Wedding invitation - Love Along the River

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BRIEFING

Catarina and Gonçalo, a Northern Portuguese couple with a penchant for classic design with a unique twist, wanted a wedding invitation that echoed the local significance of their love story. As avid wine lovers, the breathtaking Douro River landscape emerged as a central theme, symbolizing their shared passion.

We were thrilled to begin crafting a digital Save the Date (to be sent via WhatsApp) for their wedding at Quinta da Velha in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the Douro region and the vineyard trails of Carrazeda de Ansiães, where the proposal unfolded, our design aimed to capture the essence of their romance.

During our meeting, we chose the river as a visual concept to symbolize the union and gathering of all the tributaries (friends and family) in the celebration of their marriage.

IDEA

Based on the references discussed with the couple, our idea stemmed from drawing inspiration from Art Deco and the aesthetics of vintage wine labels that typically depict terraced vineyards. However, while that landscape held personal significance for them, it could have belonged to any couple. We wonder how could we create a unique graphical analogy...

In popular culture, there are many love stories associated with rivers and their banks, and the contours of the landscape sometimes resemble human silhouettes. This inspired us to merge the profile faces of Catarina and Gonçalo with nature, intending for this subtle visual playfulness to be noticed in the background.

As for the wedding invitation, we wanted to keep the same essence, but slightly different, see how...

Catarina and Gonçalo are quite different, but they share common passions such as the the nature trails they enjoy exploring. While Catarina works in a hospital pharmacy and Gonçalo in consulting, creativity is present in all areas when it comes to problem-solving, although not visually apparent in their daily lives. Most people feel they lack the so-called artistic talent. However, creativity runs in our veins, as evidenced by how all children, without judgment, love expressing themselves through drawing and painting.

What happens next?

We allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by life's hustle and bustle and stop practicing this innate human ability. And this couple is no exception. If they were excited to see how their faces and their story inspired us, we wanted to convey the same emotion by involving them a little more....

How to involve the couple in the process and make the wedding invitation even more personal?

By inviting them to a unique day where they bring color to their postcards in a watercolor workshop.

The result?

There was not a single identical invitation, a sense of ownership and pride, and to be realistic, some fatigue in the end, but nothing that couldn't be compensated with a few glasses of wine to relax after the painting afternoon.

Fun fact:

The initial idea was actually to try painting with red wine, but we were concerned about the lingering smell and the need for extensive drying time before sending out the invitations. Unfortunately, time was not on our side. Therefore, we decided that watercolors in tones of green were the perfect choice instead.

To complement the displayed pieces at the wedding, such as the table indicators, we retained the same concept. Each table was named after a tributary, and we designed an illustrated map featuring the name list of the guests.

"From the very first day, our goal in organizing our wedding was to create an experience that would be lived intensely as a couple, shared with friends and family (knowing that the wedding day would pass by in a flash!). We began with the invitations. We wanted to personally hand them to our guests and, moreover, sought something unique that would capture our story. In a brief meeting, Bavaroise quickly understood what we were looking for. The proposed design featured real landscapes that brought back fond memories, and our profiles were sketched to make the invitations truly one-of-a-kind. They also suggested that we paint them by hand in a sort of painting workshop! (...)

The rest of the design for our wedding maintained the same theme, which, although it might initially seem ordinary (wine, river, nature...), was personalized to reflect our identity with Maria Carlos and Maria Miguel. It was a pleasure working with this team. They were always available, promptly addressed all our questions, met all deadlines, and provided support in the printing of materials.
We couldn't have made a better choice!"

Catarina & Gonçalo - Gaia, Portugal