Behind the Scenes: How I Create Personalized Custom Wedding Invitations
I had someone ask me recently, “What is your favorite part of designing wedding invitations?” The answer came easily – the personal one-of-a-kind details! I specialize in hand-painted watercolor invitations that are designed to tell a unique love story. Telling that story is the best part of my job!
Today I want to share what that process looks like – how do we go from start to finish? Once a couple books with me, the fun begins! I start by sending a “getting to know you” questionnaire. I can’t tell your one-of-a-kind story if I don’t know anything about you, or how you met, or what you like doing on the weekends! I like to find out if you have pets (and if they will be making an appearance at the wedding!), what you love about your partner, and what you want your guests to feel or experience on your big day.
From there, I create a sketch. This is where I work out how to incorporate special details specific to the couple, but also the practical layout and communication of information. Things often change quite a bit as we go, but this gives the couple a chance to have a visual guide of my thought process. I also provide a color palette, inspiration images, and suggest additional details to tie everything together.
Once that is signed off on, the painting and designing begins! I paint all of the artwork myself, and then scan, edit, and arrange it all on the computer. I also spend countless hours picking out envelope colors, ribbon, wax seals, vintage postage, and more. Everything gets put into a digital mock up, before being sent off to the client for review! This is a quick description, but it is actually the longest part of the process.
Once edits are made, and final designs are approved, print and production begins! I partner with various print houses to produce the finished product, and source materials from typically 4-5 different vendors. It’s truly a labor of love! The next step is assembly, which I include for all of my couples. Trust me, it might seem like an easy task to take on, but it’s so much more work than you think! This is when I get to catch up on my favorite podcasts (I love “You Made It Weird”, “The Doctor’s Farmacy”, and “Getting Curious” to name a few!) while I tie ribbon, stamp wax seals, adhere envelope liners, and apply postage. I’m also a calligrapher, so if the couple upgrades to calligraphy for their guest addressing, I do that too!
Once everything is ready to go, it’s time to say good-bye to the beautiful suites and drop them off at my local post office. I always ask for invitations to be hand-canceled, which means that the envelopes are processed by hand instead of by a machine. Unfortunately it doesn’t guarantee that the envelope will never pass through a machine, but it certainly helps! It is also typically a requirement for envelopes that have things like ribbon, wax seals, or are extra-thick as these features can cause hiccups as they pass through machines. Once that is done, I say a prayer to the USPS gods that they handle my creations with care and love (the postal service really loves to keep us stationers on our toes these days!)
Last, but certainly not least, I send a keepsake suite to the couple, along with a set for the photographer (with any extra styling details like wax seals or vintage stamps!). It’s a ton of work, but totally worth it! I love hearing from my couples about how excited their guests are when they receive the invitation. Wedding invitations can really set the tone for what the entire experience will be like – and that experience should be special! Want to hear more about a certain aspect of the process? Let me know in the comments! For more info on my creative process and wedding work, sign up for our newsletter here!