Our usual projects start with a proposal, just not the kind that ends in “I do”. When my sister-in-law asked if we would do some design for her big day in lieu of a wedding present we were both honoured to be trusted with such responsibility, as well as somewhat apprehensive as bar our own wedding many years ago it is not an area we have worked in. We knew how important the aesthetic of the day was to the happy couple so we prepared ourselves to produce something that fit the bill. We immediately agreed and used the same approach and gusto as with all the other projects we have taken on, first of all mind mapping what would need to be done and prioritising urgent tasks. First things first, people needed to be invited.

Print invites and wedding website

Initially the bride was thinking of printed invites with multiple parts for information, RSVPs etc. Greg suggested a more modern approach might be a wedding website, allowing her and her partner to share any information needed as well as receive RSVPs, dietary requirements and song choices. They loved the idea of a website but felt they also wanted the tactile quality of receiving a physical invitation. I will admit initially I nudged towards one of the free wedding websites that you can customise, however it was ultimately decided that we would build something bespoke so as to fully capture the couples vision. We all agreed on a colour palette and explored the different styles that appealed to each person.

The bride and husband-to-be had quite different ideas when it came to the design of the print invite, one preferring more ornate, traditional styling and the other preferring a more pared back modern feel. Over a few different iterations Greg managed to come up with something that pleased them both. This also provided the basis for the typography for the website. 

One of the main uses for the website was to collect the RSVPs. After looking at a couple of different options within Framer we settled on using BaseForm connected to FormSpark. Once we set them up the happy couple were able to receive email notifications with their guests RSVPs as well as having a spreadsheet in FormSpark of all the responses. Visit wedding website.

Once the website was signed off and live and the invites printed we just had one more job to do before popping to the post office. The bride-to-be asked if we could use wax seals on the envelopes to really add that touch of luxury. This is something I had done on my own wedding invites so I retrieved my trusty low heat glue gun from the loft, ordered some gold wax stick and personalised stamp and set to work. After finishing the seals on the envelopes and those that would be required later on for the table plan I supervised my 7 year old while she made some for fun. I quickly concluded hers were actually neater than mine and I should’ve let her help from the start. Lesson learned.

Table design and table plan

Once the invites were posted we turned our attention to the table design. The bride-to-be had been researching on instagram and had lots of ideas of how she would like the tables to look. 

One of these ideas was gold freehand calligraphy name cards. I had once done a bit of calligraphy as a hobby so she was keen for me to have a go. I explained that I could give it a try but I would not be offended if it was not up to her standards. I did a few bits to see if it was ok and she was thrilled. Keen to make them look as professional as possible I then researched the best calligraphy nibs, metallic ink and how to space them correctly. Once I made the name cards I calculated the sizing for the templates for each name and drew out an outline in pencil. The actual calligraphy I did over several evenings as it takes a lot of focus.  

The table numbers and menus were a little more straight forward and pulled from the branding of the invites and website. The couple were very keen to have a curved top but due to the size of the run it was difficult to get these professionally cut so some more concentrated work for me and my trusty scissors. We were asked if we could provide a solution so guests could upload the pictures they took at the wedding. Our solution was a designed QR code on the back of the menu which linked to WedUploader.

For the table plan my sister-in-law had bought a large mirror to use as the backdrop then Greg designed and got printed vinyl stickers for the heading and we printed the individual tables and used the extra wax seals from when we did the invitations. In order to get the dimensions correct, Greg used the measurements from the mirror and created a scaled mockup with dimensions. 

Additional requests

As with many projects there are always a few additional side quests that get added along the way. In this case a welcome mirror, a card box, some personalised drinks menus with illustrations and a kids photography scavenger hunt list. 

Overall it was a fun project to complete for some very special people in our life and I think we created some beautiful design pieces that will live on in their wedding photos for years to come. 

Designing something so personal to someone will always be difficult as there are so many emotions involved and of course everyone involved wants everything to be perfect meaning it can take more time than you initially thought. Will I be ditching project management to become a wedding planner? I don’t think so.

Wedding photography by: Carrie Lavers

Happy couple: Sophie Lewis & Tim Lewis