When Goldie and I started planning our wedding, we knew it was going to be casual and intimate, in a rustic, outdoor setting, with a ton of DIY. And knowing that invitations are the first thing people see, we wanted ours to set the tone for the evening. We scoured the market before stumbling upon an artist on Etsy named Pinar, of CuriousMe Designs, based in the U.K.. We were instantly smitten.
Pinar offers ready-made wedding stationery or custom designs, all at extremely affordable prices. The process for custom invites is easy and fun: You fill out a creative brief, she works up an idea, presents it via email, and then you can do two Skype sessions to make modifications before she prints and ships. And, for an extra charge, you can choose from one of Pinar's signature handwritten fonts, and she will address your envelopes. Check out our wedding invite here and get to know Pinar too!
Envelopes with Pinar's calligraphy and the front side of my invitation.
Her aesthetic: "I love the rawness of hand drawing and illustrating. I live between mountains and the sea of North Cyprus and the rooftops and chimney pots of London, which has influenced me. My invitations typically have tree-filled forests and mountains with a modern touch of typography and pops of color."
We designed a folded map of our venue as the invitation.
How she designs: "It’s like telling the story of each couples’ adventure. The best part is talking to and meeting couples from all over the world. I get invited to create such special pieces as part of one of the most memorable and happiest days in their lives."
Pinar illustrated tents on the invite, a nod to our invitation to have people camp out after the party.
On how her Etsy store came to be: "My fiancé (now husband) started my Etsy store to sell some illustration prints I’d created previously. A few months later we got married and had a full-on DIY wedding. I designed our stationery, and we made everything that could be made. The great surprise was the amount of amazing compliments we got! And so from this I designed my first ready-made wedding stationery collection for CuriousMe and launched October 2012."
Our full suite, including an RSVP postcard and thank-you note.
What is CuriousMe?: "I was using it as my creative name whilst working as a freelancer. It came from my curiosity of things, objects, art, music, technology, and making."
Custom thank-you notes.
Pinar's advice to engaged couples: "Don’t give in to the pressures of others or traditions—think about what you want and go for it! Even if it’s unique and different, this day is going to be one of the best days of your lives and one that is a start to your forever adventure together. So choose stationery that you’ll want to keep as a memento for a long time."
You can check out CuriousMe Designs to see more, or shop her Etsy page for ideas!