Momental Designs Crafts Hand-Painted Wedding Stationery as Unique as Your Love Story

The Short Version: Momental Designs creates custom, hand-painted wedding stationery that leaves a lasting impression. The studio, founded by lead artist Kristy Rice, offers bespoke watercolor stationery infused with personal details. Kelley Nudo is Momental Design’s Operations Director. She talked to us about the studio’s approach and offerings and gave couples some tips about how to handle the stationery and invitations process.

You really don’t get that many opportunities to throw yourself a party. You get a few great birthday parties as a kid (if you’re lucky!), maybe a graduation celebration here or there, and then, of course – your wedding. That’s not many parties, so it’s a good idea to make each one that comes special.

Personal touches, no matter how small, can add that extra special element to a wedding. One-of-a-kind floral arrangements, table decorations, and plateware do more than make an aesthetically pleasing wedding – they can tell important pieces of your love story.

Momental Designs is an artist studio specializing in custom wedding stationery, from Save the Dates to place cards. Kelley Nudo is Momental Design’s Operations Director, and she talked to us about the studio and its approach to fully custom, hand-painted stationery. 

Kelley gave couples who are planning weddings great insights into what to think about and look for when it comes to stationery and explained the difference between semi-custom and custom options. “We work with our clients to make sure they’re hitting all the marks,” she said. “There’s a lot to think about, and we help them with the process itself, too.”

Couples have a lot to think about in the early stages of wedding planning. In terms of stationery, Kelley said couples have one important decision to make at the beginning of the process.

“Right at the starting gate, the first thing to consider is whether you want semi-custom or custom stationery,” she said. “You want to look at both and decide what’s the best route to take.” Kelley said semi-custom and custom both come with their perks and drawbacks.

“Semi-custom is going to be ordering from a website or going through a stationery catalog,” Kelley told us. “These are designs that have already been made, and then you put your details and information into them. You can pick from a small collection of different paper finishes or embellishments, but overall, the design is well-established.”

Kelley said the main benefits of semi-custom are affordability and timeliness. “It’s going to be less expensive than taking the custom avenue, and the process is shorter and a little simpler than doing custom. It’s the best choice for couples looking for a great economical option or are on a short timeline.”

Custom stationery comes with a higher price tag and longer process and for a reason. “You get to do whatever you want,” Kelley said. “The sky is the limit with whatever design you would want and how you want to present your invitation. You’re paying for an artist’s time and attention.”

Within the bespoke route, some stationers handle design and production, while others only handle design. Couples can choose the option right for them, but Kelley suggested couples choose a stationer who handles the entire process, from start to finish.

“That’s something to keep in mind as you go down the custom route,” Kelley said. “There are some stationers out there that only do design work, and then you have to find someone to produce it.”

Once a couple has decided to take the custom route with Momental Designs, the artist team begins the design process. “We work backward from the date that our clients would like to have stationery in their hands,” Kelley said. “We build our process based on that date.”

Momental Designs offers two signature suites: One for save-the-dates and one for invitations. Couples can choose one or both of the suites and add design elements and services a la carte as the process continues. 

“We usually like to have three months to work on the design process,” Kelley said. “Obviously, the more time, the better because it allows clients to have that flexibility and luxury of extra time. You’ll be less stressed and have more time and energy to think about the details.”

From a couple’s first meeting with Momental Designs, the team is thinking about how to infuse their story and wedding into their stationery. “We have a very specific process that we take each of our clients through to go from idea to reality,” Kelley told us. “Most of our clients need some guidance in letting us know what they want.”

Momental Designs begins the design process by establishing a general design concept and color palette and then sends clients a welcome kit. The kit includes samples of previous works based on their design concepts and preferred colors.

“Most of our clients are remote, but it’s just so important for them to touch it and have it in their hands as they decide what they want,” Kelley said. “We’ll send them paper swatches, envelope options, differentiating printing examples. It’s a really helpful reference tool for them.”

Clients can also send other reference images, and the artist team begins designing. As mockups and design concepts come together, clients give their artists feedback. 

Momental Design’s approach considers every aspect of bespoke stationery, from the paper finish to the weight of the envelope. 

“Our creative director, Jillian, meets with every couple once we have their design concept and mood board for the stationery,” Kelley said. “She talks about the artwork, but she also gets into the fine details, like paper and layout and presentation and embellishment.”

During this meeting, Jillian gives couples guidance on stationery aspects they may not have even considered yet. Kelley said one of the main benefits of ordering custom stationery is that an expert is on hand to offer industry insights.

“We provide our clients with a brief that provides an overview of the design notes and presents some options, so they can begin making selections for their suite”  Kelley said. “Once selections have been made, we prepare the prototype, which is the completed piece, reflecting any newly developed artwork and materials chosen by the client.”

Kelley continued, “The prototype is going to have all of the artwork developed, the hand-painted details applied, and all of the specific materials that the clients selected.”

From the first mood boards to the final product, Momental Designs focuses on creating a bespoke process and product. “We’re celebrating our 21st year of business this month, and we’re very fortunate to have such a seasoned team,” Kelley said. “When couples have a question for us, it’s probably one we’ve answered many times.”