Beautiful paper products are an absolute treat, and designing them can be one of the most fun and creative parts of wedding planning. That thick, creamy paper stock, all the striking fonts to choose from, the color palettes, the inspirations, the details; all there for you to express yourself with! What fun! My new friend Margot Moussempes of custom invitation design company Atelier Isabey is passionate about this process and works hand in hand with each of her clients to design the perfect paper accompaniment to their unique celebration. The following layout is her explanation of the many steps along the way toward the creation of one couple's stunning wedding invitation design. Enjoy!
The Melorina + Edurado set was inspired by a couple who were of
mixed Cuban and Venezuelan nationalities and who were looking for an
invitation set that was fun, festive and somehow connected to their
heritage as well as to their venue in Florida. The bride loved classic
Art Deco architecture and posters so the overall look and feel of the
wedding was going to be inspired by Art Deco with Cuban & South
American accents. I compiled my sketches, color options and mood boards in order to show the process
behind one of our custom designed pieces.
1. We began by
taking a trip to the library, followed by the Chelsea flea market to
find elements that could work within their invitation set. We found a
plethora of vintage 1920s posters and travel magazines which helped
start our sketching process. We explored various elements and rough
ideas during this process.
2. Upon completing a number of concepts, we presented the designs to
the couple accompanied by 'moodboards' for each design concept to help
them understand the ideas and the inspirations we drew from to create
the designs. The moodboard helps to convey the overall feel and, in the
example of Melorina & Eduardo, we drew inspiration from cuban
cigars, Miami architecture, Spanish guitars etc...
3. The couple fell
in love with the Art Deco meets Cuba theme with the vintage car, 1920s
travel poster ships and the art deco fashion magazine inspired
hand, bejeweled with an engagement ring (on the rsvp card). They were
undecided about the appropriate color combination so we presented them
with a variety of potential color schemes from close in to their
original color scheme to more out of the box options.
4. After a number of revisions and tweaks, we finalized the design,
ironed out all the details, paper choices, color specs and copy changes
into a final proof.
5. Upon finalizing
the digital proof, we sent the designs off to one of our master
letterpress studios. We work really closely with talented letterpress,
silkscreen, engraving and offset printing artists as well as
calligraphers that bring our designs to life. Once we carefully checked
over each and every invitation set, we packaged them neatly into a box
and off they went in the mail to be received by the couple.