I meet a lot of awesome people at shows in the DMV area. This particularly awesome couple asked me to design stationary for their wedding on a fairly short timeframe, but I was absolutely up for the challenge. They shared their interests and ideas with me, and then let me loose to come up with a save the date, invitation, rsvp card, table numbers and thank you cards.
Since they are Maryland people, we incorporated a lot of Maryland things, like Baltimore Orioles, Black-eyed Susans and a custom monogram that echoes the state flag. Tea and beer also made the list of top favorites, so the save the date card became a fun and unusual combination of hops and a teacup.
I started with pencil sketches on paper, as usual, then moved to Procreate to make the final drawings. This was helpful for both making changes and saving time, since we were on a bit of a compressed schedule.
I didn’t think this project could get any better, but it did when the couple asked me to create a custom Ketubah for their ceremony. A Ketubah is a beautiful tradition that captures the promises of marriage in both Hebrew and English within a piece of artwork. It gets signed by the bride and groom, witnesses and officiant during the ceremony, so it plays a central role in the celebration and then becomes a treasured piece of artwork for the couple to display in their home. No pressure! So of course I agreed, and got to design and hand-paint a pair of Baltimore Orioles and entwining Black-eyed Susans and cherry blossoms surrounding the circular shape of text in the center using acrylic paint and ink pens.
