kasey+michael
My wedding invitations had to be epic.
Probably the most common comment I get from people is, “I can only imagine what your invitations looked like.” After all, the expectations of my guests (and truthfully from myself) were so high, I knew I had to blow it out of the water.
I know so many facets of print methods. I had to decide which would be right for my suite. Letterpress? Foil? Laser cut? Metal? I considered all the options.
Wood? Wood. Reverse engraved wood, because you know, standard engraved was “too
My invites came together just as my best designs do. Me playing around in illustrator with different shapes and elements.
I love texture. I love fine detail. I love the smallest personalization to make every last element your very own.
I found some beautiful line work in the pumpkin and leaf skeleton silhouettes. I blew our names up to anchor the design. I clipped the corners to make it a unique shape. Every text element had to be anchored somehow in a nonconventional shape. Bark, branches, stumps, it was all setting the tone for my “raw element” theme. I hand gilded every invite to add a metallic shine to our names. I sketched our foxes in pencil, which would blow up into our wedding logo and be on everything from hotel door hangers to ice scuptures.
the process came together piece by piece. The maps of long island showing our hometowns and location of events. The plum envelopes to bring my bridesmaid dress color into the theme. Hand embossed foil seals. Stacking my inserts in copper laser cut pockets on the reverse of the wood. The kraft mailers to protect my fragile cedar from the wrath of USPS. The vintage fox stamps from 1987. The copper foil tape to hold the structure together and add more metal to the suite. The RSVPS with watercolor paintings of our church on the front, and fun interactivity on the reverse to keep it lighthearted.
I obsessed over every detail. But that’s nothing new.
They went out late because I needed hand calligraphy. RSVP postcards got lost in the mail. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t beaming with pride with the result. “They even smell good!” “LOVE this” “Best invitation ever.” I had wrapped up my invitation into a package of love for every person it was extended to. It set the tone for our event.
the entire process took about 4-6 months from the original ideas. I love the way they came out. I am hoarding every last extra invite I have. I am framing one with my bouquet flowers.
This is what stationery design is about. Encompassing yourself in your event, and amping people up for that day.
And hey, now my guests have something to cut vegetables on.
