One of our main focuses here at Merimoi Press is designing and illustrating custom wedding stationery. We realize there are so many websites and companies out there to choose from when it comes to wedding invites and the options can sometimes be overwhelming (decision paralysis is real, we know). However, one thing that makes MP stand out from all of our competitors is our unique ability to capture that picture perfect image you already have of your big day in a modern and stylish way. Our custom or semi-custom wedding invitations and announcements are designed to match the wedding venue or wedding destination of your dreams while also including a custom illustrated portrait of you and your significant other. Curious how we do it? Check out our step-by-step guide below featuring the Braendal-Ohlhaver wedding.

Our Design Process

Step 1: Determine The Venue or Destination for Your Wedding

Most of our clients have selected their venue OR at the very least their wedding destination before reaching out to us. Once you've decided on your location (which might be the hardest step), it will be a lot easier for you to start visualizing what your day will look like and what details you'd like to have incorporated into your wedding invites or announcements.

Merimoi Press has a variety of backgrounds and venues to choose from within our Printed and Digital Semi-Custom suites; however, sometimes it's fun to create something fully custom with us, like our bride and groom, Eliza & Jayme. 

Jayme and Eliza are getting married at an incredibly beautiful location in Pennsylvania this fall (pandemic willing) and both had the idea to add a unique feature from their venue–an old flour mill from the 1700s–to the illustration for the wedding invites. They loved how it turned out, and so do we–so much so, we've decided to add it to our 2021 Semi-Custom Wedding collection as the PA Mills Suite.

Step 2: Connect with Us 

Eliza and Jayme found our work on Etsy and reached out to us directly to have a custom design created for their big day. Before getting started we learned a little about what they were looking for and how we could help. The best ways to reach us for inquiries are through our Contact Page on our website or by email at merimoipress@gmail.com.

Step 3: Provide Details about You and Your Day

Once a game plan is determined for the design and illustration, we collect a bit of visual information from you to help our team create the closest match to your wedding location and the couple. 

Typically a few photos are requested of the couple and of the location to be illustrated. 

We also request a script for the main invite and all auxiliary pieces (i.e. details card, rsvp card, etc) before getting started on the design. This can be sent over as a word document or can be embedded directly in a message or email to us. 

Step 4: Sit Back and Wait for the First Round of Design

After all design decisions have been made, information collected, and a deposit secured, the design process begins. A production timeline is provided to the clients to establish a schedule of when to expect updates from our team and when we expect to receive feedback from you. 

Step 5: Provide Feedback

Once the first round of design has been sent to the client, the client usually has several days to review and provide feedback.

Eliza and Jayme were overall happy with the first design, but did have a couple of small notes for our design team. They opted to have their guests RSVP online so wanted a "please RSVP by Sep. 18" added to the bottom of the invite. They also wanted to try a blue header to match closer to the "color scheme" of their wedding. 

After the notes are received by our design time, we get right to work making any requested updates.

Step: 6: Repeat Steps 4 and 5

The client and the design team will go back and forth until the final design is approved and ready for print. Although we want to make sure your design is absolutely perfect, there is a limitation on how many rounds of design are included in the agreed upon cost. Make sure to review our contract so you know how many rounds of design you can expect to receive.

Step 7: Time to Print

Once the design has been approved, the files are prepped for printing. We do recommend having your wedding invites professionally printed by our amazing team. This way you have someone checking every card to make sure it looks absolutely perfect before you send it out to your guests. It also eliminates the process of selecting paper/finding a printer to use. However, we realize professional printing might not always be in the budget which is why Merimoi Press offers Digital Semi-Custom Wedding Suites and Digital Custom Wedding Suites. If you'd prefer to go the self-printing route, our team will send you over a printer PDF matching the specifications of your printer. If you're having us print the invites for you, we'll ship the invites directly to you as soon as they are ready.

Step 8: Mail out Your Invitations or Announcements

The last step is to assemble and mail out your unique and custom wedding invitations! We can make this process even easier for you by printing your guests' addresses and your return address directly on your envelopes. Be sure to check out our envelope printing options, if this is something you'd be interested in. Trust us, you'll thank us for shortening that ever-growing To Do List.

Step 9:  Let the Compliments Keep Rolling In

Your guests are going to love receiving invites that are so unique and personal to you and your special day! Let us know what you think and what your guests think of your unique custom illustrated wedding invitations in the comments below. We can't wait to hear from you!