My client was worried about how to word her wedding invitations.

Her concerns were twofold - 

💌 how to invite guests to this celebration without using the word “wedding.”This was their second marriage and while they weren’t legally getting married, they still wanted to emphasize the formality and importance of the event and their commitment to each other. 

💌 AND how to focus the language around gratitude & celebration of their guests who had helped them get to this point together. This was meant to be a celebration of not just their love, but also their people!!

We started by focusing on simplicity. Instead of filling the invitation with a bunch of stuffy language “so and so cordially invites you to the marriage of”….we simply put their names, the location and date - using the rest of the page for a playful illustration of couple on their special day. Ultimately, we trusted that their guests would get it, without having to over explain what this event was about. We let the artwork speak for itself.

For the details & RSVP cards, we provided the when’s where’s and why’s - and then we leaned into language that really allowed their love and gratitude to shine. Focusing on the couple’s gratitude for their guests made for a design that felt both like an invitation and a thank you note all at once.

A reminder that when you allow yourself to go outside of the box with language and design, you can create something that is truly one of a kind.

Three Ingredients for one-of-a-kind wedding stationery 💌

So you want unique wedding stationery that tells your love story, and feels like it could only belong to you, your partner, and the beautiful journey you’ve gone on together. But sorting through the sea of inspiration on Pinterest can make it seem impossible to get there - so I am going to break down the three ingredients of truly one-of-a-kind stationery.

💌 Infusing elements from your love story

This is what takes a design from “pretty” to “personal, meaningful and deeply ours.” A portrait of your wedding venue could belong to any couple getting married there; a tower of Espresso martinis might not mean much to you - but illustrations of you and your partner interwoven with those things? Language you use when talking to each other, or from favorite love songs? A color palette that pulls from your favorite places and flowers? An overall design concept that carries threads from your story, things that inspire you, and memories you share? These are the things that take your invites beyond the trendy and towards the heart of the matter - you and your partner.

💌 Pulling original inspiration beyond the realm of weddings

Let’s come back to the sea of inspiration on Pinterest. First of all, I love Pinterest and use it for inspiration all the time - that is not the problem. The problem is pulling inspiration solely from other weddings on Pinterest. This leads to copying, or keeping the creativity of your talented vendors constricted into one specific vision. But you? You’re wildly unique, and you want your invitations to reflect that. So let’s gather inspiration beyond the world of weddings! Think album artwork, restaurant menus, interior design, architecture, fashion, artwork you love - the options are truly endless! The idea is to pull inspiration from things you already love - not reach for something that feels inauthentic - and use it to create something that feels like it already belongs to you.

💌 Working with an actual person - who you actually connect with!

The most important way to tie the first two pieces together? Working with a real, human designer who you have a real, human connection with. Because that person just getting you, is what leads to those intuitive insights and design ideas that go outside of the box and bring your love story together for you. And, it makes the design process that much more enjoyable. Having a compassionate creative on your team who genuinely cares about you and wants to celebrate your story, means they are going to go that much further in bringing it to life in the best way possible. Weddings are, at their core, about relationships, so investing in the relationship with a designer is going to be your best bet in a design that really reflects your relationship.

Ready to dive into the design process? Inquire today to start bringing your one-of-a-kind designs to life!

One thing I won’t stop talking about . .

A love letter to newly engaged couples 💌

is the need for engaged couples to actually ENJOY their engagement while planning their wedding.

Look around - everything is frozen outside and covered in ice, and yet somehow in the wedding industry, we have people pushing all this urgency out into the ether. Messaging like “BOOK NOW or else” and “you NEED to do this” abound, even as we are only a week into the new year. And while I totally respect the need for some of this urgency - timelines are real, vendors should absolutely market their work, and not booking someone soon might mean missing out on their expertise - I also respect my clients’ relationships and engagements.

Because being engaged is not only about planning a wedding. It’s about savoring and celebrating and telling the story of how it happened over and over and over. It’s about slow mornings over coffee, scheming up where the band could go and what you’ll serve and all the different things your day could be. It’s about, before rushing into logistics, giving yourselves the space to dream.

Because from that place, you’ll create a wedding and experience that not only feels like you - rather than just another copy and paste of what you think you’re supposed to do - but you’ll also get to enjoy the journey along the way. And, as a wedding stationery designer working with couples on the little details that come before, and during, and after the day, I think it’s so important to focus on enjoying the journey along the way. Through my art, I want to help you celebrate your story and center your relationship throughout the process - so that you can stay anchored in what this whole thing is all about, anyway.

So, allow yourself to take some time to soak it all in. And, once you have some decisions made that feel good in your bones (think date, venue and guest count that have you giddy with delight), I’d love to chat about bringing your love story to life, creating invitations that reflect who you are and help you hold onto what matters - the whole way through.

For a little bit longer, though, I hope you remember to focus on you 💌

Warmly,

Sage

More Than Just Wedding Stationery

I am an artist and stationery designer working primarily in the wedding industry - but deep down, in my eyes, I work in the business of hearts.

Because what I do is more than just wedding stationery - it’s about holding your hand across one of the most monumental thresholds of your life, and creating artwork out of it that gets you to the other side. What we create together is more than just something we send to your guests - it’s a process that brings you deeper into your story and your journey and your heart, and from that comes art, that you get to carry into this new chapter. A totem pole you can hold onto along the way. Because let’s be honest - choosing between color palettes and illustrations is a lot more life-giving than staring at planning spreadsheets. But truly - I want this process to connect you and your partner to what matters to you, and to what brought you together in the first place. This is something you can lean on throughout the stress of planning, and perhaps also deep into marriage, years down the line, when you need to be reminded of what matters.

I spoke recently with a logo design client about this exact phenomena. She is in the early stages of starting a business, which naturally entails a lot of logistics - applying for certifications, insurances, et cetera. But in the creative world we are diving into together, there is respite and reminder of why she is embarking on this journey in the first place. And the best part? What we create will become a literal representation of that journey, something to buoy her when storms rush through her world. And I am just so grateful to be a part of the process - of holding my clients hearts during a very tender time.

I’m sure you could get beautiful stationery designed on pretty paper by a hundred other people. But when you work with me, it’s not just about a piece of paper. It’s a process, a portal, stepping you into your new life. And I’d love to be the creative companion by your side 💌