Adrianne Messner takes wedding invitations to a whole new level of art and creativity
Adrianne Messner left her corporate/non-profit design career to start her own business and bring her unique ideas to bespoke wedding creations.
When a wedding invitation arrives in the mail, there are a few typical emotions that surface, depending on how well you know the couple — happy for them, certain that it is a mistake, general apathy…
What doesn’t usually elicit emotion is the quality of the invite itself — unless it comes from the Paper Studio, a Long Island, NY-based bespoke stationery and design studio specializing in truly unique wedding designs and styles that catch your eye before you even open the envelope. That’s when a charming reminder stuck to the fridge becomes a remembered work of art, one that sets the stage for everything that relates to the wedding.
Imagine receiving an invitation laser etched into driftwood, or with a custom foil-lined envelope tailored directly to the couple and the reception venue. No doubt it would leave a lasting impression and get the attention every bride wants her day to have.
Paper Studio is the creation of Adrianne Messner, a graphic designer who left a successful corporate and non-profit career to follow her passion and create beautiful works of art for couples tying the knot. “I started with my own wedding and I had a lot of fun doing my invitations,” says Messner, “and I reached out to a few area wedding planners, asking if they needed any help on the side for any kind of design — signage, menus, programs. One planner, Amanda Barbara, got back to me quickly, and so I started doing some small side projects working late at night or on the weekends. I had a lot of fun, and we matched style-wise.”
After a short time of working weddings on the side, she decided to go for it and started Paper Studio full time, sharing Long Island, NY office space, and still often working closely, with Amanda Barbara Events.
Paper Studio creates a unique elegant look that is consistent from invitations through to thank you’s.
Starting a business is always a risk, and to start one focused primarily on print in a world where lowercase “e’s” are popping up in front of everything is even riskier, but Messner chose wisely, as the wedding industry is one of the last vestiges of print appreciation. Plus, she really likes weddings…and textures.
“I have always had a thing for textures,” says Messner. “Even when I was a little kid, I would save scraps of paper. I had an old desk that was literally filled with paper scraps I had found.
“There was definitely a McDonald’s wrapper in there!” she adds with a laugh, and the mere mention of it immediately brings back memories of the super smooth bright yellow wrapper. The power of touch indeed.
Despite the name of the company, and perhaps due to Messner’s fondness for textures, other mediums besides paper are also used in her unique wares — including those previously mentioned invitations that were etched into driftwood.
“There are fun things to do with placecards,” she adds. “We have done them on driftwood, marble and acrylic tiles, oyster shells, and starfish.” And lest you imagine a starfish leg jamming a printer, these all require hand lettering on Messner’s part. “The starfish get a tag with the names on them. I love the oyster shells —I write in gold directly on them — very pretty. The acrylic is cool, too; it has a very modern vibe.”
Paper Studio is more than paper — take these driftwood name cards at a beach-themed wedding, each hand-lettered by Messner, for example.
But wait, there is so much more. “When I am working with Amanda’s clients I can do more on-site because I will be there that day and I can set it up and make sure it works the way I want it to,” says Messner. “For example, one of the favorites to do for Amanda’s weddings is this big vintage map of Long Island that all the escort cards are pinned to, so as the cards come off, the map is revealed. I create and set that all up.”
Even the envelopes get special attention. They feature custom liners designed by Messner. Sometimes they include an artistic map of Long Island or perhaps an original watercolor painted by Messner herself then scanned and perfected in Photoshop. “I have the envelopes printed first and then I get the liners die cut and use double-sided tape to tape the liners in after,” she explains. The taping is also done by her skillful hand.
However many products a couple decide to create with Paper Studio, the process starts with the invitation. “I normally start with focusing on the reception venue — if it is on the water, or vintage room, or mansion — because it is hard to put a rustic theme into a Gold Coast mansion. It doesn’t fit well. So you want to pull out a good fit and ask about colors such as the bridesmaids’ dresses. I also think about the flowers that will be in season during their time of year.”
Messner describes herself as a “wedding stationer,” but with all she does that just doesn’t seem to cut it. Wedding designer is already taken, so something new needs to be coined. Wedding artist springs to mind. And “artist” seems especially applicable seeing as that is the part of Messner’s skillset that she is looking to expand. “I started taking calligraphy classes because I want to get good enough to do people’s names really intertwined — something for when I am searching for the right font. I want to take a watercolor class, too. One of my goals this year to try and incorporate more fine art in my work.”
Custom envelope liners that match the invitations perfectly show Paper Studio’s keen attention to every detail.
Dropping everything to chase your dreams doesn’t always end as expected, but when asked if she still likes weddings and what she does, she answers, “I love the very beginning and the very end. I think my favorite part is after I meet with them and put together sketches — taking it from my brain and putting it on to paper. And then I like when they come to pick them and I can show them everything that we created together.”
All this skill and talent adds up to deliverables that are good enough to take home, which many people do: “We did a wedding recently where the menus were mounted on a piece of wood and held with raw silk ribbon. People were taking them, which is fine, but I don’t know what they are going to do with it! Same thing with the custom table numbers — people always take them, and I can’t imagine what they need them for.”
Perhaps they are saving them in a childhood desk with old McDonald’s wrappers and other tactile treasures.
For more information on Paper Studio, visit http://paperstudiony.com/.
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Creative Business Tips from the Wedding Artist
More right-brained than left? Adrianne Messner shares some of the lesson she has learned running her own business.
- Discounting will bite you on the butt — don’t do it. It is better to throw in a complimentary product for a good customer over offering discounts that become expected.
- Don’t let them check their proofs on a cell phone. Seriously, just don’t.
- Running your own business can consume you. Try to regulate your hours and stick to it.
- Put a value on your time. Even if you love what you are doing and it doesn’t feel like work — it is.
- Use your brain for creative, software for business. Project management software is a big help in managing the business. Accounting software like Quicken can help you keep a handle on the finances.