Wedding Invitation Collage

Finally, yesterday, I made it back into the studio to begin work for the first time this year. After cleaning up and sorting everything I looked around and wondered where to begin when my eyes landed on a wedding invitation.

A young cousin of mine was married last month. His sister, lovingly, hand wrote the invitations and I was a fortunate recipient of one. A number of years ago I began a tradition of making a keepsake collage of the wedding invitations I received as a gift to the bride and groom. If the invitation itself does not dictate the color choices I make in the collage, I try to find out the bride's colors and incorporate them in this memento.

Over the years I have received a number of invitations. Some have been professionally printed while others have been beautifully and simply printed by the bride and groom on their home computers. This was the first time that I had received a handwritten invitation and I was touched by its elegant simplicity.

I truly enjoyed creating this keepsake collage. The front of the note card was a brown and cream paisley design which I used in the piece and to which I added papers in tans and peaches that included pink roses. I know from seeing photos on Facebook that the bride had pink and yellow roses.

In a time when we are all pinching pennies I appreciate the couples who fight against the norm of the $25,000 wedding and, instead, celebrate their big day in a spirit of love and beauty with everyone in the family pitching in. Making this piece felt like the perfect way to kick off the new year as I'm sure this couple feels that their new marriage is the perfect start to their new year.

And Tim and Erin, if you happen to be reading this, I'll get your collage in the mail to you soon.