Pretty as a Picture
I love stunning imagery in all shapes and forms, from doodles and illustrations to fine art. To discover ‘Pretty as a Picture' was to discover a treasure trove of stunning imagery! Ailbhe and Jane, the talented designers behind Pretty as a Picture, specialize in creating unique wedding invitations and custom oil paintings.
I feel very honoured to share the details, and the creative process, behind a stunning couture letterpress stationary suite which they designed for a fabulously chic, cool and eclectic New York wedding. This wedding was so high profile, it was featured in the New York Times and Kate Hudson was one of the guests!
You are cordially invited to discover more about Matt and Elhaam's custom invitations created by the designers at Pretty as a Picture…
They started by finding out Mat and Elhaam's story; their backgrounds, interests and shared passions. Here is what Ailbhe had to say about the couple:
It’s always fun when a bride comes to us with a story and an a idea she needs bringing to life. Mat and Elhaam are both in the music industry. He’s the lead guitarist for the band Your Vegas, and she has a radio show on East Village Radio. Mat is from the UK and Elhaam comes from Georgia, (family from Iran) yet their interests and styles are so in-tune.
The starting point for the designers was to work closely with Elhaam to create an inspiration board including photos of the couple, things they love (their cat-how sweet!) illustrations and themes/aspects/features which they would be incorporating into the wedding.
The Inspiration
- Venetian masks that will be featured at the wedding
- “Besides being a fan of the movie, The labyrinth to us means the journey we all take in life, and Mat and I definitely went through a journey to find each other.”
- The perfect pose for the couple to be depicted.
- Art Deco inspired beautifully beaded Lazaro Wedding dress.
- Magellen the cat, whom Mat and Elhaam rescued from the NY Animal Shelter.
- Elhaam adores this Zeigfeld girls print, it is her source of inspiration for the wedding invitations.
- Mat’s vintage style suit.
- Examples of intricate frames.
Wow, such a beautifully eclectic and decadent mix of ideas. I was floored by the creative idea of incorporating elements from the classic 80's fantasy film The Labyrinth! (Don't you just love that film?!)
The First Draft
Below is the first draft of the invitation, an annotated sketch to help the invitations take shape:
The Dress
Something I found very interesting about Elhaam's approach to her invitations, was that she provided a photograph of her actual wedding dress, this beaded beauty by Lazaro…
…and requested that the girls at ‘Pretty as a Picture' depict it in all it's glory in the invitations. So much for the element of surprise! But good on her for bucking tradition, especially when she had such an intricate, beautiful, unique dress. It certainly deserves to be immortalised forever on the invitations! I asked Jane to tell me more:
It was definitely unusual that Elhaam wanted her dress drawn but this was a HUGE part of her invite design. She absolutely loved her dress and it was very important to her that we got all the details right. She had no problem at all with people knowing what her and Mat's dress would be – in fact she wanted them to be as close to the real thing as possible!
The Process
Alibhe explained the challenges of the design process:
We had to come up with a design that could easily be translated into the beautiful art of letterpress. With this in mind the final artwork had to be made up of clean crisp lines for printing without losing the flowing artistic feel.
Here is how the invitations progressed:
The AMAZING final product!
We custom designed the whole wedding invitation suite to include both of the couples very personal style, and they perfectly reflect Mat and Elhaam as a couple. Vintage, art deco, fantasy and attention to detail!
Amazing right?
I ADORED watching the ideas on the inspiration board turn into beautiful, meaningful wedding stationary which the couple and their guests can have as a keepsake forever.
The Wedding
Referring to the wedding day itself, Jane says:
The guests had a glimpse of the style to come when they received their invitations illustrated by us here at Pretty as a Picture. Art Deco was the style and to top them off there were even Venetian masks designed, which held all the pieces together. This style carried through to the table settings which looked amazing.
Below are a few photos from Mat and Elham's wedding to demonstrate how they incorportated their invitation themes into other aspects of their stunning wedding.
Elhaam rocking that Lazaro dress…
What Labyrinth esque table settings! I think David Bowie would approve, don't you?
The couple go incognito in their fabulous Venetian masks!
Congratulations to Mat and Elhaam, long may they continue to make sweet music together, watch the Labyrinth and cuddle Magellen, the cat!
I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to the creative duo behind Pretty as a Picture for kindly sharing their designs and the fascinating process from draft to final product. If you'd like to find out more about their unique couture letterpress invitations, or their custom oil paintings visit their website: www.prettyasapicture.ie
Elizabeth x
ELHAAM & MAT’S VENDORS
• Gown – Lazaro from Kleinfelds (style LZ3865)
• Suit, Accessories, & Wedding Band – Against Nature
• Groom’s Shoes – Paul Smith
• Engagement Ring & Wedding Band – Doyle & Doyle
• Venue, Food, Cake – Capitale
• Florist – In Bloom
• Wedding Photographer – 4 Eyes Photography
• Videography – TJ Misny
• Venetian Masks – House of Masquerades
• DJ – Cat Hartwell
• Custom Bar – Luxe Event Decor
• China – Classic Party Rentals
• Linens – Wildflower Linen
• Rentals – Ruth Fischl
• Invitations – Custom Illustration by Pretty as a Picture
• Calligraphy – Joanne Day
• Hair – Devachan
• Makeup – Lilly Rivera of Bridal Gal
