As you browse the internet for wedding planning ideas, you may come across the term “wedding brand” or “branding your wedding”. And while in some cases this may be referring to a literal cattle brand with your initials – that’s not what we’re talking about. 

A wedding brand is similar to a business brand; creating something that would be recognizable as yours even out of context. More than just an aesthetic, these are often built around consistent motifs, whether that’s a crest, font, colors, or specific style of illustration. In the luxury wedding world, we’re starting to see these pop up more as people focus on custom designs.  

So whether you’re an engaged couple looking for ideas or a planner looking to expand into the luxury market, keep reading for everything you need to know on branding your wedding!

The Key to Wedding Branding is Consistency

A clear wedding brand should start well before the wedding day, and be continually reinforced. Simply putting a custom crest in one spot isn’t branding! Remember, the goal is to have someone see a design and know immediately that it’s connected to your wedding. While the visuals don’t need to be repetitive (we love seeing different versions of a single motif) they should be sprinkled throughout your wedding, starting with the stationery you send out before the wedding day. So, where exactly can you incorporate these branding elements? We’ve rounded up a list of some of our favorite ways below. 

Ways to Incorporate Your Wedding Branding

Custom Stationery

Possibly the most important and easy way to incorporate your wedding branding is through custom stationery. Stationery is one of the few tangible items guests receive from your wedding, and it’s also the first preview that they will have of your wedding aesthetic, so it’s important that we introduce them to the brand at this step. You can incorporate illustrations, crests, fonts, and colors that are part of your branding before they even walk in the door. 

Welcome Boxes

Another great way to incorporate your wedding brand is through guest welcome boxes if you have guests coming in from out of town. These small boxes can be filled with anything you’d like – snacks, beverages, travel guides – and can be easily branded via the box itself or any stationery you may include inside. We’ve even seen guests order custom water bottle wraps with their branding on them! 

Signature Scent

A new element we’re starting to see in wedding branding is a signature scent. Whether you and your partner have a preexisting scent that you love, or you opt to create one together, there are so many places that you can incorporate your scene throughout your wedding! From adding a spritz to your invitations to lighting a scented candle at your head table and offering scented lotion in the restrooms – this is a great way to incorporate another sense into your brand experience. 

Signs & Decor

Wedding day decor is crucial to solidifying the wedding brand, but it’s also where things can start to feel too repetitive or overwhelming, so it’s important to be selective about your branding elements. For example, your bar menu can contain illustrations in the same style as your wedding invitations. A custom illustrated menu or signature drink sign can pull your food and drink aesthetic together. The fonts on your table numbers should match those on the seating chart and ceremony program. If you opt for a custom crest, order a custom vinyl for the front of your bar or dance floor! Working with a wedding designer will help make sure that all of these elements feel balanced and provide the aesthetic you’re looking for. 

Wedding Favors

The last way you can incorporate your brand into your wedding day is through wedding favors. We love seeing custom koozies or something edible with a custom design that matches your wedding. Or, if you’re looking for something to really stand out, you can hire a live guest illustrator! Whether the illustrations themselves fit your brand (the same style as your invitations and bar menu) or you add branding elements around the border or on the back of the card, these are favors that your guests won’t soon forget. Plus, they are incredible keepsakes that make the best wedding favors!

Brand Your Wedding with SamiaLynn Illustration & Design

At SamiaLynn Illustration we love working with our couples multiple times throughout their wedding planning process, from Save the Dates to Live Illustrations and everything in between. If you’re planning your wedding and want custom illustrations with consistent style throughout your experience, we’d love to work with you! You can head to our contact page to reach out. 

Wedding Stationery is one of the few tangible items from your big day that couples hold onto. And in our modern world where even photos are rarely printed, these small pieces of your day are something you’ll want to look back on fondly in decades to come. Whether you’re interested in a custom illustration or just trying to sort out what paper goods you need for your big day, this guide will walk you through all the most important stationery pieces for your upcoming wedding!

Pre-Wedding Stationery

A lot of your wedding stationery will be sent before your wedding even happens! Invitations and Thank You cards for your engagement party will be first, followed by Save the Dates (Couples love our Illustrations - It's a great alternative to a photo and is 100% custom to you both as a couple!), Wedding Shower invitations and thank yous, and finally, invitations for your bachelor or bachelorette parties. Additionally, you may want day-of paper goods for each of these events like signs or place cards. These small details really help elevate the design of all of your pre-wedding events. Keep in mind that items like these will add up, so it’s important to budget for these pre-wedding paper goods. 

The Wedding Invitation

Arguably the most important piece of wedding stationery is your wedding invitation suite. This sets the tone for your wedding design and gives guests a glimpse into what is to come. They also include all of the most important information for your guests! Your invitation suite is usually made up of multiple items, including the primary invitation card, details or insert cards, and an RSVP card and envelope, which are all mailed together in a primary envelope. When mailed, these invitations can cost more than a standard letter, so be sure to head to your local post office in person with an invitation so they can weigh them and let you know if they need to be hand-sorted. 

Wedding Day Paper

On your wedding day, there’s a variety of different paper goods that will help communicate with your guests and serve as decor. During the ceremony, you may want a welcome sign, ceremony program, and vow books. For the cocktail hour and reception, you’ll need escort cards or a seating chart, menus, bar signs, and even a guest book! The options are truly endless when it comes to adding little touches of stationery and paper throughout your day. If you are looking for paper that really stands out, check out all of our customized options! And if you have a vision you haven’t found yet, reach out. We love to create custom pieces!

Post-Wedding Stationery

Once your wedding day has come and gone, you’ll need one final – but incredibly important – piece of wedding stationery: Thank You cards! These are the final touchpoint most guests will have with your wedding day and the piece that will tell them just how much you appreciate their attendance. We recommend ordering these when you order your invitations, so you have them ready to go after your big day. That way, once you are home from the Honeymoon, you won’t have to remember to buy them. 

Wedding Stationery By SamiaLynn Illustrations and Design

Here at SamiaLynn Illustrations and Designs, we offer tons of options for custom wedding day paper and stationery. Whether you’re looking for an illustration of you and your partner, your rings, or your wedding venue, we can design the perfect piece of art for your big day. We also love working with full stationery designers for a truly bespoke experience! We can work with your designer to create one-of-a-kind artwork that can be used on all of your stationery products. For more about everything we offer, head over to our contact page to set up a free consultation.