Bespoke Wedding Stationery | Calligraphy | Charlottesville, Virginia
I love designing custom wedding stationery for styled shoots because I have the opportunity to design something I haven’t done yet, creatively stepping outside the box, and I get to meet other wedding vendors. As a one woman shop working from home, it can often get a little lonely and stir-crazy. After we moved to Charlottesville I happened upon the local Tuesdays Together group through The Rising Tide Society, a group of creative entrepreneurs who meet on, you guessed it, Tuesdays, to learn, grow and encourage each other. I knew after my first meeting I had found my people, especially with their mantra of Community over Competition! It was so refreshing to meet other entrepreneurs who were going through the same thing I am and are also in the same industry. The Charlottesville Tuesdays Together group put together a unique styled shoot, that I was more than happy to contribute to! Since there are so many talented creatives in Charlottesville, the contributors weren’t limited to just one per category which allowed everyone to participate.
Arriving to the venue I was a ball of nerves! I had only met a few other vendors at other meetings and I didn’t even know if they would be there! It was like walking into a new school on the first day! But everyone was so nice and welcoming that I quickly felt comfortable with all these new friends! Since there were so many different vendors collaborating on this styled shoot, there were several different stations and vignettes set up and photographers were split up into different groups to rotate through each station. I had the pleasure of collaborating on two suites for the shoot and while the color palette was pops of teal and pink balanced by simple neutrals, I love how each suite had their own personalities!
The first wedding invitation suite I collaborated with Jodi of Jodi Macfarlan Calligraphy for the calligraphy details and Gina Langford for the watercolor details and I have to say I am STILL obsessed with the hand deckled, watercolor wedding suite that I designed! The details, like the watercolor crest tag wrapped in silk ribbon, hand illustrated map and watercolor envelope liner, combine to really bring this suite to life!
The second wedding invitation suite I collaborated with Michelle of Ma Belle Calligraphy for the calligraphy details and our fabric invitation suite definitely made a statement! Creative, out of the box ideas really inspire me especially when untraditional elements are used. I challenged myself to use fabric for this suite (hey my first job was at a fabric store, it’s only fitting!) and this custom fabric wedding invitation is the result.
Besides meeting some of my closest Charlottesville friends at this shoot, my favorite part was seeing how each vendor lent their talents and how they interpreted the styled shoot. Even though the vignettes and stations were the same for the photographers, seeing how each photographer put their own spin on the images was amazing! The angle, small details in styling and the editing from each photographer made every album feel like a different shoot and not one shoot. And in true spirit of The Rising Tide Society and the Tuesdays Together groups, this styled shoot really demonstrates how community over competition can be achieved by working together to create beauty!
Vendors
Creative Direction | Rachel May Photography
Photography featured in this post | Rachel May Photography
Venue | Trump Winery
Model | Beth Spurlock
Hair | Brianna B. Adams
Makeup & Custom Ribbon | Gohar Makeup
Florals | Good Earth Flowers
Gown | Gossamer
Jewelry | Kendra Scott
Shoes | BHLDN
Ring Box | The Mrs. Box
Cake | Commonwealth Cake Company
Sweet Treats | Maliha Creations
Rentals | Classic Festive Fare
Embroidered Linens | Beloved Jeannine
Paper Suites featured in this post | Farmstead Design Studio
Calligraphy featured in this post | Jodi Macfarlan Calligraphy and Ma Belle Calligraphy
Watercolor | Gina Langford
Gift | Southern Grown Vintage
Monogrammed Gifts | Qualatee
BTS fun | Moxbox