Since I think everyone could use something pretty on a Friday, here at Santa Barbara Wedding Chic, I’ll be featuring some of my favorite ring shots. And to start this series off is this shot from Jeff Newsom.

Coffee and diamonds? Sounds like two of my favorite things.

I love dance shots from weddings. They’re always my favorite candid shoots of the day.

Plus, when the bride and groom dance, everyone dances.

And after all the work of wedding planning who doesn’t need to cut loose?

Images: 1. Halberg Photographers 2. Cameron Ingalls 3. Jeff Newsom

Holland Ranch is a stunning location which has a unique blend of a rustic ranch and a 1950’s diner. The ceremony area features spectacular mountain views and the area for the reception is a barn with cool neon signs and even a pool table.

For weddings larger than a 100 guests, the barn doors open onto a large black top area and could accommodate up to 400 guests. [image below by Cameron Ingalls]

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I’m running out to an appointment, but here is a sneak peek of a new San Luis Obispo location that is truly stunning. Stay tuned for more details of this gorgeous location.

Hi, I’m Christine and I’m an invitation designer from .cevd. {custom invitation studio}. First off, I would like to thank Kelly for inviting me to contribute to her blog.  It is so much fun for me to be a part of this series as I kinda live for paper products and I am hoping to show you a bit of what goes on during the design process.

My work is a bit different than some other invitation studios around, so my process is in turn a bit different as well.  I work on a strictly custom basis, which allows for absolute control and creative freedom for the client. I am just there to get their ideas out on to paper. And it typically starts like this:

The number one most important thing to know going into the design process is your budget.  Once you have that figured out, everything will be so much easier. As Becky said in the previous post, there is a significant cost in the set-up of letterpress printing, and this is the same with flat printing and engraving alike, though with flat printing the overall cost isn’t as high. It is good to know this going in so you might be able to weigh your priorities money and design wise. It isn’t a fun conversation to have, but it is always the first one I have with my clients.

After the business side of things has been hashed out, I like to proceed to colors. This is one of my favorite parts as I get to pull out all of my paper samples. I might actually have gone into this business just for the little rectangles of colorful paper; I can’t get enough of them.

After paper comes ink color, and the possibilities are endless. I recently had a client come to me with an old envelope addressed to her grandmother in a dark brown ink that she wanted to use for her invites.  It took us about 10 minutes to decide between about 5 browns that were so close to one and other I kept getting them mixed up. Her invites are currently being printed and I am so excited to see them.

Now comes the absolute most fun part of my job. Sitting down and grinding out all of the details of my clients’ lives. I grill them about everything they do and love, and then i ask them the theme of their event. It always helps to know where they are coming from before I start brainstorming graphic elements. Then, along with the clients, I go through numerous samples and revisions until everything is just right.  During this process my walls are plastered with quick print outs, so I can be absolutely sure of scale and balance.

Finally, the joy of the final approval and the sending off to print. I am typically giddy at this point as I can hardly wait to see everything. It takes about 3-5 weeks for me to get letterpress and engraved invites back, and that timing is cut a bit shorter with flat printing. During this time, I hang the final proofs together so I can keep track of what is out of my office.

After I have looked over every piece of paper that is included in the invite, I package them up and send them out. It is so wonderful to be a part of a complete process and have a gorgeous finished product in my hands in the end.

Good luck with your invitations; it can be one of the most fun parts of the planning process, so enjoy it. I always hear brides say that seeing their actual invitations all of a sudden makes their wedding real. It is the first of a long list of exciting things that take place during the planning of your wedding and you should love them all!

Thanks so much Kelly for allowing me to guest blog on letterpress printing!  I’m Becky from Sugar Plum Invitations and we are so happy to have done printing for Kelly Oshiro Events.

Letterpress printing is a classic form of direct printing that dates back to 1400’s and the Gutenberg press.  It’s very labor intensive, but the end product is unmatched in texture, crispness of the typography, look and feel!  Here’s a little behind the scenes look at this vintage art.

Since these presses are for the most part no longer manufactured, finding one can be tough, especially since they are a bit rarer on the west coast.  Our presses are about 50 and 90 years old, we also have a small tabletop version that is over 100 years old!

All our ink is hand mixed, and we prefer heavyweight 100% rag cotton paper.

Once the press is oiled, and prepped we ink the plate at the top.  You can only run one color at a time, so therefore most letterpress printed work is either 1 or 2 colors.

Once the ink is nicely disbursed we attach the custom plate (we use photopolymer, it is a raised type).  The rollers ink the plate and then the plate is pressed into the paper allowing the depression and transfer of ink (thus “direct printing”).  Each piece of paper is hand fed, and there are countless ways to mess up.  (Let me tell you, we’ve done them all.)

For each color ink you use, you have to clean the whole press and re-set it up to print the next color. It really is a labor of love, but there is something kind of magical when it all comes together and works!

For more information on printing check out Briar Press or Letterpress Print Society.  It’s so exciting to see this art form seeing a revival.

A few tips for brides: Because of the cost of a custom plate, setting up and running the press, higher quantity or single color projects will be less expensive.  If you are a designer, often printers will give you a discount if you are supplying all the artwork.  Our print calendar fills up, so it’s always a good idea to plan ahead for your invitations.  You can letterpress print on envelopes, coasters, postcards, menus, place cards, napkins etc.  If you are concerned about ink colors matching, ask your printer for an ink sample or have them order a specific Pantone numbered ink.  Always ask to see samples of their work.

As Martha Stewart says on her website, “While large printing plants have almost all converted to offset print and computerized typesetting, small print shops using letterpress printing can still be found and can be the source of exquisite stationery.”  Well put.  Thanks so much for allowing me to share Kelly!

Today’s photo comes from a recent wedding shot by the very cool Cameron Ingalls, a photographer based in San Luis Obispo. I love the crisp green shoes against the straw. So chic and rustic!

Located in a beautiful valley, Edna Valley Vineyard is a stunning and secluded spot to say “I do.” The location offers an outdoor area with views of the vineyard and surrounding mountains. For a ceremony and reception the site can accommodate up to 175 guests.

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On Friday the 13th I took a road trip to San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles area. I went up to meet with a very talented photographer, Cameron Ingalls. He’s a super mellow and focused kind of guy, and actually a good friend of Tim Halberg.

Let’s start the eye candy with a shot of what else– shoes!!!

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I’m so excited, Becky from Sugarplum Invitations just sent me my new letterpress business cards. I love them! Thank you Becky!

For letterpress invitations there is great company out of San Luis Obispo called Sugarplum Invitations.

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