Governors Ball Secrets: Welcome to the 'Engraving Station,' Where Oscar Statuettes Get Personalized 

Ever wonder what happens on Oscar night after the winners get their blank statuettes? Yes, they’re blank—the better to keep the winners’ names secret until the envelopes are opened. For decades, winners had to ship the statuettes back to the Academy afterwards and wait up to several weeks to have them returned with the proper inscriptions. But not any more.

Starting five years ago, a sort of inscription-processing station was set up at the swanky Governors Ball, the only official party of the evening. (It unfolds right after the main Oscar ceremony, in a venue right next to the Dolby Theatre; 1500 guests buzz and mingle before zipping off to other soirees like Vanity Fair’s vaunted afterparty.) Partly as an incentive to attend the Governors Ball first, winners can now have their statuettes personalized on the spot, while they wait—though they also have the option of skipping the party and doing the messenger shuffle.

“We call it Oscar’s workshop,” says Cheryl Cechetto, who’s been orchestrating the logistics the Governors Ball for 25 years now with a crackerjack team. In a special roped-off area, winners have their nameplates applied in just a few minutes, while they wait. They’re allowed to bring only one guest into the area; champagne is served while they wait. “The winners need a little downtime, really, to take in the experience,” says Cechetto. “And that’s what we give them with this area. It’s very intimate.”

Click along through the gallery to see winners from 2013′s show.