| < An invitation to creativity
Art stores, artisans help couples design their
announcements by Jocelyn Dong When Mountain View residents Sofia Pinelli and Clifford McKenzie
walked into University Art Center in Palo Alto last month, they
didn't mean to buck tradition. The two, young and in love, just
wanted to make their own wedding invitations. And so, over the course
of an hour, they got started, picking out handmade papers, tissue
and envelopes with which to announce their good news.
What some in the highest echelons of society might consider a glaring
breach of etiquette--forgoing traditional engraved invitations in
favor of hand-crafted creations--Pinelli, McKenzie and numerous other
bridal couples are seeing as a stand for uniqueness--and proper money
management.
"It had to do with individuality," McKenzie says. "That's the biggest
thing."
"Money is definitely an issue," adds Pinelli. "It's much cheaper
if you do it yourself."
While couples have traditionally gone to stationers to order engraved
wedding invitations, these days, art stores and artisans are also
seeing wedding business come their way. In response, they are stocking
a range of unique papers, envelopes, ribbons and pre-packaged invitation
sets. At Accent Arts on California Avenue in Palo Alto, the store's
owner, Gil, carries handmade papers from Nepal, machine-produced
Italian stationery sets with response cards and envelopes, Japanese
rice paper and even sheets of papyrus cloth.
As in all art projects, the creative options are as vast and varied
as the couples getting hitched. Some couples choose to print their
invitations on a laser printer, while others buy special papers
and then take them to a printer. More ambitious brides and grooms
learn calligraphy and handwrite their invitations.
Of course, the choice of paper texture and colors depends on the
type of wedding the couple is planning. Some brides and grooms go
for elegance, says Gil, whereas "if it's just the 16 guys from your
dot-com, it's a whole 'nother thing." He picks up a piece of fake
leopard fur and makes up the wording for a hypothetical invitation:
"<\p>'The beast has been tamed. George is getting married.'<\p>"
"The invitation sets the mood," says groom-to-be McKenzie. "It
forms the idea of what the day is going to be like."
To help couples come up with ideas of what they want, University
Art Center provides a sample book of invitations. Samples range
from the simple--a postcard in an envelope--to the fancy--a multi-piece
invitation printed on vellum and hand-made papers and tied together
with organza ribbon. Do-it-yourself invitations "are for people
who want to do something different, who want to do something creative
and arty," says Gloria Acevedo-Cooney, gift department manager of
University Art Center.
In addition to individuality, cost also drives couples to make
their own announcements. Acevedo-Cooney estimates that hand-made
invitations might run $750 for 150 pieces, whereas engraved invitations
can cost from $1,000-$3,000, or more, for the same quantity, depending
on how fancy they are.
Both Martha Stewart and the Silicon Valley technology culture have
had something to do with the increased interest in personalized
wedding invitations, says Inja Vitero, owner of Inja Ink, a local
calligraphy business.
"Martha Stewart has had a far-reaching effect" through the articles
and photographs of calligraphic invitations in her magazine, says
Vitero.
"There's a return to classic design," Vitero continues, and calligraphy
hearkens back to that era of style and personalization.
One barometer of interest is the number of calls she's been getting
asking her to address invitations. "People work at computers all
day. There's an appreciation for things done by hand in this age
of e-mail and printed labels. It's nice to see ink on paper for
a special occasion," says Vitero.
For most jobs, Vitero creates a master invitation and brings it
to a press for printing. On occasion, for quantities of 45 or fewer,
she'll handwrite each invitation. "I like one-of-a-kind invitations,"
Vitero says. "On fine quality paper, there's the sense of 'This
was written for you.'<\p>"
Vitero's fees begin at $500 for about 100 invitations and can go
to more than $1,000. Additional services, including handwork and
illustrations, cost more.
Back at University Art Center, Pinelli and McKenzie eventually
narrowed down their choices. They opted for an off-white handmade
paper with real ferns and flowers petals, natural-colored tissue
paper and machine-produced cornflower-blue paper. While they'd arrived
at the store thinking of creating something simple--a single card
in an envelope--they chose a more complex design, based on something
they've seen in the sample book.
"The temptation definitely kicked in," says Pinelli. "It's like,
'Oh, look at what you could do. It's not going to be as boring as
I thought.' I didn't expect they'd have so many options."
For more information on the shops and artists mentioned here, contact:
Accent Arts
392 California Ave., Palo Alto
424-1044
Inja Ink (calligraphy)
P.O. Box 1157, Palo Alto, CA 94302
365-4369
University Art Center
267 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto
328-3500
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