Behind the Scenes – Andrew Wyeth Inspired Wedding Ideas for Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine Part II

Last week I shared a peek at our Pastoral shoot for DWHM, then seen on Ruffled.  This week I’m excited to share all of the stationery goodness from the project!

Our palette was filled with moody slate, blues, and taupe.  Letterpress printing took center stage against the textured stocks I chose for each of the four suites.  Artwork was inspired by Victorian embroidery alphabets where persnickety detail takes over and swooshes, swirls and leafy sketches reign.  Our imaginary couple was the namesake of Momental Girl Joy’s grandparents. 

The first hand painted wedding invitation suite’s mix of red, slate blue and tan hues was my favorite of them all.

Pennsylvania’s state dog, the Great Dane, made an appearance! Riley would only sit still for this one precious shot.

The next suite features a gorgeous textured gold stock from Envelopments.  The timeline insert in all suites featured the phrase “a few days together” meant to conjure a sense of belonging and welcome.

A close-up of our painted table runner.

Ah, I love how that gold catches the light!

Next I played with tones down blue hues and watercolor washes.  This shot was styled on an old stone staircase outside.

More of Sullivan Owen’s goodness.

Painted framing around the invitation layout here, all shot on an old coal stove.

Air plant backdrop. Love.

The simplicity of these statioenry suites are mirrored in the clean table design.

Fresh blues and sage.

Painterly welcome itinerary.

Painted wood grain menus.

Pie and a note to each guest.  I adore this personal touch.

 Shoot Location – Dallas, PA  ::  Photographer  – With Love and Embers  ::  Event Styling, Concept, and Design – Kristy Rice of Momental Designs  ::  Florist – Sullivan Owen  ::  Event Venue – The Cottage at Hillside Farms  ::  Gown -  Tara LaTour  ::  Hair and Makeup – Tatum Neiderhiser   ::  Food Styling – The SoupChic  ::  Vintage Rentals and Styling – Maggpie Vintage  ::  Hand Painted Letterpress Stationery -  Momental Designs  ::  Model – Kaitlin MacCullum

Behind the Scenes – Andrew Wyeth Inspired Wedding Ideas for Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine Part I

You may have heard me speak of my art teacher growing up, Sue Hand.  As a young art student I was hungry for new; I wanted to absorb everything I could about the world of art I knew so little about.  Sue would take myself and others with a blooming interest in all things painting, on day trips across Pennsylvania to visit museums, gardens and the like.  Jessica, our lead artist at the Momental Studio was with me on some of these trips and we recall, likely with the most vivid details our treks to Brandywine River Museum.  Home of a large collection of Wyeth paintings, this museum holds a particular charm for any who posses a respect for the family’s distinct pastoral, rustic and detailed approach to painting.

Andrew Wyeth specifically had a gift for capturing mood.  Mood and drama as thick as the foggy, snowy skies seen in so many of his works.  So when I was asked to create an art shoot inspired by my home state of Pennsylvania as a wedding destination spot, I immediately thought of Andrew Wyeth and my many trips to Brandywine.  I imagined rough textures, detailed paperie and a certain early spring vibe where there air is still chill with the lingering of winter and promise of spring’s reprieve.  I envisioned a table of friends  gathering to celebrate the deepest of loves over a bountiful meal of colorful fare.   All of my imaginings came to life with a group I call friends.   Amazing, gifted friends who took my vision and made it so incredibly real and infinitely a much better version of itself.

Victorian Alphabets became my muse as the scene unfolded and artwork was developed for letterpress.  Hand sketched swirls and lettering, later painted with watercolor and creamy inks became the focus of the three stationery suites created for the project.

Sullivan Owen’s touch added a magical vibe just a s Tara LaTour‘s Judith gown set the scene for delightfully uncommon wedding design aesthetic.   Our lovely Kaitlin….with a feathered cap I thought was just, well just perfect.

Sullivan built a tablescape installation centered around a birch trunk topped with various greens including graceful air plants.  Iron chairs sourced by Maggpie Vintage were topped with hand sewn, tea stained cushions.

Our very own Jess Z. happens to be the skilled chef behind The Soup Chic so she took the lead of menu and food styling.  Traditional Pennsylvania dutch choices like pickled eggs and roasted game meats made their way to a stunning buffet.

Overfilled pies with gorgeous flaky crusts took the place of traditional wedding cake.  I was especially smitten with the lace wrapped locally brewed root beer!  Simple swirls from the invitation pattern adorned place cards which each featured personal notes to guests inside.

A peek at one of the three hand painted letterpress invitation suites created.  Delicate and tentative vine sketches along with hand illustrated text created a quaint, comfortable but still incredibly artful vibe.

Jessica here at the studio recently developed a cool painting technique to replicate the texture of rough hewn wood.  I used her technique for the menu layering in shades of muted blue and sage.  Look close and get lost in the painterly details.

Moravian Tile Flowerlettes were gifted at each place setting.  The Moravian Tile Works is a Pennsylvania landmark still producing iconic tile pieces from centuries old molds.   Our model Kaitlin holds a vintage Roseville Pottery basket filled with Sullivan Owen’s pretty plunder.

There are no words.  Ahhh! Love.

All at once our scene of detail becomes real as we sit to enjoy.

Thank for having a look at my favorite art shoot to date.   Be sure to head over to Ruffled and the Destination Weddings blog to see more! Soon I’ll be sharing more about the painted runner and two other stationery suites!

 Shoot Location – Dallas, PA  ::  Photographer  – With Love and Embers  ::  Event Styling, Concept, and Design – Kristy Rice of Momental Designs  ::  Florist – Sullivan Owen  ::  Event Venue – The Cottage at Hillside Farms  ::  Gown -  Tara LaTour  ::  Hair and Makeup – Tatum Neiderhiser   ::  Food Styling – The SoupChic  ::  Vintage Rentals and Styling – Maggpie Vintage  ::  Hand Painted Letterpress Stationery -  Momental Designs  ::  Model – Kaitlin MacCullum

A Peek into the Studio – Bossa 2013 and a Giveaway!

So if you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I’m a bit obsessed with one little word lately.  I made it my mission in 2013 to inspire myself and hopefully others along the way to live with Bossa.  I fell in love with this word a few years ago, and you can read all about it here.
An excerpt from my post two years ago:

“Bossa happens (and thank you Wikipedia for finally giving me a description for this) when all the right moments collide in a design.  Bossa happens when your mind AND your heart are in harmony.  The perfect brushstroke combines with an effortless sketch and a complimentary paper and in one simple breath you are holding a small piece of yourself that speaks in the simplest way possible of the sweetest emotions there are in this world.  I am grateful everyday that I have found a way to express for myself and my couples these essential emotions.  It is at the same time simple and the most complex.”

At the beginning of this year I was searching for something, a bit of purpose and direction and somehow found my way back to the very first Bossa post.  It energized me and inspired my #bossa2013 series on Instagram.  So everyday I call out something Bossa.  Some days it is a simple brushstroke, others it is quote from a industry friend and often I call out a particular individual who I believe is living with Bossa.  Through this process I am finding more joy and becoming increasingly grateful for those who inspire me and others.  Through this process I’m becoming more keenly aware of what I need in this life to thrive and be the best version of myself.  Through this process I’m learning what needs my focus and what takes away from my vision.

Since we missed the boat on Holiday cards in 2012, I decided to send a Bossa mailing to industry friends.  We crafted nearly 200 notebooks featuring some pretty floral artwork, a drawing lesson and of course more about our Bossa message in addition to ‘lots of blank space for brainstorming.   Since then friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been receiving their books and getting very much into the Bossa spirit!

We’ve received many requests for the Bossa notebook to be made available for purchase and while we’re not quite there yet we do have 5 still on hand!  So I’m looking forward to giving away Bossa notebooks to 5 lucky readers!

Here’s how to enter.  Comment period ends, Friday March 29th:

1.  Read my original Bossa post and the New Year’s Post to get up to date
2.  Comment on this post and tell me how you have found your Bossa, who you feel is living with Bossa, how you hope to find your Bossa, etc.

So while we only have 5 notebooks to give away, we have a fun mailing to send each and every one of you who comment, so get reading and get commenting!!! XO

Inspirations – Bold Fuchsia and Violet Tropical Wedding Invitations

Inspired by Stephanie’s bouquet ideas today.  A new painting is creating itself if only in my mind for now.  Made up of rich fuchsia and violet hues, loads of tropical textures and maybe even a bit of sparkle. 

My Story is Art – Visiting a Bookbinder’s Studio and Thoughts on Community

I don’t leave the studio very often…and when I do it is usually to hop a plane and travel far, far away.  This morning I hopped in the car, with the Indigo Girls blasting and headed into town to meet Mr. Don Rash, bookbinder extraordinaire, who lives right in my backyard, I recently learned.  Mr. Rash is known nationwide for his book restoration and edition binding skills.  The Momental team is working on a BIG project and we’ve been enlisting the help of local artisans to get the job done.  So this meeting today was all about incorporating some of our artwork into hand crafted books and all bound with a metal spine to boot.

My post today has less to do with our current book project and more to do with community.  I realized as I drove back to the studio today, just how important a creative community is for artists and craftspeople.  We must congregate and mingle together, leaning on eachother and uplifting our collective talents.  Artists without community are just adrift in a sea of “ourselve-ed-nes” and this can lead nowhere fast.

I stepped into this magical little home, unassuming from the road, except for this sweet little wooden sign hanging above the door.

I was greeted by Mr. Rash and metal artist, Jim Lennox, whose metal working skills are coming in handy these days.  Instantly I was at ease in this space after being greeted by two strangers with kind faces and a lot of creative energy ready to spend.

We talked details, measurements, materials and what not for nearly an hour…  Mr. Rash cats spent their time swirling around the drafting table and begging for attention.  I felt right at home.

We wrapped our meeting with small chit chat and excited anticipation for our collaborative creation to come in the near future.  I asked to poke around the studio a bit, unashamed in the moment at my obvious nosiness.  I just had to get a bit closer to all the pages, textures and tools I was unfamiliar with;  all stacks of books that could only mark the lifelong career of a very talented man.  I snapped a few shots on my phone to try and distill the experience.  These images are trigger for me to be mindful of the importance of congregation and the creative meeting of minds.

We must meet, mingle and pause in order to make something good and worth sharing with the world. 

We should do this often; get up, get out and go….