Our Holiday Cards- Twenty Eighteen

Everyone loves seeing what goes on during production here at the studio. So for this blog post we are giving you a sneak peak into our process as we make our 2017 New Years card!

A behinds the scenes of our 2018 New Year's card!

You probably know this by now, but we have a thing for letterpress (e.g. Wedding Invitations & Suites, Envelopes, Greeting Cards, Stationery). It is an obsession.

We’ve even shared a little about our letterpress process before! But when we have the opportunity to make something for ourselves, we couldn’t help but share our most recent letterpress obsession: OUR NEW YEAR'S CARD!

Our New Year's card is something we both get so excited to design and produce during the holiday season! In the beginning, we always start in one direction and land in a different world it seems. 

During our process of designing and working through several ideas, we came to the conclusion that we wanted to collaborate with one our friends and a local designer and artist, Reed Knauth. (Check her out more of her work here) Knowing we wanted something soft yet playful she went to work creating us some beautiful watercolor art. 

Check out more of Reed's wonderful work here:

 

Deciding the details

After narrowing down to our favorite watercolor image (don't worry you will see our other favorites soon!), we began to set different lockups of typography and exploring different accessories. 

We have been really loving grommeted tags, wax seals, and diagonally tied string this month, but next month is sure to bring new favorites. 

Once the invite is fully designed we send all things to be flat printed to the printer, and all designs to be letterpress printed off to get plates made. 

We duplexed the flat printed piece, so that every invite would be thicker, and feel a little nicer on every hand that it touched. 

ON THE PRESS

We letterpress printed all of the tags on our Vandercook press, cut them all down to size, and then the invite was ready for assembly.

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

During this time of year, we love putting on a sappy holiday movie as we assemble our holiday cards, enjoy the season, and spend time crafting something we have put so much time and thought into! 

We will be sending out our New Years card soon, and hope you enjoy having one in your hand as much as we enjoy making them! Want to be on our mailing list for next year's card? Join our mailing list at the bottom!

xoxo,
Amanda & Melissa

5 ways to tag your invite

We love adding something a little special to every wedding invitation suite that is created in our studio. One of our favorite ways to add that "something special" is by adding a tag to an suite piece. Adding that simple element takes the whole suite to a new level of detail. 

 

5 ways we love adding tags

1. mark it with your date

A great way to remind all of your guests to mark their calendars is to attach a tag with your wedding date. It is simple and fun. 

2. add your monogram

If you are already wanting a monogram on your invitation, this may not be the way to go, but if your not, it's your lucky day. Adding your monogram can be a great way to add that extra detail.

3. hashtag it

We love couples who include this detail on their tags! It is a great way to incorporate that you want your guest to help record your day without printing in on the invite or on a details card. 

4. show your wedding location

Some weddings are a hop and skip away for their guest, and some are a bit further away. In either scenario, a tag letting your guest know where to join you is a great way to mark your invite. Our personal favorites are with coordinate degrees or by state. 

5. say something special

A quote is a great way to set the mood for your wedding. It is a sneak peek into your personalities, and a fun way to greet your guest as they dive into your suite. 

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There are so many other ways to tag your invite, but hopefully, we introduced you to a new idea and a way to add a little something special to your suite. 

We have included a little something special for all of our readers. Click the link below to download your free printable gift tags. 

A Tour of Our Studio

Before we jump into the lovely images of our studio, here is a quick intro.

 

Here's our timeline:

2008 | alee & press was founded in Midtown Atlanta
2009 | alee & press moved to a new location in Chandler Park
2012 | alee & press moved to its current location in Brookhaven
2016 | the impressionist was founded and launched under the same roof as alee & press

The impressionist is a paper + invitation studio that specializes creating custom letterpress wedding invitation suites. Meeting with brides in person at our location inside alee & press allows us to really get to know their vision. And also, we get to show off the presses!

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR SPACE: 

A quick peek inside the letterpress production room of Alee & Press.

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Now let's jump into the pretty paper and our presses!

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Alee & Press | where all of our printing and production work happens.
 

OUR TWO PRESSES ARE: 

Vandy | Vandercook Proofing Press
   (SP-15 for anyone out there would like that tidbit of information)
Herman | an original Heidelberg

VANDY IS OUR BREAD & BUTTER.

We print daily on this guy, and the majority of our projects through The Impressionist are printed here. 

HERMAN IS OUR BEST MAN. 

He is our go-to for our larger runs, and where most of our larger wholesale orders through Alee & Press are printed.

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Our production table rarely looks like the image above though! It's typically filled with paper waiting to be pressed, orders that are ready to be cut down to size, invitations ready to be shipped, and boxed orders ready for delivery.

Mixing Colors

All our colors are custom mixed ink to match Pantone colors, and it is a pretty mesmerizing process. 

If you want to catch some videos follow us Instagram and check out our stories.
~link here~

The Impressionist | our paper studio

This is the space where all of our consultations, brainstorming, and the start of every suite begins.  

Check out one of our recent blog posts here to see how we go from meeting brides to creating custom suites for their weddings.

~A Suite Story of Adventure~

 

Our Archive Wall

On our archive wall, we have a few of our favorite pieces displayed so our brides can browse for inspiration, or just to give us a feel for what they are drawn to.

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We hope this brief tour has given you a small glimpse inside the studio, and the environment. 

We always joke that the only thing formal here is our invitations. We keep all of our consultations relaxed and informative. Ensuring that each bride gets the suite they have been dreaming of, even if they didn't quite have a vision when we first met.

“We always joke that the only thing formal here is our invitations.”

How to find your wedding inspo

First of all, stop looking at other weddings!

No, really! Hear us out: Searching for wedding inspo in today's world means scrolling down the rabbit hole of other people's pinterest boards and wedding blogs, right?  But THEIR wedding is not YOUR wedding!

Your wedding day should be unique to you as a couple, which is why we beg of you: PLEASE, stop sending us to someone's else's Pinterest wedding board and instead, let us help you find your own wedding vibe.

Look for inspiration in other avenues - textiles, seasons, locations, and even other events. That way you won't end up with a knockoff of someone else's wedding.

So here we go...

5 ways and reasons to find inspiration without looking at other weddings.

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1. Use good keywords

Using keywords that resonate with your style will make your search much more fruitful.

Here are a few ideas for keywords:
- minimalist
- modern
- simple
- elegant
- bohemian 

The KEY here is to find your own keywords :) Don't just use these!

Mix and match your keywords with anything wedding related ("bohemian + flowers" or "minimalist + table settings").

Hot tip: do an image search to get a whole bunch of visuals quickly.

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2. Look at other events for inspiration

There are many different kinds of stunning events - weddings are just one. That means, by narrowing your search only to weddings, you're missing out on so much possible inspo!

A few of our favorites when on the hunt for inspiration are:

• Birthday parties: even children's birthday parties can be packed full of inspiration
• Seasonal based events: Bonfires, thanksgiving, harvest festivals (just to name a few for fall)
• Location specific events: having an outdoor wedding? pair a keyword + outdoor events and you have a whole new page of inspiration.

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3. Find color palette inspiration in artwork & textiles

This has to be one of our favorite secrets to developing a killer color palette. Artists know their color palettes, and their artwork is a great way to find unique and beautiful palettes. 

Don't be afraid to get a little specific here either! 
And pay attention to artwork and textiles you are drawn to.

*WARNING*

Searching color palettes takes new keywords. Such as:

• muted
• rich
• pastel
• nude
   

Search Examples: muted textiles | minimal nude color palette
*if you have a specific color in mind do a little research on more names for it, and then search them.

*our biggest tip here is really avoiding the typical picture with 5 blocks of color underneath them. These are typically not very sophisticated palettes. 

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4. Search your season

Anytime we am digging for some inspiration, seasons are one of my go-to places! 

Go beyond "fall", but rather think about the things during that season you could draw inspiration.

Here are a *few* examples for Fall:

• Thanksgiving
• Fall Leaves
• Pumpkin
• Gathering

Searches Examples: Modern Fall Event Decor | Modern Thanksgiving

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5. Paper inspiration

We know we are a little biased here, but to us, paper is a HUGE deal.

We were on the search for some new inspiration for our wholesale album for Alee & Press, launching soon (check it out, it's gonna be great!), and needed some fresh new vibes before the work could flow out of us.

We didn't want "wedding" or "letterpress" inspiration but rather wanted other influences to show up on our work. 

Cue mad full-out search for all resources! 

We won't give away all of our secrets here, but our search words included some of the following: 

• typography
• layout
• publication
• branding

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Thanks for sticking in there with us...

STOP SEARCHING "WEDDING"

It is not about finding all of your inspiration outside of weddings, but rather finding it in ways others aren't. 

By searching keywords that represent you the most you will discover more meaningful inspiration. 

Even if your inspiration doesn't paint the whole picture. Your professionals are there to help your inspiration become your wedding reality.
 

YOU DESERVE A DAY UNIQUE TO YOU

When you search wedding anything, you are looking at the exact same inspiration as thousands of other brides. That's all well and good, but we believe you deserve a day more special than that. 

Sure there are hundreds of thousands of weddings a year, but this is your one big day, look for inspiration others aren't.

A Suite Story of Adventure

|story| of this intivation suite:

|venue|: Calor Woodford Gardens

|season|: late Summer early Fall

|feel|:  The overall design of this identity suite was meant to feel modern with a touch of old world. To accomplish this we mixed two different typefaces, a modern san serif paired with an antique, hand-done script. Featuring earthy tones that are reminiscent of the colors seen in late summer to mid-fall. It is elegant and warm, while being informal and truly personal. 

|details|: The final product was a six-page letterpress, hand-bound booklet that contains the invitation, perforated reply postcard, weekend events page, Atlanta hot spots and travel information personalized by the couple. To finish off the booklet, it was wrapped in a sheet of vintage paper that read a quote from E.E. Cummings.

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the backstory

For this couple home is not seen as a place, but as a state of being. It’s defined not only by where you are, but more importantly whom you are with. For them, travel is a mirror to their souls. Made up of circumstances, moments, and feelings that are best captured through seeing the world.

Having a handful of mutual friends they couldn’t help but question why they weren’t introduced earlier. They began their relationship by admiring one another’s photos on social media. He would see, and envy, her photos taken on a business trip in London, and she would do the same with his photos taken on a hiking trip through Iceland. Finally, they got together and knew their adventurous spirits had found a match in each other.

This couple has a story rooted in intention and the pursuit of something wonderful and new. From their first weekend trip to Maine and a road trip to Texas hill country, they’re always being called to a new adventure. Their warm souls explored the cold of Alberta in the fall and winters in Rome. They’ve wandered through the lavender fields of Georgia together and have strolled through the ever-spreading grape vines in Bordeaux.

This moment, this circumstance, and these new feelings is their greatest adventure of all. We were so lucky to be a part of telling their story.

“This moment, this circumstance, and these new feelings is their greatest adventure of all. We were so lucky to be a part of telling their story.”

the consultation

During our first consultation we discussed what palette would be best to tell their story. We decided on an earthy tone reminiscent of the colors seen in late summer to mid-fall. It is elegant and warm, while being informal and truly personal.

The overall design of this identity suite was meant to feel modern with a touch of old world. To accomplish this we mixed two different typefaces, a modern san serif paired with an antique, hand-done script.

We brought an illustrator on board to help us tell their story in a more personal and fun way, so we included small, vintage illustrations throughout the book.

the final suite

The final product was a six-page letterpress, hand-bound booklet that contains the invitation, perforated reply postcard, weekend events page, Atlanta hot spots and travel information personalized by the couple.

Since the beginning of their story began with their admiration for one another’s passion for travel, the cover of the booklet expressed the same sentiment. A printed vintage map of the couple’s favorite travel location that was then labeled with a custom monogram including their initials and GPS coordinates. The GPS coordinates lead to the location of the first kiss they shared.  

A perforated reply card was included within the booklet that mimicked the vintage postcards they had seen while in Bordeaux. It was a perfect way to add a personal touch that made the whole suite even more cohesive.

To finish off the booklet, it was wrapped in a sheet of vintage paper that read a quote from E.E. Cummings. It was then tied with a copper string and letterpress tag that had the date printed on the front. It was the perfect way to introduce their story and invite their guests to experience this beautiful time in their lives from the beginning.

“anywhere i go
you go, my dear,
and whatever is
done only by me
is your doing,
my darling”

— E. E. Cummings