial consultation (mostly online), where we lay down the framework. We connect with the couple, we speak about their wishes, the feeling they want to convey to their guests, and their aesthetic preferences, so we can design with intention for them.

Moving forward it’s a 5-step process including Moodboards, Rough Sketches of the Design Concept, Layouts, Fine-Tuning and the Production. The creative process is our favourite phase, because you can feel the creative energy, and many of our couples are super involved because they want it to be very personal to them, so we go back- and forth until we find the perfect balance of all elements.Bespoke suites require more time, so we only do a handful each year, to guarantee they have all the attention and creativity they deserve. Bespoke is perfect for couples looking to create something one-of-a-kind and exclusive, as well as tailored to their celebration and their aesthetic.

Lead times on Bespoke are roughly 8-16 weeks. Our Design Collection process is an enjoyable, easy 4-step process, starting with a consultation call to help couples decide on the best options and finishes for their suite. Our designs are highly personalizable with curated fonts, illustrations, paper, color and print choices, so no 2 designs ever feel the same.
We proceed with the chosen design in a comprehensive preview including all the couple’s personalisations, fine-tuning and printing in our in-house studio. Our Design Collection is ideal for couples looking for sophisticated, luxurious paper goods that are highly personalizable but can be created on a shorter timeline. Lead times on our Design Collection are roughly 6-10 weeks.

What tips or advice can you share for choosing wedding stationery?

In all these years, we have often seen tears of joy when our clients hold their invitations for the first time in their hands. Sending out the invitations is when the importance of the occasion starts to weigh in. It is the moment where friends will get a glimpse of how you present yourselves as a couple and what your wedding will feel like. So in this respect, I would suggest to plan in a little extra time, where both of you can review designs, so that your paper goods really reflect you as a couple and your celebration.

Also, sorting out your logistics prior is really key when you want to stick to a schedule, so often something minor like the exact time of a side-event or the shuttle organization is holding everything up. Actually, I am a huge fan of having a website for destination weddings, because it takes away the pressure and declutters invitations, so that the beautiful details can really shine and make your invites a beloved keepsake.

Editor’s Notes

Why we love it…

A tactile love letter to tradition, Carissimo Letterpress blends the elegance of European design with the grandeur of handcrafted detail. Founded by Ana and Alessandro Carissimo, the studio brings together fashion-honed precision, antique presses, and a poetic sense of place. Their work captures a world of old-world romance, made modern through exquisite restraint.

For the couple…

Carissimo Letterpress is perfect for couples who believe the invitation is more than an announcement, but the beginning of an experience. Whether bespoke or part of their design collection, each suite feels intentional, atmospheric, and beautifully unrepeatable.