Fourth Year Studio

Happy New Year to you!!  We are having a hard time believing it is already 2013.  It was disappointing that we were unable to produce a calendar this year but our eyes are on 2014 to have a fresh one by then.  Here in Tennessee, we have had a bit of a warm streak.  I can hear the spring peepers (tiny frogs) starting to sing in the little pond near my home.  I am afraid they will be in for a rude awakening when winter decides to come back but today its warm and I am ready to think about spring.

Margaret and Matt wanted a traditional wedding set that was both modern and clean.  Sometimes this is hard to achieve a fresh look with traditional elements.   We paired an abstraction of their wedding flower, the hydrangea, on a grid of dots for a silhouetted outline.  The result was delicate with just the right balance of negative space.  The light blue balanced out the feminine floral design.  I love how the blue looks on the kraft vs the white.  It appears as though two shades of blue were used.

Their set included event cards for additional events happening that weekend.  It was all bound together with a kraft band printed M & M.  Labels were added for the RSVP and the exterior envelope.  This couple was on a tight budget and they were thrilled at what we were able to produce for them.  In order to save money we did not use our standard cotton paper and we left all the final assembly up to M & M.   It just goes to show that nice design and quality printing doesn’t have to break the bank but you do have to get creative.

Photos by Jessie at 5 Rings

Synde and Tim contacted us as med school students living in Minneapolis who were celebrating their recent Italian engagement!  Sydne grew up on a cattle farm in Wyoming and found herself looking back to her roots when wedding planning.

She describes the beauty of the Big Sky at the ranch.  ”I love the idea of having wooden invitations to echo the gorgeous pine and oak forests around our ranch.  The ranch is in a very rural area that is full of rolling hills, grazing deer, and lots of sky.  There is nothing as beautiful as the night sky in Wyoming.  Tim and I love to lay out in the grass in the summer and ooh and aah at the seemingly endless display.”

The reception was held at Devil’s Tower, a huge natural landform several miles from her family’s ranch where the ceremony took place.  Since the area was rural it was very important to provide way-finding for the guests in the invitation.  We illustrated the map with icons for Devil’s Tower, the Clark Ranch, and the airport.  The wishbone graphic for the Clark Ranch is actually the family brand, how cool is that?!  Down the center of the map was the South Dakota – Wyoming state line.

We incorporated the brides hand-drawn sketch of the antlers throughout the set. She used antlers at the reception as decor.  The main invitation was printed on wood and the rsvp was a letterpress postcard.  A piece of black and white bakers twine tied the wrapped vellum map around the invitation to create a sophisticated, yet rustic wedding invitation for this creative, amazing couple!

Photos by Jessie at 5 Rings

How exciting…our first international client!!  Aimee and Timothy just got married in her backyard in Western Australia.  We incorporated a variety of techniques to achieve an invitation rich in texture.  The earthy hues were reflected in the outback wedding and reception with native vegetation.  The invitation is a sassafras veneer with a laser etched design.  We letter-pressed the rsvp card on 110lb cotton stock and address onto a kraft envelope.  It was all tucked inside a green recycled envelope with a kraft address label to tie it all together.  Although we were working long distance the process was as smooth as can be.  The most challenging aspect was scheduling a Skype video chat due to the 12 hour time difference!   Happy wedding Aimee & Timothy – thanks for trusting us Knoxville girls to get the job done well!

“We received our invitations!!  They are BEAUTIFUL!  I cannot tell you how much I love them!  I have showed a few people and they are so surprised when they find out that the invitation is made of wood!  Thank you so much for all the hard work and effort you put into these invitations.  I can’t wait to send them out!” -Aimee Vander Schaaf

*photos by 5 Rings Photo

David and Lorie came to us in search of a wedding invitation that matched their eclectic style.  They are getting married at the beautiful Bijou Theatre in Knoxville during their church’s Sunday service.  The rich colors and textures of the theatre lead to a steampunk theme that carried its way through their wedding and reception.  It was important that the invitation be rich and intriguing without being overly fussy.  A brown paper bag was used as the outer envelope and sealed with gold striped washi tape.  Each address was typed, by yours truly,  on my Mom’s vintage typewriter and placed on the front.  When opened, a vellum inner envelope was sealed with red wax to introduce another layer of texture and depth.  A subtle lace pattern was pressed into the creamy cotton stock framing the gold letterpress text.  It was so much fun to work with unique techniques on this job for such a fabulous couple – best wishes to you both!!

And a BIG thank you to Jessi at 5 Rings Photos for the amazing photographs. Typing out each address took longer than anticipated but it was worth it to have the typewriter included in these images – totally frame worthy!!

We have recently been flattered by some of our favorite bloggers.  A special thanks to Oh So Beautiful Paper and Mint for featuring Jeff & Sara’s laser etched wooden invitations.   I particularly love the post because it shows both concepts we had for their invitations during the design process.  With every custom job there are several behind the scene versions that don’t come to fruition.

Michael & Stephanie’s yellow & gray invitations are making a splash!  Thank you to Invitation Crush and to Rustic Wedding Chic for showcasing couple’s great taste and amazing style.

Casey and Andrew met while studying abroad, independently in Spain.  After returning back to the University of Tennessee they continued to date and travel together.  On the Fourth of July, Casey and Andrew tied the knot in Charleston, South Carolina.  It was a true destination wedding that offered a weekend full of fun gatherings for all the out of town guests. Fourth Year Studio provided event design and advice throughout the planning process and was onsite for the weekend as event coordinators.

Of course, the most fun we had was with their invitation design.  It paid tribute to historic Charleston while reflecting the glamour of the bride’s style.  Each event had a spot on the rsvp postcard to indicate which event the guest was planning to attend.  Four – two color letterpress pages were sewn together with a thin cotton fabric cover.  Casey & Andrew’s names were layered on a letterpress live oak image.  The live oak is a traditional low country icon and can be found throughout the city. Gray and coral tones complimented each other nicely and were tied together by the coral thread that held all four pieces together.  The last page was the perforated reply postcard.   Several of their guests loved the invitation so much they declined to tear off and mail back the rsvp but instead called in with their reply.

*photos by Dixie Pixel