Draw that ever-so-famous "swoop" for your friends and everyone yells, "Nike!" Drive by the "golden arches" and all the kids cry, "McDonald’s!" What if there was a logo you and your fiancé created that would instantly remind everyone of the two of you and immediately bring a smile to their faces?
That’s what your wedding invitation should do for you.
Your wedding invitation creates the first impression of your new life together. It tells friends, family and colleagues that you want to share with them one of the most significant moments of your life. I’ve had so many clients tell me that they’re tired of seeing the same, boring wedding invitations. Everything seems so recycled these days that it makes you tired just to think what the wedding’s going to be like. The right invitation breeds excitement and anticipation and gets your friends, family and colleagues anxious for the day.
So what is going to make your invitation so special? Some invitations feature a monogram of the couple’s initials; others feature an icon, such as a leaf or flower. Maybe it’s a caricature of the cypress under which you shared your first kiss, or an artist’s rendering of the swirls of your initials. Even a creative take on your monograms could leave a lasting impression. The bottom line: a customized logo will make your wedding invitations truly one-of-a-kind and will set it apart from all others.
My husband and I wanted to create our own custom invitations. Not just for the sake of being unique and different, but because there really wasn’t anything out there that really represented "us." We really wanted our invitations to "wow" our family and friends. In fact, we wanted them to save the invitation—not just save the date.
Coming up with a concept was easy—we wanted our set to feature a personalized logo and its design to incorporate elements from our home. Our logo became a leaping pig created from a rendering of a statue we bought in a local boutique years before. Accents were created by elements from a Chinese brush painting that was a gift from my cousin and that hung in our living room. We sprinkled our logo throughout all the pieces—from the invitation to the response card, from the program to the thank you card. Even now, four years later, we still receive compliments on our wedding invitation and our pig logo. Both left indelible marks in many of our guests’ minds.
Undoubtedly, a custom invitation is an expression of your style and a representation of who you are as a couple. By adding a personalized logo, your invitation is truly original and one-of-a-kind. It can be symbolic of trips taken, moments shared or memories made together. It can be derived from a photograph, a hand sketch, a word or caricature. Your logo can be inspired by an unusual leaf you discovered on your weekly hike together, or by a trait that you both have in common. My husband and I selected our logo because we were both born in the Year of the Pig. One couple planned to use lanterns as their centerpiece and live bamboo as favors, but didn’t know which one they should use for their invitations. They decided to incorporate both elements by drawing a lantern as the logo and using bamboo silhouettes for the backdrop of the invite. In this way, they artfully gave their guests a sneak preview of their future wedding: when guests arrived at the reception hall, they were able to see how all the elements were tied together.
The best part is that, invariably, the bride and groom are equally interested in the process of creating the logo. The only analogy I can think of is that it’s like choosing a tattoo for yourself—it’s going to be your mark for a lifetime. In fact, you can eventually incorporate your logo in personal stationery, holiday cards, birth announcements, Bar/Bat Mitzvah invitations—everything.
So remember: a wedding invitation isn’t just an invitation. It’s the first impression and an enduring signal of your new life. Don’t you want to do it right?
No comments:
Post a Comment