THE WEDDING PROJECT
INVITATIONS, PAPER GOODS
AND OTHER DETAILS
DESIGNED FOR MY OWN WEDDING
In July 2021, I completed the most exciting project of my career: graphic design for my own wedding!
It was a truly special assignment, not only due to its personal significance but also because of the unique circumstances surrounding our wedding. As the pandemic was still ongoing, we made the decision to stream the ceremony online, limiting the number of in-person attendees to a few close family members. In preparation for the event, we created a dedicated website where the live streaming of the ceremony would be available on the day itself. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, we featured an online invitation on the website. Additionally, we sent out paper invitations that included instructions on how to access the website.
Moreover, as I am Polish, my husband is Spanish and our daily language is English, our wedding ceremony became a blend of three languages. Held in a beautiful town on the Andalusian coast, the majority of the liturgy was in Spanish, complemented by parts in Polish and English. To ensure everyone can understand what is happening, I prepared printed and digital booklets containing the full ceremony text in all three languages. Both on-site and online guests could follow along, aided also by a large screen displaying real-time translations in Spanish and Polish.
elements designed:
- Online animated invitation
- Paper invitations
- Trilingual ceremony booklets
- On-screen presentation
- Reception guest labels
- Paper artwork
wedding day pictures by Fran Ménez
animated invitation
For the animated invitation, I drew inspiration from the aesthetics and elements I had previously developed for my Sending Love project, a gift for my then-fiancée. I created paper collage illustrations, then I scanned and animated them.
The invitation not only showcases our international backgrounds but also captures the tropical ambiance of Almuñécar, the location of our wedding. And, of course, our cat Charli had to make a special appearance in the animation.
The colors, textures, illustrations, and fonts used in the animation served as the foundation for the overall theme of all the wedding-related designs.
paper invitations
Even though most of our guests would watch the wedding online, I still wanted to send them paper invitations – for the joy of creating and sending them, and for the guests to take this invitation seriously!
Trilingual ceremony booklets
The booklets proved to be very useful, serving as a practical tool not only for guests to understand the text of the ceremony but also for those actively participating. Having the complete script readily available in front of their eyes allowed everyone involved to fully engage and follow along.
On-screen presentation
In addition, for more convenience, a screen displayed translations of the text that was currently being spoken or read aloud during the ceremony. To design the on-screen presentation I used the same style as for the booklets and invitations.
Reception guest labels
After the ceremony, we hosted a small reception for our on-site guests. With a total of 30 people, I had the opportunity to add a personal touch by hand-writing the name tags. Consistent with the theme, I used the same marbled paper as in all the other design elements. Allocating the guests was particularly significant, as not everyone shared a common language.
Paper artwork
The paper illustrations that I initially created for the invitations found their new purpose as a special wedding gift for my husband—a portrait of our newly established family.