Art deco wedding – but no flappers please!

Sometimes a wedding venue will dictate the overall theme of the event, and sometimes, it’s just a place to party! Such was the case for Larisa and Andrej, who had their wedding reception at Toronto’s historic Palais Royale – a gorgeous art deco era ballroom situated right on beautiful Lake Ontario.

I was delighted when Larisa asked me to design her October wedding invitations, way back in April. Little did she know, at that time, I was already in cahoots with her sister for her Bridal Shower invitations, so I was doubly honoured that they both trusted my creativity for their celebrations.

The design brief: “I want something simple and elegant. No layers or ribbons or blingee thingees, and just a hint of art deco. Just because I’m getting married in an art deco venue doesn’t mean I want people to show up dressed like flappers!” (and she thought she didn’t give me anything to go on). So… elegant, classic, incorporate some art deco elements, make it navy blue and ivory and do it in two languages. Done!

A vintage font coupled with a geometric circle pattern added just enough 1920s flavour to the invitation without making it too Great Gatsby. Printed on shimmery ivory for some added glamour, coupled with a navy blue backer, this invitation captured Larisa and Andrej’s vision to a tee.

Instead of doing a folio, I created a pocket on the back for RSVP card and Map, and coordinated these pieces using the same circular pattern down the side.

Navy envelopes were the natural choice to complement this glamorous package but the dark paper posed a challenge for postal processing. Hmmm… problem? More like a design opportunity! By incorporating the geometric circles onto an elongated label, I was able to wrap the design right around the envelopes and still give Larisa and Andrej the navy envelopes that they so wanted! Naturally, the same effect was used for the RSVP envelopes too.

For the ceremony, a bi-fold card on ivory shimmer cardstock explained the rich and sacred elements of a traditional ukrainian wedding. At the reception, coordinating place cards, menu cards and table numbers tied the whole package together. I even surprised Larisa and Andrej with place cards for a few choice celebrities who, unfortunately, were no-shows. And no flappers showed up, either – success!