Gatsby Event Branding

Grace and Johnathan each spent 4 years at SMU, but managed to never once actually meet. After Grace’s last semester she traveled abroad to study architecture in Helsinki. She immediately fell in love with the culture and history of Finland, frequenting local cafes and boutiques. On a summer afternoon in her favorite café, Grace noticed an American accent at the counter that belonged to a handsome SMU alum. Johnathan’s graduation backpacking trip to Europe proved fruitful indeed, as he came home with the woman he was going to marry! Grace and Johnathan fell in love first with Helsinki, and then with each other. Once back stateside, the two were eager to celebrate their wedding by recalling the sweet summer they spent in Helsinki.

For this wedding, we wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a Helsinki summer – full of beautiful architectural details, wildflowers and a combination of typefaces on hand-painted boutique signs. Special details like custom tea tags share some of the couple’s favorite things with their guests.

*This post is a case study of a fictional couple we created to showcase our design.

Inspiration Board photo credits: Yellow Bike via Poppytalk; Bradley & Jordyn by Simply Bloom; Sign in Rauma, Finland by Manuele Zunelli; Windows in Rauma by Pacoalfonso; Yellow bouquet by Cameron Ingalls Inc.

Frank & Simone both agree, there’s nothing like talking about a movie over a good piece of pie. The old Orpheum Theater in San Antonio, plays the classics on Sunday nights and Ruby’s, the diner across the street, joins in with a two for one pie special. This is the beginning of Frank and Simone, which started at the end of Casablanca. Frank met Simone in their art of film lecture class and invited her for a slice of memory and chocolate meringue after talking about their love of noir films one evening after class. They learned that black and white were the only colors the other wanted to see the world in and that fedoras and red lipstick should be required for an evening out. Now they invite you to celebrate their future through their love of the past.

The invitation features silver and black foil stamping to reflect the essence of classic glamour while creating the proper mood through a gritty, toothed paper that brings the texture of the silver screen to life. The R.S.V.P. cards are meant to be marked with a thumbprint using an enclosed stamp pad and the thank you notes are individually typewritten, harkening back to a more mysterious and glamorous time.

Websites are quickly becoming a part of the wedding experience. This site features Frank & Simone’s story, photos, and details about the ceremony and wedding party.

*This post is a case study of a fictional couple we created to showcase our design.

Inspiration Board photo credits: Lucy and Alex by Angela Anderson Photography; Typewriter from Stock.Xchng; Leo from Dill Pixel’s photostream. Website portraits from Oksana S’s photostream and Libby March’s photostream.

Meredith and Sam weren’t always the wine connoisseurs they are today. It was only when Sam’s brother gave him a couple’s gift certificate to a local wine appreciation class for Christmas that the two were exposed and ultimately charmed by the vine. During that class they found that wine is one of the most beautiful metaphors for love and life we have in our culture. The roots of old vines can reach up to 30 feet or more into the ground in their struggle to find water, but in this struggle the fruit on the vine becomes sweeter and fuller, creating a complex and sophisticated wine. Over the next year Meredith and Sam traveled to vineyards across the US, and now they would like to invite you along with them as they celebrate the sacrament of marriage. With the ceremony being held at one of Texas’s most beautiful vineyards, and wine blended by the on site winery, we invite you to celebrate the beauty, complexity and depth of marriage.

A combination of modern diagonal lines and ornate florals create a balance of masculine and feminine in this suite and creates a visual metaphor of the elements that go into making a complex and sophisticated wine (and marriage).  A family of traditional and modern typefaces also contribute to the concept of combining a variety of elements to create something new.

*This post is a case study of a fictional couple we created to showcase our design.

Inspiration Board photo credits: Kristen and Chris by Lemon Lime Photography; Rings by Lemon Lime Photography; Outdoor reception by Tinywater Photography; Bouquet by Planit; French poster from Crystian Cruz’s photostream