When to inquire

Looking online, there are a lot of options for wedding invitations. But for a lot of couples, there isn’t one already designed that perfectly matches their vision or tells their love story. It’s the personalized details that make your invitations truly one of a kind. This is where a custom wedding invitation designer comes in! If you’re looking for invitations that are truly unique and set the tone for your wedding, you’re in the right place!

When you work with me, everything is created for YOU from scratch in a process that takes an average of 3 months from initial sketch to final delivery. I put a lot of time into each invitation suite and therefore accept a limited number of wedding invitation clients per year in order to provide the best possible custom artwork and experience. Some planning ahead is definitely advised if you’d like to work together! I would recommend inquiring about wedding invitations at least 6-8 months before your wedding, but the sooner, the better. By booking early, you will guarantee your spot in my schedule and lock in the current pricing for your wedding invitations.

Invitations are typically mailed out 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding in order to give guests time to RSVP and you to give your final guest count and meal selections to your wedding vendors. I’m definitely one to consider traditions, but I also recognize that it’s your wedding! When we work together, we’ll create a timeline that works perfectly for you!

For save the dates, inquiring at least 8-12 months prior to your wedding is suggested. If you’re thinking of including a photo on your cards, a lot of couples will reach out after they receive their engagement photos. Save the Dates are typically sent 6-8 months before your wedding, but this timeline can vary based on a number of factors. I’ll work with you to come up with the perfect timing for your circumstances! 

When you inquire with me, you’ll receive a link to my schedule to book a call to chat about your custom designs. I’ll learn all about your love story and vision for your wedding, we’ll brainstorm together, and I’ll answer any burning questions you have before deciding to move forward.

Featured Wedding

Let’s talk about a real life example of a custom timeline as I walk you through the timing and process of designing this couple’s dream wedding invitations! They had a few unique situations that came up along the way that we were able to create solutions for together (more on this later!). Hélène and Mike inquired about invitation designs shortly after their engagement. With their wedding originally scheduled for August of 2020, we started working on designs for their Save the Dates in September of 2019 and Invitations in February of 2020. This gave us plenty of time to brainstorm, for me to create artwork and print the invitations, and then ship everything overseas in order to be mailed to their guests in time. I’m always sure to account for shipping times when creating timelines. This couple was so much fun to work with! They had a unique story and were looking for custom invitations to tell it. With the bride from France and the groom from the Netherlands, this couple wanted to highlight their unique backgrounds as well as their stunning wedding venue (a castle!!!).

The idea behind the designs

One of the benefits of hiring an invitation designer who is also an artist, is that we can create artwork that perfectly matches your vision! This all starts with learning all about your special day and unique love story. I’ll create sketches and get to know your preferences for wording, design and imagery that you’d like to include. During the initial sketching phase of the designs, this couple hand picked buildings that were meaningful to them and we created a layout with with one side representing France and the other side representing the Netherlands with the castle venue in the middle, representing where their lives were officially joined.

From there, we finalized the wording and I created final illustrations of each building and element. Keeping in mind their wedding colors, we found the perfect light pink paper and matching maroon envelopes. They loved a simple line work illustration style along with letterpress printing, which pair together perfectly! Letterpress printing allows line drawings to shine, adding a slight impression and luxury feel to the paper.

Unique & Unexpected Situations

Both unique and unexpected situations can benefit from having a custom invitation designer. Let’s start with the unique - I’m all for it!!! These may be situations you don’t even consider until you start looking for wedding invitations and you can’t quite find something that fits. Or you need advice on how to handle a specific circumstance - when you hire me for custom wedding invitation designs, we’ll figure it out together! A great example of this is creating bilingual wedding invitations. These invites had both English and French on each piece so all guests could easily read and RSVP!

Now for the unexpected… sometimes, you plan and plan - every detail is perfect and every guest accounted for. And yet, something unexpected happens. This couple was one of my 2020 couples. They ended up rescheduling their wedding twice and we got a little creative in keeping their guests up to date. Together, we created a digital change the date card. Not only did it match their original wedding invitations, but with a same-day turnaround, this digital graphic allowed them to quickly and easily communicate via text and on their wedding website.

When you hire me for custom wedding invitations, I’m always sure to leave a little extra time in my schedule in case anything comes up last minute. Most of the time, it doesn’t. But in the off chance that you have a last minute change, you can rest easy knowing that you have a designer on your side who will help you come up with the best possible solution for your unique situation.

I always recommend focusing on love and on what brings you joy throughout the wedding planning process and hiring vendors that you trust to assist. This couple stayed flexible, focusing on the health of their friends and family and had the most beautiful wedding day.

How will you tell your love story?

Do you have a unique idea for your wedding invitations? Is there something you’ve always wanted to include or that would be special to you as a couple? I can’t wait to hear all about it!

Join the waitlist today and I’ll be in touch!

Wedding Venue: Castle Wijenburg | Photographer: Florian van Roekel

Creativity Awaits

In the spirit of creativity, I’m excited to showcase more behind the scenes of my design process! From sketching to layout, font and materials selection, to the final paintings, artwork, prints and assembly, it is so fun to see wedding invitations come together. Are you interested in following along on the design process of your own wedding invitations? My custom design process is unique in that you’ll be able to see your vision come to life and have the opportunity to review sketches, color palettes and materials. Custom wedding invitations are truly that - custom. We’ll design your invitations from the ground up, focusing on all the details that are important to you!

What you can expect:

A fun, stress-free design process. With years of industry experience, a background in illustration, and a keen eye for detail, not only can you expect creative and personalized artwork, I’ll also guide you through the process and take the guesswork out of designing and mailing your invitations.

Working directly with a designer. One benefit of working with Bjork Design Co. is that I work directly with all of my clients from initial consultation to final designs. I’ll learn all about your love story, vision for your wedding day and translate that into beautiful and memorable invitations.

My full attention. I accept a limited number of fully custom wedding invitation clients per year in order to give my full attention and creativity to each project! The turnaround time for custom may take a little longer, but it’s well worth the wait! Prior to booking, we’ll create a timeline that fits perfectly with my design schedule and your wedding timeline. For this reason, it’s encouraged to inquire early in order to secure your date!

What’s included?

My standard wedding invitation suites include the following with pricing starting at $4,000 for 100 invitations. This is a great starting point for thinking about how you’d like to invite and impress your guests!

• Invitation

• RSVP Card & Envelope

• Additional Insert for Wedding Day Details

• Inner Envelope with Envelope Liner

• Outer Envelope with Addressing

• Custom Wax Seal

• Thank You Card with Envelope

Custom, CREATIVE & STRESS-FREE

My standard package includes envelope liners and custom wax seals, 2 unique elements that will really set your invitations apart. During the design process, I’ll take the time to learn about your love story and vision for your wedding and create custom personalized artwork!

The envelope liner is the perfect place to impress - it’s one of the first things guests will see when opening your invitations and is the perfect place to include artwork that sets the tone for your wedding! The wax seal will be in a color that matches your invitations and envelopes and will have a custom embossed element on it! This is a great place for a custom monogram or little detail that ties everything together.

Need something slightly different than what’s included in the standard package? I’ve got you! After submitting your application, we’ll have a chance to chat about your wedding vision, guest count, preferences and all the other details. Based on our discussions, if the standard package isn’t a perfect fit, I’ll create a custom special offer just for you!

I always like to bring a sense of personal connection to my designs, whether for wedding stationery or custom artwork. I find inspiration in so many places - stories, emotions, memories and the beauty that exists in the world.

Sunflowers & Memories

This expressive sunflower painting was inspired by the multi-colored sunflowers in our fall garden. Sunflowers always bring a smile to my face and remind me of joyful memories picking flowers with my grandmother in northern Michigan. To me, sunflowers carry a sense of warmth that accompanies fall - pumpkin spice, warm apple pies, and curling up with a cup of coffee. 

Comfort during uncertain times

I started this sunflower painting last October during an uncertain time with my health. After finishing breast cancer treatments earlier in the year, I knew something else was off with my health. Throughout the past couple years, I have really gotten to know my body and to listen when something doesn’t feel right. In this moment, I was looking for a sense of comfort and a reminder that everything will be okay. Spending time with friends, family and being creative helped to bring a sense of peace during this time. In early December, during an ER visit, I finally received a diagnosis and things began to turn around.

Painting has the ability to bring a sense of calm and allows me to focus and get lost in my work. While sunflowers are typically blooming in the late summer and early fall, my hope was to create a painting that brings this sense of warmth and comfort year-round.

The creative process

Starting with a watercolor underpainting, this painting organically developed with layers of expressive watercolor and gouache paints. My process tends to vary slightly from painting to painting, but always starts with an idea that turns into a sketch and develops from there. With paintings like this and especially with my abstract paintings, it tends to be a lot about intuition. The painting evolves as I go and comes to life.

With the artwork I create for wedding invitations, the process starts the same with finding inspiration and learning about the couple and their vision for the wedding in order to create something unique and personal, just for them! This process involves more planning and a refined sketch. This gives the opportunity for couples to envision what the painting will look like when it comes to life and give feedback before the final artwork is created. It really is a collaborative process, as I want to make sure the final artwork is something that represents you as a couple and will be treasured for years to come, even beyond the day of your wedding.

The Final Artwork

After the painting is completed, it is scanned in and digitized to easily be added to the desired layout. Whether for wedding invitations or stationery designs, the artwork is further refined and formatted for print. This sunflower painting was printed on a full sized journal, mini journal, notecards and coasters. One of my favorite parts of the process is getting the final prints and products back from the printer. I love seeing my artwork come to life!

After printing, the journals and stationery are listed in my online shop. For custom stationery, like wedding invitations, each piece is quality checked, assembled and packaged to ship, along with mailing instruction, a keepsake invitation suite, photographer’s sample and a special surprise.

Are you looking for custom wedding invitations or artwork? I’d love to chat about your vision and create something unique just for you!