Atelier Template — Complete Guide
Atelier is the first ultra-premium template in the Fotify library. It's modelled on real-world letterpress invitation suites — think Bella Figura, Smock, La Tavola — with editorial typography, foil-stamped accents, and a magazine layout language across every section.
This guide covers how Atelier looks, the customization knobs unique to it, how to unlock it on your event, and the bespoke treatment it gives each section of your invitation.
For an overview of the standard template library and the picker UI, see How to Customize Your RSVP Invitation.
What makes Atelier different
Standard templates control colors, fonts, and effects through CSS variables — they all share the same underlying layout. Atelier is different: it replaces entire section layouts with hand-crafted editorial treatments, ships its own self-hosted typography, and exposes template-specific customization knobs beyond the standard color and font controls.
Signature design elements
- Foil-stamped serif typography — Playfair Display for display headlines, EB Garamond for body copy
- Editorial cover — a 44/56 split with a foil monogram crest, italic eyebrow, host names in display serif, a foil-framed photograph on the right, and a "Réponse s'il vous plaît" colophon
- Roman-numeral side index — a sticky desktop chapter index along the right edge that highlights the section currently in view
- Magazine-style sections — alternating two-page Story spreads, roman-numeral Gift registry, engraved weekend Itinerary, pull-quote dress code with tipped-in accommodation cards, engraved Countdown cartouches, magazine-grid Gallery
- Ornament dividers between sections — three hand-authored SVG sets (botanical, celestial, classical) you can switch between
- Foil-outlined buttons everywhere — Add-to-calendar, RSVP submit, gift-copy buttons all share the same Atelier letterpress treatment
- Letterpress reply card — RSVP section renders as a foil-bordered paper-alt card with an 8px offset shadow, monogram crown, and italic "Réponse s'il vous plaît" header
When to choose Atelier
Atelier is built for events where the invitation itself is part of the experience:
- Editorial wedding suites — formal or semi-formal weddings where guests will read the invitation, not just glance at it
- Black-tie galas and fundraisers — gold/silver foil on charcoal paper reads beautifully
- Anniversary dinners — milestone celebrations (25, 50 years) benefit from the engraved Itinerary and the Story timeline
- Brand launches and gallery openings — the magazine spread Gallery + the editorial cover create a publication-grade feel
- Milestone birthdays — particularly with the "are turning 50" cover invitation line and a custom monogram
It's less appropriate for casual parties, kids' events, and anything where the visual language wants to be playful rather than considered.
Applying Atelier to your event
- Go to your event dashboard at dashboard.fotify.app
- Select your event, open the RSVP sidebar tab, then the Invitation sub-tab
- Scroll to "Design Template" and find the Premium gallery at the bottom (gold band with a "Beta" tag)
- Click the Atelier card to apply it
The preview updates immediately — the entire invitation re-themes to Atelier.
Premium entitlement
Atelier is a premium template and requires an entitled event to apply:
- Paid events (events with a credit cost) → Atelier unlocks automatically
- Subscription events with an active subscription → Atelier unlocks automatically
- Free events without a subscription → Atelier appears in the picker with a lock overlay and a tooltip explaining what's needed
The entitlement check runs both in the picker UI (you can't select a locked premium template) and on the server (a direct attempt to save Atelier on a non-entitled event is rejected). Upgrade the event or activate a subscription to unlock it.
Atelier-specific customization
Atelier exposes its own customization knobs in the picker's "Customize" panel — separate from the standard color and font controls. Pick Atelier, then expand "Customize" to find the "Atelier Premium" block:
| Knob | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Monogram | Up to 4 characters — typically the hosts' initials (e.g. "A&F"). Renders on the cover, the RSVP reply card, and the footer. |
| Cover invitation line | Italic eyebrow above the names on the cover — e.g. "are getting married", "invite you to a black-tie gala", "are turning 50", "celebrate 25 years together". Leave blank to hide. |
| Foil color | Gold, rose gold, silver, copper, or antique brass. Drives every foil accent across the template — borders, dividers, buttons, ornaments, hover states. |
| Paper tone | Cream, ivory, blush, sage, or charcoal. Charcoal is the dark variant (cream text on near-black paper). |
| Ornament set | Botanical (vine flourish), celestial (starburst), or classical (fleuron). Used between sections and around the monogram. |
| Monogram frame | Interlocked initials, stacked block, or framed crest. |
| Show side index (desktop) | Toggle the sticky roman-numeral chapter index on the right edge. |
All changes persist immediately. Switch between foil colors and paper tones live in the customize panel to find the combination that suits your event — the entire template re-themes as you pick.
Suggested foil + paper combinations
| Combination | Mood |
|---|---|
| Gold + Cream | Classic wedding suite. The default. |
| Rose gold + Ivory | Romantic and modern. |
| Silver + Charcoal | Black-tie gala, fundraiser, brand launch. |
| Copper + Sage | Rustic editorial, garden-party formal. |
| Antique brass + Blush | Vintage, milestone birthday or anniversary. |
Atelier section layouts
Atelier replaces the default section layouts with bespoke editorial treatments. Each replaces the standard kit version — you don't need to do anything special, they activate the moment you pick Atelier.
Cover (replaces the standard hero)
The editorial cover is the page's hero. A 44/56 split between an index column on the left (monogram crest, italic eyebrow, names in display serif, ornament divider, date imprint, venue colophon) and a foil-framed photograph on the right. A vertical foil rule runs down the index column's left edge — the "page edge" of a letterpress card.
The cover replaces the standard Hero entirely; settings like text position, navbar style, etc. don't apply to Atelier's cover.
Message
The organizer's invitation HTML renders in EB Garamond at 1.2rem with a foil drop cap on the first paragraph (5.5rem Playfair Display). Headings (h1–h6) get editorial sizing, lists get foil bullets, ordered lists get roman-numeral counters, blockquotes get a foil left-rule, and links get a foil underline. A foil ornament caps the section.
Countdown
Four engraved cartouches per unit (days, hours, minutes, seconds) — Playfair Display foil digits with hairline foil borders top and bottom, and centered tick marks above and below. Reaches zero → shows your completed message in italic foil.
Gallery (carousel)
Magazine spread instead of a slider: the first photo renders as a 16:9 "establishing shot" in a foil-thin frame, and the remaining photos flow into a 2-up or 3-up grid below with the same foil framing. Use 4–6 photos for the best layout.
Story
Each milestone renders as an alternating two-column spread — photo left / text right, then text left / photo right. Photos get a foil-thin border. The chapter date sits in foil italic letter-spaced uppercase above a serif chapter title and an EB Garamond description.
Venue (location)
A two-column "engraved map plate": foil-bordered map iframe on one side, italic venue card on the other with a Playfair Display address, a "Directions" sub-header, and any directions you've entered.
Itinerary
Engraved weekend programme. Each day gets a date header that floats over a hairline foil rule (the date label sits in a paper-alt strip so the rule passes behind it). Entries render as rows with a foil-italic time column, a small foil bullet, and a serif event title with italic location and optional foil-rule note.
Gifts
Three subsections (Registries / Monetary gifts / Charity) separated by foil ornaments, each with the same row format: a Playfair-italic roman numeral on the left (I, II, III…), the item title in Playfair, an italic description, and a foil-outlined external-link or copy button on the right.
Details (event details)
- Dress code renders as a pull-quote with foil quotation marks, plus circular color swatches if you've added them
- Accommodation as tipped-in cards — paper cards with a 4px foil-shadow offset (letterpress feel), Playfair hotel name, italic meta lines, a gold promo-code stamp if set
- Transportation as foil-bordered rows with italic foil meta
- FAQs as a serif Q&A list with foil-rule questions
Save the Date (calendar)
Three uniform foil-outlined buttons (Google Calendar, Apple/iCal, Outlook) — italic uppercase serif labels with proper hover contrast. Replaces the default branded chips.
RSVP
Reply card on paper-alt stock with a 0.75px foil border and 8px offset shadow. Monogram crown at the top, italic eyebrow "The favour of a reply is requested", foil-italic "Réponse s'il vous plaît" headline. The standard RSVP form inside the card gets underline-only inputs, italic uppercase labels, foil-outlined accept/decline buttons, and the same foil-outlined submit button used elsewhere.
Footer
Foil-rule colophon with the monogram, then a single italic uppercase imprint line: {event date} · {venue}. No Fotify branding (Atelier is premium-only by design).
Sections that inherit the Atelier theme
Sections without a bespoke Atelier override automatically pick up Atelier's foil-serif theme through a polish layer — serif typography, zero-radius surfaces, foil accents, no shadows, foil-outlined buttons. They feel on-brand without dedicated layouts:
- Photo gallery / upload section (when guest uploads are enabled)
- QR code section — the QR is wrapped in a foil-bordered paper card
- Table assignment section
- Custom sections (1 to 5) — your rich-text content gets editorial heading sizes, foil bullets on lists, foil quote rules, foil-underlined links
Custom HTML you author in the Message section or in a Custom Section's HTML embed automatically picks up the same polish — h1–h6 sizing, foil bullets, foil blockquote rules, foil link underlines.
Beta status
Atelier is currently in Beta. The design is fully functional and stable for real events — RSVP submissions, photo uploads, gifts, itinerary, all standard data flows behave identically to standard templates. Your real wedding or gala will not break.
The Beta tag means we're still refining visual details based on customer feedback — typography quirks on specific paper tones, layout polish on edge-case devices, copy decisions like the cover colophon language. If you spot a rough edge, send us a note and we'll address it in the next iteration.
Coming next
More premium templates are planned for the next iterations: cinematic (motion-led title cards, scroll-snap chapters), hand-lettered (unfolding-letter cover with wax-seal monogram), and others. You'll see them appear in the picker's premium gallery as they ship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How is Atelier different from a standard template with custom colors? A: Standard templates share the same underlying section layouts — what differs between them is colors, fonts, and effects. Atelier replaces the section layouts themselves: editorial cover, magazine Story spreads, engraved Countdown cartouches, letterpress reply card, foil-outlined Calendar buttons, magazine Gallery grid. It also ships its own typography (Playfair Display + EB Garamond) and exposes 7 template-specific customization knobs the standard library doesn't have.
Q: How do I unlock Atelier on my event? A: Atelier requires either a paid event credit (events with a credit cost in their event type) or an active subscription. Free events without a subscription see Atelier in the picker with a lock overlay. Once your event is paid or your account has an active subscription, Atelier becomes selectable.
Q: Will my data work the same way as on a standard template? A: Yes. Atelier reads the same invitation data as the standard templates — your event name, date, photos, story milestones, gifts, itinerary, event details, RSVP custom fields, etc. all surface in Atelier's bespoke layouts without any migration. Switching back to a standard template at any time keeps all that data intact.
Q: Can I change the foil color and paper tone after guests have viewed the invitation? A: Yes — every customization knob can be changed at any time. Guests who view the invitation after your change will see the updated palette. Existing RSVPs are unaffected; you're only changing the visual theme.
Q: Why is the cover invitation line blank on my preview? A: The cover invitation line ("are getting married", "invite you to a gala", etc.) is empty by default. Open Customize → Atelier Premium → Cover invitation line, and type whatever fits your event. Leave it blank to hide the italic eyebrow entirely.
Q: My monogram shows the wrong initials. A: Atelier auto-derives a monogram from your event name when you haven't set one — it looks for a pattern like "Alice & Bob" and pulls the first letter of each name. To override, open Customize → Atelier Premium → Monogram, and enter up to 4 characters of your choice. The new value appears immediately on the cover, RSVP card, and footer.
Q: Can I use Atelier on the registration form too (forms-mode signup)?
A: Yes. When forms-mode is enabled, the public registration page at fotify.app/r/{code} uses the same template pipeline. Atelier's editorial cover, side index, foil-themed sections, and reply-card RSVP form all render on the registration page exactly as they do on personal invitations.
Q: What happens to the standard hero settings (text position, navbar style, etc.) when I pick Atelier? A: Atelier replaces the standard hero with its own editorial cover, so settings like text position, hero height, overlay opacity, and navbar style don't apply. The Atelier customization knobs (monogram, foil color, paper tone, cover invitation line) take over.
Q: Is the side index always visible? A: It only appears on desktop screens 1100px and wider — on tablets and phones the index is hidden so the layout has room to breathe. You can also disable it entirely with the "Show side index (desktop)" toggle in Customize → Atelier Premium.
Q: I want a darker, more black-tie feel — what should I pick? A: Try paperTone: charcoal with foilColor: silver or foilColor: gold. The cream-on-charcoal text + silver/gold foil reads as formal gala / black-tie. Pair with ornamentSet: classical for the most formal feel.
Q: Will more premium templates be added? A: Yes — premium templates are an active development area. Cinematic, hand-lettered, and other directions are planned for upcoming releases. The picker's premium gallery shows a "More designs in flight" placeholder card as a preview of what's next.
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