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!

 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.