Gone are the days of wasting money on wedding favors no one wants. I say, give your guests a wedding favor they'll treasure, or just skip it and put the money towards something else in your wedding budget. 

If you've been dreaming of live event painting to incorporate more fine art in your wedding and want to engage & entertain your guests, live watercolor & calligraphy are amazing ways to do it! 

Introducing... live wedding guest portrait painting!!

Not only does this provide entertainment during cocktail hours & after dinner for those guests taking a break from the dance floor, it also gives your wedding guests a favor they will take home & frame to remember your wedding fondly forever. 

I engage with all of your guests by having them sit with me for 5 minutes while I paint their portrait in watercolor on 5x7 fine art watercolor paper. If they're shy & would rather not pose for me, I can take their photo & paint it when there's not a line & they can come back for it later in the night. 

It can either be added on to any of my other live event services or I can paint guest portraits for the duration of your whole wedding! 

Another way I offer awesome guest favors is by doing live calligraphy on demand!! Guests love watching calligraphy live and often hang around to ask questions or just watch as I hand letter other guests' favors as well! 

They get to pick whatever they'd like me to write & watch their request come to life before their eyes! Yes, I'll even calligraph swear words as lots of groomsmen request! 

This custom experience often leaves guests asking if they can really keep it because they just can't believe they get to! 

What starts this experience is a watercolor portrait of either your wedding location or the flowers you're using in your wedding. I then create prints of your artwork that I will eventually calligraph live for your guests to take home. 

Ink normally dries in one minute (so it won't get all over their fancy attire) & normally guests hang around chatting for longer than that! 

I love engaging with your beloved friends & family while exposing them to something they don't get to see every day.

This experience is one your wedding guests will remember as unique to your wedding, & they'll have the paintings to remind them every day of how much you love them. 

High school Texan sweethearts, Katy & Ben, just got married at Hacienda Corta Caro in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After 9 years of being together, Ben popped the question after a road trip they took together down the Pacific Coast Highway along the coast of California.

This adventurous, madly-in-love couple (who literally reside on 'Lovers Lane') enjoy travelling the world together. So, it was only fitting that they decided to have a destination wedding! 

Katy & Ben wanted to keep the evening simple, so they planned an intimate destination wedding in Santa Fe & are heading back to Texas for their reception later in the summer once they get back from their road trip honeymoon exploring Croatia & Portugal. 

Because they fell in love with the Spanish vibes in Santa Fe, they chose to have a Spanish inspired destination wedding. Katy & Ben came to me to design their wanderlust invitation suite for their wedding because they love vibrant color- my love language!

All of the artwork I created for them truly reflected that Spanish travel feel. This laidback, sweet couple loved the Mediterranean vacation vibes the colorful brush lettered calligraphy had.

I LOVED that this couple really encouraged me to go for it with the theme... that kind of trust is how magic happens!

This color filled calligraphy invitation suite has all the watercolor tile motif designs, bougainvillea, and palms that the couple loves so much!

The hand painted illustrations can also be found sprinkled all over their wedding website. This helped set the mood for their guests from the very beginning (see more of their wedding website here).

To add a personal touch to the suite, I added a lace motif on the accommodations card that was painted from the lace design on her wedding dress!

I also created a wedding crest designed to look like a Spanish balcony surrounded by palm fronds & bougainvillea! This may be my favorite monogram heraldry to date!!

These dog parents had their Australian Shepherd, Finley, be the best man. He ended up being the entire bridal party- talk about adorable! 

Here’s a shot of them taking their first look with their best man, Finley, right by their side!

SO CUTE.

It’s any dog-lover's dream!

I made sure to add watercolor bougainvillea on the welcome sign to set the Mediterranean mood for arriving guests.

The band also set the mood for guests as they arrived. Live music filled the air as their loved ones took their seats for the intimate ceremony. 

Glorious flower centerpieces by the bloom expert, Renegade Floral graced each table in saturated hues!

The watercolor brush lettered seating chart gave off travel vibes and made guests feel like they were exploring a new place as they found their seating! 

Just when I thought this wedding couldn’t get any better, I found out what they were serving for dinner when I made their beautiful menus!

Four courses of authentic Spanish cuisine... hello PAELLA! 

The table settings were a little rustic, a little vintage, a little modern, & a lot of jaws dropping.

The wedding planner, Jessie Baca, designed a beautiful wedding with rentals from Rust Vintage. 

The table numbers gave each table a pop of color & the bride told me everyone loved going to each table to look at them all. I hand painted each one so they are all different!

Talk about a charcuterie board.

I'm salivating over here. 

The tile stairs at this venue are perfect for a free spirited couple like Katy & Ben. 

You can tell how much they love each other by the laughter and pure joy radiating from their wedding photos. 

 I have to admit, painting watercolor chickens is my new favorite thing to do. 

These signature cocktails they served sound pretty refreshing too! I'm always down for a French 75, but chile in my margarita means it's time to party.  

The newlyweds enjoyed their dinner sitting in chairs painted with 'Señor' & 'Señora' chair back signs. They had textured braided ribbons and pom poms with all that Spanish flair!

Then they danced to “Besame Mucho” played live by the band for their wedding song. That song is so romantic, it gets me misty eyed every time. 

They also hired professional Spanish flamenco dancers to start the party & get everyone on the dance floor! 

To finish off their fantastic meal, guests got to indulge at The S'more Pit with not one, not two but three different luxurious flavors of small batch organic marshmallows!

Chai and lavender lemon flavored s'mores? Sign me up.

Such a great idea for those non-traditional couples who want something interactive for their guests other than wedding cake for dessert.

Katy & Ben had such a wonderful evening planned, so of course their send off was just as grand and beautiful!

These sweethearts had guests write well wishes and fold paper airplanes to toss at them for their send off!

I'm so happy for them and have loved becoming stationery besties with Katy. She's already got me pre-booked for their eventual baby's nursery mural back home in Texas so it won't be the last they see of me!! 

P.S. A HUGE thanks to Alicia Lucia Photography for capturing & sharing the magic of Katy & Ben's wedding!

Amidst white orchids and swaying palm trees, Amber & Colby said their I Do’s on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu!

This fun and upbeat wedding had guests dancing the night away under a blanket of stars and eating to their hearts desire of fresh acai bowls.

The wedding really matched Amber and Colby’s lifestyle with their easygoing, wanderlust travelling vibes. They live for an endless summer. 

Working with Amber felt like a one-way trip to paradise.

She was super laid back and a ton of fun to work with! Through the design process, we quickly became friends and she even invited me to her wedding!!

I truly have the most remarkable clients and I savor becoming stationery BFFs with my brides. Getting to help tell their love story through the colorful, vibrant pieces I create is the such fulfilling work.

I am so honored to be a part of such a meaningful time in people's lives and adore the bonds I make and people I meet through my artwork.

The ceremony took place right of the beach, with the waves crashing behind them as they said their I Do’s. The wedding definitely had that relaxed surfer vibe, so the signage and invitations reflected that!

Most of the signs had watercolor palm leaves and tropical plants so they blended right into the beauty of the venue.

I had the pleasure of designing all of their island-infused invitation suite, complete with a hand illustrated watercolor & calligraphy wedding map of their island!

I love that they included a photo strip of their engagement photos. I don't think it gets any cuter than beachy fiancées surfing together. 

These two travel the world together and as long as they have boards & fresh fruit they've always got smiles on their faces. 

I wrote their wanderlust love story in calligraphy for the bride too. Her words were scattered around the wedding adding a personal and meaningful touch to their big day.

Brush lettered watercolor signage was all over their corner of the island. 

I even got to create these signs for their tasty Acai Bowl Bar that their friends hosted. YUM!

I don't know if the taste of the island gets any more authentic than fresh Acai bowls served  by their surfer friends.

What a creative & awesome wedding gift their friends gave them! 

After a long day in the sunshine manning the Acai Bowl Bar it looks like this little one is ready for pj's! 

I wouldn't want to go home either, I could stay under palm trees & string lights all night. 

I made a sign for the grand exit wedding sparklers too! 

Loads of sparklers for an end of wedding send off will never get old in my book. 

I love this shot of Amber hugging her loved one.

I spy a thank you card I created clutched in her friend's hand too!! 

I don't know about you, but I am all about California summer vibes! That's why I've created this Summer Checklist printable for you.

Let's make this the #summerofYAS & live it up!!

Right click, save, & print this so you can have these good vibes goals up to remind you to have FUN every day. 

I'm dusting off my unicorn floatie & stocking up boozey popsicles because my inner mermaid is ready for some beach action. 

For more inspiration, click here for a Pinterest board filled with easy recipes & tips for making this an epic summer filled with wanderlust, fun, & Champagne.

We need some fun & self care now more than ever. As a wise woman once said, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?". Can I get an amen up in here?

Let's blow up Instagram with a #summerofYAS - who's leaving a trail of corks with me?

Photo by Wild Within.

I am so excited to finally share the newest type of wedding invitation Pigment & Parchment offers! 

I created a Save the Date reel for Team Wanderlust's display at Freshbash and could not have been more in love with how they turned out. 

I even won an award for Best Travel Detail in all of Freshbash 2016!*

*cue nerding out, hardcore. 

The inspiration behind our team's styled wedding installation was an adventurous travel loving couple having their tropical destination wedding in Thailand! 

Luckily, our team's event designer (Wild Heart Events) had just styled an engagement shoot for Mollie Crutcher Photography. Her photographs worked perfectly as the backgrounds I laid my calligraphy & brush lettering artwork over. 

I had so much fun picking which photos to use & coming up with the wording for the Save the Dates to really tell our wanderlust engaged couple's love story.

I'm a big advocate for wedding stationery wording that reflects each couple & how they live their real lives. 

If you're fancy at heart, then of course let's get fancy! But, if you're romantic, witty, vintage loving, quirky, minimalist, etc. your wedding invitation wording can encompass your personality too!

There's nothing wrong with traditional wording. I just encourage couples to do what suits them best without judgement. The etiquette rules people are told they HAVE to follow are absolutely optional.

You do you, boo.

That's my wedding stationery wording advice. 

And without further ado... The slides that went into the Save the Date reels!

I wish I could mail each of you one to fully experience seeing them through the view finder but this is almost as good.

Enjoy!

Here's a suite I'm sending off to Utah for a styled shoot this week. First off, I have to say I am not a purple person. 

Of all the colors it has always been my least favorite. For some reason though, when I was looking at Amber Michelle Event's mood board for the photo shoot I was really drawn to the berries & their colors.

I just leaned into it, even though it's not my usual palette choice. I even had to run to Paper Source since I didn't have anything in purple in my studio! I had snippets of every other color but no violet hues. 

I am so happy I went against my own grain this time. The abstract watercolor berries in blue violet & red violet swirling together is my favorite part of the stationery suite. Well, that and the stamps...

The love affair I have with paper ephemera started when I was young. I used to hoard packaging, labels, stationery from traveling and my prized collection of Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball & Judy Garland stamps.

Fast forward to preparing my own wedding invitations in 2013 & I became obsessed with vintage stamps overnight. Once I realized I could find old stamps online that were still usable to mail my own invites it was game on.

It was just a bonus that it wouldn't cost too much more than the standard stamps at the post office. Some even cost less than their face value if you search long enough! The main thing you have to do is make sure to search for 'unused' stamps. They can't have any markings on them for the post office to still accept them. 

Also, a good rule of thumb for mailing wedding invitations is to go into the post office and have them weigh one.

They'll let you know exactly how much postage is necessary for the weight. I normally even pad it to  just to be safe. No one wants returned invitations, plus you can never have enough mini art pieces decorating your envelope!

The way I see it, you pour all this energy into making beautiful invitations with all the bells & whistles so why not apply the same attention to detail with art on the outside of the envelope too! 

*I speak from a place of stationery art-loving nerd. If paper isn't your way of showing your love & style, don't spend money on it. Don't spend money on any aspects of your wedding if you don't really care about it. Celebrate your love in whatever ways that are most meaningful to you both. No wedding industrial complex pressuring here... Ew. 

Stamp lots are perfect if you're wanting to save some money & are okay getting whatever you get from all over the world. What I do now though is get lots of 500 used stamps from Stamps for Crafts. When they arrive, I turn on some Netflix and start sorting through them by color. Once they're all separated out in about 20 piles, I store them in little envelopes with their color name on front. 

Then when I'm ready to pretty up an envelope, I just grab the envelope with the color I'm looking for & my stationery suite is complete within a minute or two!

For the most part, I have to use double sided tape on really old stamps since their glue isn't in the best condition anymore. 

I hope this was helpful if you've been eyeing vintage stamps but don't know where to start! 

I am so excited to finally share this shoot with you. It was such a dream to be a part of. We've all been sitting on these stunning photos for almost a year... & anyone in my inner circle KNOWS I hate keeping happy surprises a secret. I'll do it. But, I'll hate it. 

So, without further ado, here I present to you a labor of love put together with so much enthusiasm & joy by Erica at Tin Roof Farmhouse & Katie of Katie White Photography. Their inspiration came in all shapes and forms, but the primary driving forces were nature & la vie bohème... two of my all time favorites. Katie's photography captured the natural beauty of the environment perfectly.

We were so excited to shoot on site at Inn Town Campground- especially since they aren't even open to the public yet! Something tells me it won't be long before they're booked solid. I mean, gorgeous right?! Their cabin tents are full of rustic charm that doesn't feel forced, which I adore.

I had so much fun doing the calligraphy and illustrations for this stationery suite- and I itched to set up camp and stay at the shoot all night long!

This shoot was a dream for my wanderlust hippie heart. Watercolor painting images of feathers, critters, leaves and branches were like taking a mini vacation in my art studio. This was the most glamorous camping I've ever seen, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen a more beautifully simple tee pee. I can't believe they whipped it out of logs and lace that morning! 

Little Boy Flower Farm and Floral Design grew & designed some glorious flowers, with persimmons & pomegranates spilling out of every surface. I especially loved the persimmons! They're so colorful & unexpected. 

My favorite hair & makeup artist, Angela Nunnink, worked her natural beauty wizardry once again. I was so honored to have her do me up for my head shots and photos for this website. Seriously you guys, she's a beauty wizard. 

The clothes were provided by Aquarian Dawn Vintage Apparel,  food provided by Farm to Table Catering & rentals were from Tin Roof Farmhouse's lovely eclectic collection!

I just got the most delicious photos back from a client who wishes to remain anonymous (hence the lack of people in the photos she sent). I just love how secluded this whole wedding feels. Can we talk about those views!?

The florals are so lush and the photos just drip with greenery. Petar Jurica Photography did a perfect job of capturing the mood of their wedding. I basically want to crawl into his photos and never leave. The stationery I did for this wedding had me itching to go to Greece so badly. 

Just wait until you see the tee pee they had out on the beach. I never want to camp in a regular tent again. 

So now that you've seen their wedding, take a peek at the custom stationery I hand painted and lettered for their Greek wedding!

The first image is one of their 37 table 'numbers'. They were each hand painted & named after their favorite Greek Gods & Goddesses. I love when people use alternative ways of marking their tables instead of just numbers! They were all adorned with classic bougainvillea flowers found all over the Cyclades in the Greek Islands!

Next there's an image with their dinner menu with classic blue Greek shutters! I loved that detail! Next to it is the note for their guests that was printed on the back of their maps. 

Watercolor & calligraphy wedding maps are great additions to guests' welcome baskets- especially for destination weddings! They're one of my favorite items to make, and I do them completely by hand. This is harder to do than tracing them, but that's how I keep the line work looking like it's got movement behind my strokes.

Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek at their suite! I love being able to show you photos from a real Pigment & Parchment wedding! Mykonos sure made a gorgeous destination wedding spot, am I right?! 

I live for juxtaposition. It's where the spark of something new & interesting generally occurs in art. Generally when you think of a rustic ranch, glamour is the last thing that comes to mind. 

So when Mitra of Be Wed told me her words for the mood of the shoot were 'Ranch' & 'Glamour' I fell in love. She showed me her color palette of magenta, gold and Pantone's Color of the Year marsala and just said GO. A special kind of magic happens when someone gives you just a taste of art direction & then says run free like wild horses. My best work is always created this way. 

It requires a lot of trust from clients & wedding planners to work this way- so Mitra gets mad props for giving me that space to create what my dreams are made of.

This shoot was a day full of fun. Mitra popped the Champagne when we finished and Jolene of Batter Up Cakery let us dig into her delicious gold marshmallow cake! It's tough being a wedding vendor sometimes.

Botanica supplied the gorgeous vintage rentals. Gold utensils- say what!?! The Linen Bar brought the bling & rounded off our shoot with her glamorous metallic linens. Ampersand delighted us all with the garland & blooms they sent from San Francisco! This was all shot on location at the beautiful Lawley Ranch in Woodland, California (near UC Davis). Vendors came from all over the Bay Area & Sacramento.

All these beautiful photos lovingly taken by Lanny Nguyen Photography. For more photos and words about Mitra's inspiration click the button below!

This is probably the most romantic suite I've illustrated & lettered. This shoot is full of varying textures and old world elegance.  Since I was born in the best month (*cough* September), I'm a sucker for sapphire. So, when Samantha approached me to be a part of her shoot, I couldn't resit!

 A sapphire ring my grandmother gave me looks just like the one in this shoot. I remember she told me it looks just like the engagement ring Princess Diana had, which always tickled me pink. 

I dip dyed the RSVP card and place cards in silver ink on paper with a deckled edge. That was a first and it ended up being a really interesting texture combo. I also hand painted some cobalt brush lettering on my first accordion style menu. They were all done on luxurious paper made by hand from recycled t-shirt cuttings (by the amazing Silk & Willow). I am always thrilled with the results of my work on Silk & Willow paper. I can always count on a styled shoot for pushing me to experiment. 

There is nothing like tufted velvet is there? It is always a pleasure to work with Audrey Chaney of Botanica for her floral expertise & lovingly kept up vintage rentals. She's currently expanding her business to move down the coast to San Luis Obispo. They're so lucky... They get Audrey & the Pacific Ocean!! Le sigh. 

Photography & Vision by Samantha Kirk Photography.  Design & Coordination by Jenn Robirds Events. Shot on location at Vizcaya in Midtown Sacramento, California. Click the Style Me Pretty button to see the entire photo collection & for more from Samantha about her inspiration!