What is a venue illustration and how does it fit in my wedding invitations?

What is a venue illustration and how does it fit in my wedding invitations?

You’ve seen them all over Pinterest, a delicate hand-drawn church, a moss-draped estate sitting at the top of a wedding invitation or displayed on a liner at the opening of an envelope. It captures your eye and you save it and wonder: what exactly is a venue illustration and how does it fit into my wedding invitations?

What is a venue illustration?

It’s exactly what it sounds like, it’s a portrait of your wedding location. This could be a church, hotel, your home, really any location you deem special enough to capture on paper. We create these illustrations by hand, either with ink or watercolor, digitize the art and then it is pressed or printed directly onto your wedding invitation suite.

Why brides are wanting this detail?

An invitation tells your guests where to be. A venue illustration sets the scene and tells the story of your wedding day. When brides choose this detail, I love not only the story telling aspect of it but how far it travels. From her save the date to her invitation suite. On to the wedding day itself. It can be printed on matchbooks to programs. One illustration threaded throughout.

How it works at Lolli P?

There are two ways to get a venue illustration through us.

The first one is from our growing library. A collection of hand-drawn landmarks we’ve illustrated. From Savannah to Charleston and Palmetto Bluff to locations beyond the Lowcountry. If your venue lives in our library it’s yours to use when you design with us.

The second is fully custom, built around your venue, your colors, your day. We look at photos to capture the right perspective discuss layout. If you choose watercolors the palette can match to your wedding day colors or become their own moment entirely. The choice is up to you.

Can AI create my venue illustration and can you use it?

Yes it can create an image and with some conditions. We can use your AI-created image for flat printing. We are unable to use AI-created images for letterpress as it will not convert into plates. If letterpress is what your are after, there are lots of hand illustrated options at a range of price points.

What venues have we illustrated?

We have illustrated many places over the years. Sacred Heart Catholic Church and The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, the May River Chapel and the Montage at Palmetto Bluff and historic landmarks like the Pineapple fountain and the Lowndes Grove estate in Charleston.

One of our most recent illustrations was for a wedding in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. A striking pink neo-Gothic church. Hand illustrating all the little details of the spires and arches to be pressed as the centerpiece of their invitation, a suite we won't soon forget.

Is a venue illustration for your suite?

If you are here and you have been drawn to venue illustrations I would say yes. Your instinct is telling you something. The question isn’t whether you should include one. It’s which venue deserves to be illustrated and how will it live within your suite, whether it is a main focal point on your wedding invitation, a small detail on one of your insert cards or one of many locations on a map. That’s a conversation we would love to have.

Start to exploring at lollipopletterpress.com or feel free to reach out at hello@lollipopletterpress.com.