The Story Behind the Tulip

Sempur Augustus

The tulip that Alex and I chose to water color on our invitations is the Sempur Augustus - the most expensive tulip sold during the Dutch Tulip Mania. We thought it was a beautiful and fitting flower to represent both the importance and craziness of modern American weddings.

I first delved into the story of this particular tulip while reading "The Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan (he also wrote "The Omnivore's Dilemma"), a book sent to me by my friend Bob after a lengthy conversation about the topic during a long run. I truly enjoyed the book and got Alex to read at least the first chapter (maybe more?). If it strikes your fancy to ponder whether we developed potatoes for our use or they adapted us for their use, I recommend you check out the book.

Originally the tulip was going to be printed in black and white, but over time the design transitioned into the one you found on your invitation. We enjoyed painting each one. For us adding color to each invitation brought us back to the days when each invitation would have actually been completely hand made. We are very grateful for the compliments we have received. They mean a lot. Thank you.