One Blossom has the most natural and elegant letterpress wedding invitations that I have seen…read moreanywhere. The designer is also happy to do custom designs to suit the event. In addition to being an extremely talented designer, she is also friendly and intuitive. I gave her approximately three basic directions -- simple, elegant, mountain -- and she came back with the perfect "Save the Date" card for us. We didn't even have to make any modifications. What's more is that I received multiple calls and emails from guests specifically complimenting the artistry of the card!

I visited their studio during the open studio sale. It's in a warehouse area of Oakland, a…read moresomewhat scary part of town. Inside the studio is brimming with elegant stationery, repeated patterns in one color on thick ecru paper. During the open studio sales, items are 50% off. Folded note cards come in different patterns: stripes, polka dots, fruit (e.g., apples, cherries), hearts, bows, animals, flowers, and some seasonal motifs (candy canes, snowflakes, reindeer, gingerbread men). The overall look reminds me of wallpaper (in a good way). I bought the skull & cross bones note cards ($16 for 8 or 50% off at the studio sale). The paper is fairly heavy and smooth to the touch. The images are raised slightly. Each item is hand-printed on antique letterpresses. Envelopes are unadorned. The same designs also appear on place cards, gift enclosures, notebooks, and placemats. My favorite designs are the skull & crossbones, Versailles, and the bows. They could use some more playful designs. Daggers? Cupcakes? Bowls of ramen? They also offer custom work (hand-drawn maps, announcements, invitations) and the examples look stunning: http://www.carrotandstickpress.com/portfolio.htm

Gorgeous cards. Great quality. Designs range from classic to quirky. I am addicted. I just…read moreordered a ton for my holiday cards. The trees on the station wagon roof, candy canes, snow flakes . . . LOVE them! I also love the taxi cab ones.

I must tell you about the wonderful experience I had with Marian from the write invite. She offers…read morepersonalized service. From selecting the actual paper to the font and wording on my invitations she handheld me from beginning to end. I am a very detail oriented person, so ordering something online would be out of the question. If you spend a little time looking before you call her you will find that her prices and selection are exceptional. But the time and effort and care she puts into placing an order is unusual. But I can tell you is the invitation I ended up with reflects the party that we're having. That's what you want an invitation to accomplish. Thank you!

If you want exemplary customer service and impeccable attention to detail, The Write Invite is…read moreright for you! The owner, Marian, is friendly, gracious, professional - and really knows her stuff. She recently provided A+, one-stop shopping for my daughter's wedding: we got gorgeous cocktail napkins, bathroom hand towels, kipot, and table escort cards: all personalized, and all perfect in keeping with the colors of the wedding. Furthermore, the invitations Marian suggested were incredible! She guided us with the design, wording and font of the invitations and the finished invites received ooohs & aaahhhs from guests and the bride and groom alike! The invitations from The Write Invite set the stage for the wedding beautifully. I give Marian the highest rating & recommendation. Let her be the one to help make your special occasion extra-special!

Letterpress is the musthave of the year, it seems. If you want beautifully designed and unique…read moreletterpress, check out Painted Tongue Press in Oakland (great samples on their website). You honestly never knew there were so many options for letterpress--business cards and menus, as well as your typical wedding/birth/etc. announcements and accompanying components. Kim created our framed wedding vows using the chrysanthemum design off my dress and the color of Mr. B's aloha shirt. I've been unable to top that anniversary gift... Kim also teaches at the Center for the Book and offers classes at her studio. I would not recommend stopping by the studio without calling first--if you check a map, it's not the kind of area for an afternoon stroll. However, she or Bill are often there on the weekends and can always arrange a late afternoon appointment .

Unbelievable!!! I went to Painted Tongue for my wedding invitations and I have gotten so many…read morecompliments about them. The entire staff at Painted Tongue is professional and friendly. I was very impressed with how flexible they were with their schedule. They worked with my fiancee and I the whole step of the way. Beautiful art and unmistakable creativity. Thanks.

I can't rave enough about my initial experience at this shop. I am a person's worst nightmare in…read morestores like this...a future bride who comes in to order the wedding invitations (late of course), indecisive, not sure of what colors my wedding will be, not sure of what styles I like. The shop itself is tiny but very warm and welcoming inside, just like Susan herself. She sat with me for almost 2(!!) hours, showing me not only wedding invitations, but bar mitzvah and holiday invites that were less expensive and actually more in the style I liked. She was very knowledgeable, patient and extra helpful in telling me all the different options that could be created to make my perfect invite. Susan even suggested that if I wanted little 'bling'(adhesive diamonds) on the invite that I could go to Michael's Arts and Crafts and put them on myself, saving the money the book vendors would charge. Of course, I couldn't decide on what I wanted to order today, but at no time did I feel pressured or rushed to make up my mind. As soon as I can figure out what I want, I will be back to this gem of a store!!

great service and incredible selection. I have been a client…read morefor several years and Susan is a pleasure to work with. She is knowledgeable and has great taste and always helps you make the best choice for your occasion.

I booked SnapBots for my brother's wedding this past July and let me just say, THEY ARE AWESOME!…read moreAsra was so quick to respond to my inquisitive emails and very flexible in making a package most suitable for the wedding event. They created customized props unique to the bride & groom and it was a huge hit! All of the guests loved the goofy props and accessories and SnapBots did a fantastic job taking so many pictures with over 200+ guests! Just to re-iterate, here are 3 reasons why everyone should use them: 1) They showed up on time, friendly as ever! 2) They were able to work within our budget and still provide super great services! 3) The props were customized to the bride & groom and so unique! I definitely recommend using them for any event, they're great!

SnapBots MADE my wedding. People are still talking about-and sharing-their photos almost two months…read morelater. I could no be happier! First off, let me say that planning my California wedding from Chicago was not easy. I could not meet with vendors in person and did a lot of decision making based on emails and the reviews of others. There was a lot of stress but I did not feel any of that with SnapBots. In fact, I liked them so much that aside from having them as our photobooth I asked them to design my wedding programs and table numbers. Why I loved SnapBots: -They were professional at all times, on time, and prepared -They customized the photobooth to be special for my wedding without huge up charges - They were flexible--they even agreed to stay late as a last minute request because our guests could not get enough of the photobooth -They followed up promptly after the wedding and I was able to get access to ALL the pictures right away Before going with Snapbots as our photogbooth I researched a LOT of other, more expensive options but I could not be happier with my choice of vendor. I highly recommend you snap this group up for your event before they are booked up!!

Planning a "Green" wedding? Or just a "Green" party? Tugboat's handmade paper is organic or…read morerecycled and they will customize designs for you. All of their printing is done on a letterpress, which makes them more expensive, but it looks cool. Plus it is a local business and the owner is nice.

Ah! The lost art of letterpress--so lovely. And the handmade paper has a great look and feel. The…read morebusiness cards I ordered from Tugboat are completely original and personal. I'm quite pleased.

43Layers is a non-crafty crafter's dream! I usually have BIG plans to give very personalized gifts…read moreand decorate for every holiday, but when it comes down to the wire, I end up surfing Amazon's daily deals and getting gifts I don't totally love that likely end up being in someone's closet by the new year. 43Layers allows me to be creative without the hassle of making something on my own. I have started several different projects and am always so happy with the outcome! My last two projects were: custom wine charms in the shape of fall leaves (wooden leaves with numbers and gold rings around the stem) for Friendsgiving, and custom drink coasters for my group of 8 girlfriends (we have a group chat nickname that I put on the coaster). I love that as soon as I have an idea, I can immediately go to 43Layers and connect with a designer and get going on the idea. Love love love!

Me - "Hello 43Layers? I have an impossible project with an unrealistic time line. How does that…read moresound?" 43Layers - "That sounds awesome! But instead of just getting the project done on time and on budget, could we please exceed your expectations beyond your wildest dreams?" This is how it went for me with a project I recently had 43Layers do for me. My wife came across their website and showed it to me and I thought, Hmm, thats exactly what I'm looking for but I'm sure they can't do it on my timeline. They got it done, the process was seamless and I couldn't be happier. I had to think about writing them a review for a minute for fear of my competitors finding out about them! Bottom line - these guys are amazing. If you need a project custom designed and fabricated quickly and well, make 43Layers your first stop.