CMYK Inspired Wedding

This wedding from photographer Angela Renee is one you’re not going to forget any time soon — in fact, you might want to make sure you have some time set aside before you pore through this stunner! These incredibly talented newlyweds, who are both graphic designers, collaborated on maybe the best wedding website we’ve seen yet. It set the tone perfectly for this technicolor, stylish, fun day, and we love the result!

From the bride, Lauren: Like every bride, I really wanted our wedding to be unique. With so many inspiring weddings out there it seemed like a huge undertaking. But thanks to the help of my super hero-like mom, and the fact both Matt and I are graphic designers, we were able to create a truly custom wedding.

It all started with our wedding colors – CMYK which in the creative industry, stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. 4 beautiful colors that spoke to who we were and opened us up a lot of really fun ideas. Next came the printed materials – save the dates, invitations, programs, etc. As I designed each item, my mom printed, cut, and assembled each piece. A HUGE undertaking I’ll never be able to thank her enough for. She also hand-painted our card box and chair signs, as well as put together 3 different hanging fabric strip backdrops we used throughout the venue.

To welcome guests as they entered the room, my dad built a custom frame which we hung hundreds of photos from with clothespins. He also hand-made our cake toppers – bride and groom Totoro’s from one of our favorite movies.

Our centerpieces (which also doubled as our wedding favors) were mason jars filled with CMYK sand and topped with a succulent plant. We made these ourselves with the leftover mason jars from my sisters wedding. The bridesmaids also created the bride and bridesmaid bouquets the day of the wedding.

We wanted a way to say “hello” to each guest as they arrived, so we included a personal message on each guest’s escort card. For the wedding party and parents of the bride/groom, we took this a step further and illustrated character versions of each person which we framed and placed at their seats.

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Besides all of our DIY projects, we tried to find other unique touches we could add to the day. Instead of a traditional photobooth, we had a flip book photo booth. The photographer took a video, and then printed and turned it into a mini flip book, offering an animated keepsake of the day. The bridesmaids picked out their own dresses in the CMYK color family, and the groomsman wore CMYK gingham ties. Each member of the wedding party also had CMYK colored wayfarer sunglasses. Great for photos, great for the dance floor! We nixed the traditional first dances, and instead played one of our favorite drinking games – Thunderstruck, where guests gather in a big circle and take turns drinking as AC/DC sings “Thunderstruck.” Instead of a traditional wedding cake, one of my bridesmaids who happens to be an expert baker made us CMYK peanut butter balls and letter pressed cookies with our initials.

Wedding Location: Chicago, IL / Wedding Photographer: Angela Renee Photography / Wedding Venue: Zhou B. Art Center / Second Shooter: Stevie Reynolds / Wedding Coordinator: Alysson Lincoln / Wedding Flowers: Bridesmaids / Wedding Dress: Pronovias / Bride’s Belt: Made by mother of the Bride / Bride’s Hair: Samara Toby of Bridal Beauty Chicago / Bride’s Makeup: Krystyn Johnson of Bridal Beauty Chicago / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew / Groom and Groomsmen’s Shoes: Gourmet / Wedding Caterer: Maison Cuisine / Dessert Table: Laura Holmes / Cake Toppers: Bride’s father / DJ: Ralph Darden a.k.a. Major Taylor of Style Matters / Lighting: Art of Imagination / Officiant: Rev. Tom Perrucci / Videographer: Kinema Group / Flip Book Photobooth: Occasional Memories / Invitations and Event Materials: Lauren Okura / Wedding Website: Designed by Lauren Okura, Built by Matt Stone / Table Runner, Card Box, Chair Signs, and other Event Decor: Mother of the Bride