Photos: Epitome Papers
Epitome Papers turns celebration stationery into a fully custom experience.
For couples planning their big day, the first glimpse for guests of what’s to come is often tucked inside an envelope. At Epitome Papers, a stationery studio owned by Evelyn Meuwissen, that first impression is an important reflection of the couple’s story.
“We are a fully custom stationery service,” Meuwissen says. “We work with our clients on what story they want to tell through their wedding stationery. We pick color themes, patterns and illustrations that best convey what their event is going to be about.”
Each piece—save-the-dates, invitations, menus, place cards, signage and thank you notes—is designed in-house. Meuwissen and her co-designer, Shannon Crissey, use intricately shaped paper cuttings, interesting fonts and even hand-drawn illustrations, often of a couple’s home or wedding venue. Their suites have included dark and moody celestial-inspired themes; preppy ombré blue for a wedding at the Lafayette Club; and save-the-dates that looked like retro boarding passes for a Mexican destination wedding.
“You’re getting our artwork made completely by us,” Meuwissen says. Epitome also has access to a breadth of custom materials. “We’re able to deep dive and find what you want, like leather or a specific paper texture. We can make that happen.”
That bespoke approach continues long after the design is chosen. “We’re spell checking, we’re alphabetizing your place cards for you and we’re making sure dates are spelled properly on your guest addressing list,” Meuwissen says.
For most wedding couples, the design process starts with a phone conversation with Meuwissen to discuss the budget, ideas and timeline. Then, she lets them get their hands on some paper. “We either schedule a Zoom meeting and I mail samples, so they can feel the papers and textures, or we meet in person to build an invitation.”
Every wedding paper suite is an opportunity for imagination. Meuwissen remembers a favorite design she did for escort cards. “It was three golden metal trees on platforms, and I hung the escort cards from gold ribbon, so they looked like the leaves of the tree,” she says. Other unforgettable projects included sending color specs to a drone specialist, so they could match the wedding fireworks show exactly to the invitation colors. Another time, the wedding baker turned the couple’s invitation monogram into a cookie design.
Meuwissen suggests thinking beyond the obvious. “When you’re walking through the venue, think about what would help your guests have the best experience,” she says. “You don’t have to have large signs—just little 5-by-7 [inch] directional signage that helps guide people. Place cards don’t have to be a folded piece of paper. You can make that more elevated—on the menu with a wax seal or something with a tassel.”
Illustrations also offer an opportunity for something deeply personal. “I have been getting a lot more people wanting their houses illustrated. It’s really nice because then they have it as a framed piece afterward. And animals are always fun—two years ago, we got to draw llamas that were coming to the wedding. We’re always managing to draw people’s pets,” Meuwissen says.
When it comes to materials, Meuwissen loves texture and variety, and she’s noticed a trend toward fabrics and vellum. “People have been using bright colors for vellum that wraps around the invitation, so it’s almost like opening a window to the invitation,” she says.
And while every couple’s timeline is different, Meuwissen has a few guidelines. “If a lot of people are flying in or it’s a destination wedding, you want to send save-the-dates at least a year to 10 months before your wedding,” she says. Mail formal invitations 10 to 14 weeks before the big day. (And remember, the more complicated you make the envelope, the longer it will take to arrive.) The Epitome team can take care of addressing, adhering postage and mailing if a couple requests it.
For those interested in using calligraphy to address invitations and more, learn about local classes here.
Epitome Papers
Instagram: @epitomepapers
