Guest Post: Princess Lasertron, on Branding your Wedding on the Cheap.
Megan at Princess Lasertron is one of my absolute favorite people these days. She dishes out so much creativity, inspiration, business savvy and fun on her site, I am always learning something new and coveting her style. Please give her a warm welcome today, as the felt flower goddess she is! -D.
Hello, broke-ass readers! My name is Princess Lasertron and I am a bridal designer and blogger over at PrincessLasertron.com as well as WeddingBee.com. I have been designing diy projects and creating bouquets and accessories for brides with all kinds of budget wedding budgets since 2005.
I was so excited when the Broke-Ass Bride contacted me and invited me to make a guest post and I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about something that’s been turning over in my mind for a few months–branding your wedding on the cheap.
I write a lot about business and marketing as well as wedding and bridal topics and I believe that business principles of branding and identity creation through signature colors, logos, and designs can be easily applied to your big day! It’s the ultimate opportunity to define you and your intended’s style and leave your guests with a huge wow factor.
1. Colors
It’s common to choose a suite of appealing colors to be used on everything from your save-the-dates and invitations, to tablecloths, napkins, bridesmaid’s dresses, and everything in between. But I believe that holding yourself to such rigid guidelines can end up being more stress than it’s worth. (“THE RIBBON ON THE RING BEARER PILLOW IS THE WRONG PANTONE SHADE OF LIGHT GREEN! MY DAY IS RUINED!”)
Relax your expectations a little bit–not everything has to match. Here are some of my favorite photos from weddings I have worked with where I feel color is used in a really memorable, unique way.
Tons of people are available for hire to help us with our weddings–caterers, djs, photographers, florists–and if you are looking for a swanky logo for your big day, you may be interested in a graphic designer as well. Many colleges and design schools have young students who would love the opportunity to cut you a deal and build his/her portfolio by creating a wedding logo for you. Spending an afternoon in Photoshop may yield equally satisfactory results if you have an idea of what you are looking for.
Start by choosing a typeface to use on all of your wedding correspondence and printed material. Fontsquirrel and DaFont are awesome resources for free typefaces that will inspire you to put your best brand forward. Take a look at this design suite created by graphic designer Mark Bult for his wedding.
3. Packaging
Many caterers are happy to package the food they prepare for you, by prepping food in boxes (my favorite source is PaperMart.com). Event designer Jordan Ferney recently made a post sharing her purple and white packaging design for a wedding picnic. Here are some of the photos:
In her post, Jordan explains how printing inexpensive labels at home can pack a huge punch and continue a cohesive look throughout your wedding!
Brands evoke cherished emotions–when you remember them, you relive positive experiences. In that sense, branding principles can be applied to almost anything–your summer vacation, your cubicle, your relationship. When people think “Jenny and Steven,” they already think of you in terms of qualities that you could liken to your own custom brand: football parties, your photobooth strip collection, your talent for karaoke.
It can be fun to visualize your wedding in terms of a brand, and pay extra attention to those little, easy-to-create details like creative use of color and packaging to create the ultimate relationship brand.
Love this! I'm a marketer and bride-to-be so I've been branding my wedding all along, despite the girl-you-crazy looks from a few people when I talk about our wedding brand.
Totally agree that it packs a punch and is actually much easier than making a million tiny decisions – build a brand and go with what fits!
This is FANTASTIC info! Thanks so much! (I looooove the striped potato chip packaging! wowsa!:)
C
Zomg! I'm in love with the logo info!! Fab!! Thanks!
I LOVE photographing colorful weddings! The days of plain weddings are dead and gone
Great post!
I love the whole thing….GREAT post!
For me, Filipina brides are the best brides in the world. That's why i love them!
I love the logo idea! thanks!
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You should make a video about all of this and post it everywhere. Add music and special effects and bring out its true essence.
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