Designing for my own wedding: from wedding invitation to complete brand identity

As a designer and illustrator, I obviously couldn’t resist going all out for our own wedding. What started with designing a wedding invitation quickly grew into a complete visual concept that was reflected in everything. For over 1.5 years, I worked on all the designs with so much joy. In this blog, I’ll take you through my process and show you how everything came together as one cohesive whole.

The first designs: wedding invitation and save the date

You might think you’d start with a save the date, but I always start (just like with clients) by designing the wedding invitation. This forms the basis for the entire style of the wedding.
I began by choosing the style and folding method. Our card featured a gatefold, where you open the card in the middle. When closed, you see an illustration of us in casual clothes. As soon as you open the card, you see us in wedding attire in the exact same spot. On the left side, there’s space for a daily schedule (which guests often find very helpful) and on the right, space for all other info like the dress code, the address, etc.

As an illustrator, what I love most is drawing the couple themselves. For our card, I chose a playful, dynamic pose. As if we’re dancing together.

Style-wise, I chose my favorite color, lilac, complemented by fresh, cheerful tones. I also created a logo of our names that appears recognizably throughout, along with icons for the daily schedule.

These elements formed the basis for the rest of the wedding’s visual identity.
The card was sent in a beautiful envelope, so I also designed envelope seals and matching stamps.

Everything completely in the same style.

Save the date design

After that, I worked out the save the date. I deliberately kept this a bit simpler and smaller than the wedding invitation.

I reused the illustration of us in casual clothes to create a clear visual link. On the back, I also gave our family a spot: our daughter, dog, and cats.

A complete brand identity for the wedding

With the wedding invitation and save the date, the foundation was set. Colors, fonts, and illustrations were decided. Time to translate this to the rest of the wedding.

It’s precisely these details that ensure a strong overall look:

• A box for the rings with our names in the same style
• A welcome sign with the illustration from the card
• Name cards for the cake (with ingredients on the back)
• A cake topper with our initials

By visually coordinating everything, you create a sense of calm and recognition.

Thinking of the children too

Since there were children attending, I wanted to design something fun for them too. That’s how the idea for an activity book was born.

This booklet was entirely in black and white, so everything could be colored in. It included things like:

a riddle with personal questions
a maze
tic-tac-toe
coloring pages

Fun detail: the riddle turned out to be huge hit with the adults too and sparked a lot of conversation during the drinks.

Capturing memories with a personalized guestbook

A guestbook was a must, of course, but we wanted something more personal than a standard book.

That’s why I designed a guestbook featuring:

Our illustration on the cover
Blank pages for photos and messages

Next to the guestbook was a photobooth with a Polaroid camera. Guests took photos and got two prints. One to take home as a keepsake and the other for our guestbook.

The photo frame was, of course, also designed in our style. With pens, markers, and stickers, guests could make their page completely their own.

This made the guestbook not only personal but also incredibly fun to look back on later.

A personal thank you

At the end of our fantastic day, we had a small thank-you gift. Our guests could choose between Dennis’s favorite candies or my favorite chocolates.

I designed the packaging myself, fully in line with the rest of the wedding.

Two years of creativity and anticipation

What started as a single illustration and a wedding invitation grew into a major project where I could pour in all my creativity. I truly thought of everything and enjoyed the entire process immensely. Working all that time on something so close to my heart is perhaps the most beautiful thing I’ve ever done!

Have your wedding designed

Is your wedding day approaching and are you looking for a unique wedding invitation, a personal illustration, or even a complete brand identity for your wedding?

I would love to help you with that.

Feel free to contact me! Together, we’ll create something that truly fits you.

Request a quote

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