Hello readers near and far!
My name is Kelsey Loewen. I’m writing to you from Manitoba, Canada. Mikaela asked me if I would do a guest post on her blog while her and Shane are away on their honeymoon! Of course I said I would love to. Now you’re probably wondering, how do I know Mikaela? Not only are we cousins, but over the past year and a half we have worked together on her branding for her photography business. When Mikaela asked me to create her wedding stationery I was so honoured and excited. I knew her wedding would be lovely (it did not disappoint) and I was so happy to be a part of it creatively. Mikaela asked if I would share the design process with you, so here I am!
First I’ll tell you a bit about myself. I live in a small town in rural Manitoba, the prairie province with endless skies, hot summers and bitterly cold winters. I love it here, even in the winter! I’m married to a grain farmer and together we dream of one day living on a farm with lots of animals (well, he might not agree with the animals part but I’m working on it). Apart from loving animals, I also happen to love graphic design. My love for design probably began when colouring with fresh crayons was my favourite pastime. I’ve now replaced those things with my Macbook and Staedtler pens. A part of growing up, I guess!
Like all good design, it always begins with inspiration and brainstorming. First, I asked Mikaela to describe the feel of her wedding to me in several words. Mikaela wanted something elegant and delicate, but also creative and fun. With that in mind, we created an inspiration board that would point us in the right direction.
Photo credit: Martha Stewart, Suthi Piccote, Michele M. Waite
The first piece we started with was a little DIY Save The Date! I did the hand rendering and design, and Mikaela put on the finishing touches as she printed out the designs and glued them onto luggage tags. Mikaela shared this process with you a while back, remember? They were so lovely!
The next couple pieces were part of her wedding invitation set. I designed three individual pieces, all using hand rendered fonts with pretty watercolour touches. Shades of coral, pink and grey were her chosen colours and we made sure to incorporate these into the stationery. If you were at the wedding (or have seen their beautiful wedding photos) you will know that this theme was certainly carried beyond the invitations and into the bridesmaids dresses, the flowers, the groomsmen’s wear, and the beautiful decorations which Mikaela and her family and friends lovingly crafted together.
Thanks to Mikaela for taking these photos of the stationery!
See those pretty ribbons? Mikaela used these throughout her wedding day and it was my intention to introduce that theme in her stationery.
Maps are always fun to create! It was Mikaela’s idea to include the arrows pointing to different destinations. How neat! Each destination holds a special meaning for her and Shane. Of course, we had to include Starbucks on the map :)
The words “Stay With You”, a song sung by John Legend, were the focus for the front of the invitations. And it would eventually be the song that Mikaela would walk down the aisle to. Beautiful.
Mikaela and Shane’s initials were used as their logo for their wedding! It was a neat way to tie everything together – from the invites to the actual wedding day. We made a custom rubber stamp and when the invitations were all printed and shipped off to B.C., Mikaela and Shane added the final touches with the circle cut-out and the stamp using silver metallic ink. Silver cord and twine were used to finish it off, creating a lovely presentation. And there you have it!
Thank you, Mikaela and Shane, for the chance to create something special. It’s my passion to create pieces that mean something, and when marriage and love are the context, they’re all the more wonderful to create.
And to the readers out there, feel free to check out my blog, for samples of past work and to listen to me ramble about design and life :)
Thanks for reading!
Candace says
Beautiful hand rendering and gorgeous watercolours. LOVE the map!
Alyssa Schroeder says
You did a wonderful job Kelsey! I absolutely love the stationery, it’s so sweet :)
Sharon says
Great post, Kels! You have a way with words.
Sonja says
Wow, you do gorgeous work. I love your style!
sherri says
This wedding stationery is gorgeous! I love the theme and the watercolor look to it. Great job!
LeolaK says
Great post…beautiful work!
Carlee says
Your designs are so gorgeous and Fun!! Love the map!!
Vanessa says
Where in Manitoba are you from, Kelsey? My husband is from out there, his parents are on a farm just outside of Winnipeg, in Marquette. My maiden name is Loewen as well, but I’m from here! Love what you created for Mikaela and Shane!