A Gorgeous Wedding: Crests, Cards, and Live Paintings

Since Christmas, I’ve been hard at work on a wedding that I can finally share. And I’m here to share it all!! From a couture wedding crest to custom playing cards, to invitations and welcome box ~swag~, to a live reception painting, we did it big! This wedding was lovely in every way.

From the start, I knew this bride was classic and traditional: she loves fine papers and finishes, simplicity, and has a fun, but sophisticated style. She knows what she loves, and I love that! Since she lives out of town, her mother and I did most of the in-person legwork. (And, her mother happens to be my mentor and close friend, so that was fun!) The bride’s colors were a crisp blush and white, with touches of emerald green.

First, we worked on a custom wedding crest with two letters. I decided to do two versions: one in full color, and one in black and white. I knew they planned on having the invitations engraved, so a two-color version would streamline that process, but the full-color crest looked amazing on so many other things. After a few sketches, we ended up with this:

I still love it so much! After the crest was finished, ByFarr took over to create some incredible save the dates. The vellum overlay, large square format, and blush letterpress was stunning. A friend of the bride’s family did the invitation suites- simple, black and white, and hand written and engraved. They were stamped with a pearlescent wax seal, and wrapped in tissue paper.

Some friends of the family threw a welcome party after the rehearsal, and you guessed it— I did that invite, too! We opted to use a euro envelope with a handpainted lattice liner (you’ll see that lattice again soon!) and a cotton paper with emerald writing for the invite. At the top, we echoed the invitations and save the dates, and added the crest. This little canvas and easel made an appearance, and I think it is so cute.

Next, we turned our attention to the welcome boxes… and I put together a custom deck of wedding cards! On the backs, I used a lattice in the colors of the wedding, included the crest, and then we chose four important locations for the couple for the suits. Those spots were: the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia (where the couple got married), the bronze duck statues of Boston (where the bride went to Tufts for dental school), Tillman Hall at Clemson (the bride and groom both graduated from Clemson and are big fans), and the Duke Chapel (the groom is head medical resident at Duke).

Can you spot the tiny bride and groom on the steps of the church?!

After the cards were finished, we started on the other welcome materials. There were labels for water bottles, little white baggies of hershey kisses with a small monogram sticker on the front, and beautiful tags for the top of the boxes. In addition, we made a map of Columbia with a welcome message, itinerary, and recommendations for the area:

This map was my biggest challenge. I had never done anything like it! But after much trial and error, I was really pleased with how it turned out. The map was trifold, and included the same beautiful colors as the rest of the items from the wedding mood board. Pretzels and cracker jacks, plus a local magazine wrapped up the welcome box. I was reminded how much a love Cracker Jacks, too.

Finally, the wedding arrived!

If you’re an Earth, Wind, and Fire fan, you know that the 21st night of September is iconic. That was the wedding date- September 21st! Here I am with the background I’d been putting together all afternoon, and behind me are the stunning florals by Cricket Newman. Hydrangeas, Lilly of the Valley, garden roses, and gorgeous greenery were dripping from every surface. And that cake? It was DELICIOUS. I know I’m always interested in what food is served at weddings, so here is the menu: crab cakes and remoulade, mini tomato pie pastries, cocktail shrimp, fried okra, miniature tomato and cucumber finger sandwich rounds, and chicken tenders with all sorts of gourmet sauces. (And you know I love a sauce! I got to sample the okra and the shrimp and I can attest that they were great.) Then for “main” courses, they served shrimp and grits, beef tenderloin, and tacos. Toward the end of the night, a crepe station was set up- you could choose Nutella and fresh fruit or bananas foster! As a goodbye gift, people were given a warm chocolate chip cookie (in a branded baggie, of course) and a Clemson National Championship Coke. (Note: both families are HUGE Clemson fans. Personally, I’m a Gamecock. But I loved the small Clemson details around every corner!) Another sweet Clemson touch- the signature drink was a “Clemson Goodnight” punch. I’ll post the ingredients below.

For the painting, I was super excited to have permission to do almost anything. This bride decorates her home with a great mix of neutrals and bright colors, just like so many of my favorite people! I knew I wanted to highlight the florals and the couple doing their first dance, and I thought the pianist during the cocktail hour was a beautiful touch. The bride’s dress was custom and stunning, as were her classic up-do and simple drop earrings. The tiger had been at the welcome party the night before, so I added him into the painting, too! Very faintly, I added a 2-1 to the tiger’s jersey as a nod to the i-con-ic wedding date. Other notable details: the mother of the bride’s beautiful custom dress, Forest Lake Country Club’s new herringbone flooring, textured table linens, and my favorite part, the crystal chandelier.

Look for the final on Instagram soon!

This wedding brought back so many memories- the fun of planning a wedding, the stress of planning a wedding, and the satisfaction of seeing it all come together. I’ve learned so much in the last two years about art, stationery, design. I was thinking back to how in the dark I was when I put together my own save the date postcard in 2016, and honestly I’m shocked at how I managed that and how in love with it I still am! There is a huge pride that comes from working in-depth with the branding and art direction of a wedding, and having a hand in the little things that go a long way in making a wedding perfect. Plus, with a wedding this beautiful, I was honored to play such a big role! If you’re interested in one or all of these services, feel free to contact me.

From here, I’ve got one more wedding on the books for 2019, then we’re on to 2020! I can’t wait to see them all!

Quick Info:

Flowers \ Cricket Newman Designs \\ Venue \ Forest Lake Country Club \\ Church \ First Presbyterian Church, Columbia \\ Save the Dates \ ByFarr \\

Playing Cards, Crest, and Live Painting \ Megan Carn