Custom Wedding Invitations and Stationery

Stationery Blog

Professional tips on wedding stationery, paper, printing, and design.

New Service! Custom Venue Illustrations + New Orleans Wedding Venue Sketches

Race and Religious New Orleans Wedding Venue Illustration on envelope liner with pink boho wedding invitaiton.

We are excited to introduce our latest service–custom pastel venue illustrations! Our goal with this new service is to create beautiful works of art that celebrate and remember that special place where our couples say, "I do!" 

And we plan to celebrate with color. LOTS of color. While most full-color venue illustrations are painted in watercolor, we use pastels, our signature art style. Pastels are soft, chalky sticks and pencils that deliver bold and colorful drawings. The results often have a more realistic effect than watercolor while still retaining the romance of a painting.

There are so many ways to use a venue illustration in your wedding, so we've created several ways you can take advantage of our services. Let’s dive into our options!

Elms Mansion New Orleans Wedding Venue Illustration displayed on desk with pastels

Option 1: Commission a Custom Wedding Venue Illustration

So, does it matter where you're getting married? Not at all! We’ll illustrate any venue you bring to us. We need pictures to work from, which we’re happy help you find. Many popular venues have pictures online, and you can also ask your venue for photos if online pictures are scarce. (And to be clear, we usually draw inspiration from several photos so that there’s no issue with copyrights.)

Most couples prefer to use the artwork on their wedding invitations, which we encourage all of our clients to do! Custom illustrations can be added to any custom-made or semi-custom wedding invitation order. And as a special bonus, the original artwork will be signed, matted, and delivered along with your invitations. This gives you a special piece of artwork to hang in your home for years to come! Drawings will range between 8" x 10" to 9" x 12".

Alternatively, we also offer the option of a digital download with a limited-ues license. In this case, the original drawing is not included, but you may reproduce the illustration on any item for your wedding.

Process:

  • Once a down payment is made, we'll send you a preliminary proof that includes inspiration photos and a mockup of how the illustration will fit with your invitations. This gives you an idea of what to expect and ensures that we capture the angle of your venue that you love the most.

  • After you approve the preliminary proof, we’ll begin work on the illustration! The drawing process typically takes 2-3 weeks, which is in addition to the wedding invitation design time. Make sure you allow at least 8-10 weeks for both a custom illustration and a custom-made wedding invitation.

  • Of course, we’ll share the finished drawing with you before moving onto your wedding invitation design!

 Want a custom illustration of your wedding venue?

 
Felicity Church New Orleans wedding venue illustration on envelope liner with magnolia save the date

Option 2: Use a ready-made drawing of a New Orleans wedding venue

Because a commissioned painting isn’t for everyone, we’re also introducing a small gallery of completed drawings that you can use for your wedding invitations. This gallery will feature wedding venues in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, and we plan to add to it over time. Check out the first three included with the launch below!

Like with the custom drawings, you can add the illustration to a custom-made or semi-custom invitation order or purchase a limited-use license to a digital download. The former option also includes a matted print copy delivered with your invitations.

 And of course, if you’d just like a print copy, let us know! We’d be happy to mail you an art print for your home.

After six months in the making, we’re beyond happy to offer this new service to you! Have a question or a suggestion for a new addition to our gallery? Reach out to us!