I didn’t know what letterpress printing was until I met Nina Interlandi Bell, the owner of Tweedle Press, through the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance.  Nina designs custom, eco-friendly wedding and event invitations, stationery, business cards and greeting cards which she prints by hand on one of two printing presses she owns.  She uses recycled paper and 100% vegetable based ink and can even make her own recycled paper out of junk mail.  (I shred what I can, and feed it to my composting worms, but Nina’s trick is much cooler!)  Her designs and printed products are beautiful, so I wanted to photograph some of her wedding invitations and share them with you on my blog.

Now for the other side of the invitation…

And here is a Mitzvah invitation…

A Save the Date and a Business Card…

Another purple wedding invitation!

The following invitation is a letterpress-digital hybrid collaboration between Tweedle Press and Spilled Ink Press.  Entwine Invitations, as they have named their collaborative work, combine the luxury of letterpress printing with the affordability of flat printing.  What a great idea!

Being foodies, Kim and Mike chose to be married at a venue with great food and wine – Osteria Via Stato. Their intimate, family-centered ceremony was followed by a rousing party with a large group of friends.  Guests tore up the dance floor until the restaurant closed.  Kim and Mike are a delightful couple, so it is not surprising that they have such a large and enthusiastic group of friends.  I hope these photos give you a feeling of the joy, humor and personality of their wedding day.

I met Michaela and John through a mutual friend, and it turns out that we were neighbors living just 6 blocks apart.  Michaela and John were neighbors too…that’s how they met.  They lived in the same building, Michaela just two floors up.  She checked his mail while was out of town in the summer of 2008.  When John returned, she invited him up for a beer to hear about his trip.  Soon after, their relationship bloomed.

When Michaela and John were engaged, Michaela knew that she wanted to be married at Kinnikinnick Farm in Caledonia, IL.  The farm holds a special place in Michaela’s heart:  She spent six years volunteering for them at the Evanston Farmers Market and helping at events and work weekends after meeting them through her research in sociology at Northwestern University.

John was a little nervous about getting married outdoors… after all, you never know what you’re going to get weather-wise around here in mid-July.  Thankfully, morning showers passed quickly, and they were blessed with a gorgeous day followed by a stunning sunset.

There were so many details to photograph that day… Michaela’s ride to the aisle on the farm’s golf cart, a procession of a dozen flower-children, vows under the wedding arch made of two willow trees, kids making friends with goats and chicks, and all the emotions shared among family and friends.

Caterer: Brio Restaurant in Rockford

Venue: Kinnikinnick Farm

I met Hiral and Sam through Hiral’s cousin, who is a dear friend of mine.  It was wonderful to finally meet her family, about whom I had heard so much over the years.  Hiral and Sam are delightful, and I cannot say enough about how kind the extended Patel and Hudson families were to me!  I spent about 22 hours over the course of three days photographing Hiral, Sam and their families, and I’m so grateful for their hospitality.

It was the first Hindu ceremony I’ve photographed, so I relied on the kindness of Hiral’s family to guide me through the most important aspects of the rituals.   Since I don’t speak a lick of Gujarati, there were a few points during the Graha Shanti when I had no idea what was going to happen next.  “Just follow the guy with the video camera,” I thought to myself, “He knows exactly what’s going to happen.”

Hiral and Sam combined their two religious and cultural traditions with grace and style.  It was an honor to document their wedding day.  These are some of my favorite photos from their wedding.  I hope you will enjoy them too.

Kristi Sanford, Owner and Principal Photographer

The Graha Shanti at Hiral’s Home (One Week Before the Wedding)

The Hindu Ceremony

The Christian Ceremony