Blog – Page 34 – Hand-Painted Weddings

Announcements, Press
Featured on Hatch.co International Women’s Day!
- March 13, 2015
- by Allison
I am very excited to announce that Hand-Painted Weddings was chosen as one of 7 up-and-coming female creatives celebrating International Women’s Day on Hatch.co! It was such an honor to be chosen for this feature. For those of you that don’t know, Hatch.co was founded by a woman, Anastasia Leng, who left her job at Google to create a “a marketplace for unique made-to-order products created by a community of handpicked professional designers and makers.” Hatch is similar to Etsy but much more refined because an artist needs to qualify to sell products on this site.

Anastasia contacted me directly to see if I’d be interested in celebrating International Women’s Day by creating an interpretation of the Hatch logo. The only stipulation was to keep the tipi intact. I was like, of course!!

I have to say that this project was one of those projects that I had a breakthrough (ah-ha moment) around midnight the day before it was due, and I was so happy with the creation that I could barely fall asleep and was still glowing with excitement for days after! After I sent the artwork to Hatch, I received a response that the team gasped when they saw it! Have I mentioned that I love my job!

I had another ah-ha moment when I was digging into the inspiration of this logo interpretation, and why it resonated so strongly with me. I am copying the blurb that is beside the logo below for readability:

“I am an artist and a businesswoman. I find my peace in my daily yoga practice, while I find my energy every day in the gloriously energetic city of Philadelphia. I find that this balance between opposites is where I like to create and be. It is also how I paint; I have chosen watercolors as the perfect medium for Hand-Painted Weddings because while it is loose and flows, I bring an distinct attention to detail in my paintings, creating that sexy balance between the two in my work.

The design is inspired by my favorite flower, the pansy. I love how the pansy is delicate yet bold in its colors. The bold watercolor flower painting is juxtaposed with the sexy, metallic gold diagonals of the Hatch logo, creating an intriguing balance between explosion and structure. As businesswomen, we strike many balances in our lives, and I wanted to express that strength and power in this logo in celebration of Female Creative Business Owners.”

I feel like I found my voice in explaining my process, which is so personal that it is hard to distinguish and put into words. I’m sure other creatives feel similarly; it is really hard to explain your creativity as an artist (where it comes from, what drives it). It makes interviews and “About” pages challenging. After yoga one day, when my head is the most clear, I realized it… I have struggled explaining who I am because I don’t really fit into a box. I am a balance of opposites (sometimes teetering), but once I saw it, I noticed the idea seemed to flow through many aspects of my life from the way I paint, to the way I work, to the way I am. I’ve got to tell you, it was a revelation.
Real Wedding
Real Wedding: Jess and Kevin at PAFA
- March 2, 2015
- by Allison
I love working with couples on their reception day paper needs because it gives me the opportunity to get involved with all of the fun, little details of their wedding day. I worked with Jess and Kevin on their escort cards and menu cards, who got married at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA).

Both the menu cards and the escort cards featured this beautiful, soft purple watercolor wash I painted to match the uplighting at their reception. The escort cards were so much fun; they were inspired by the easel escort cards Truly You Events and I did at the styled shoot last year. I was so excited to see how the escort card easels came out for this gorgeous real wedding. They are the perfect compliment to an art gallery wedding!

Photos by Shari DeAngelo. Paper by Hand-Painted Weddings. Wedding planning by Truly You Events.
In the Studio
Behind the Scenes at Hand-Painted Weddings
- February 17, 2015
- by Allison
One of the most amazing things about having a partner is when you see glimpses of how he/she sees you. On Valentine’s Day my husband Carl graciously took some Hand-Painted Weddings behind the scenes photos for me. He is one of the few people who can capture my true essence on camera. It is remarkable when your partner sees you better than you see yourself sometimes.

I’ve wanted these photos for awhile so couples can see the person behind the paintbrush and behind each detailed email conversation. What shines through these photos is the excitement I have for Hand-Painted Weddings and couples’ ideas, as well as the zen, quiet moments I spend sketching and painting. I have realized recently that I adore these quiet moments and have really embraced some of my more introverted tendencies with my art.

Another thing you might notice in these behind the scenes photos is that I paint multiple designs on one sheet of watercolor paper. I have this tendency to being very detailed in how I paint but liking to work on a big sheet of paper. I think this little tendency also contributes to a greener production, which is aligned with my morals. Another subtle thing you may have picked up on is that I don’t work at a desk all day. I’m constantly moving around my home studio, the studio outside my home, as well as local coffee shops. I adore this flexibility of changing my environment throughout the day. I believe it promotes creativity.

I’m working on incorporating these photos into the Hand-Painted Weddings website, but I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek! If you would like to see a close-up of the eucalyptus painting, check it out on Instagram here.