Well, all the invitations have been out for some time now, and we've been told by many people how much they like them! Mandy and I have been thrilled with how they turned out. There's actually a lot of symbolism in the invites, to the point that my mom asked for us to diagram it at the wedding. I don't really know where we'd put it, so, why not put it here on the blog?
Well, to start with, here's the invitation!
Mandy came up with the idea for the save-the-dates, with the two of us under the stars and the Heart Nebula. The medievalist going with an astrophysics theme. I actually came up with the idea of making the invitation look like a medieval illuminated manuscript. We both liked the idea, though making it happen would require a talented artist, and neither of us are really so big in the art department, at least not for drawing.
One of Mandy's first reactions was "it needs to have snails". I was confused by this, but Mandy quickly taught me about snails in medieval manuscripts. Smithsonian Magazine did a nice piece on this phenomenon in 2013. Mandy's personal theory is that the snails were an inside joke between the illuminators. The various other aspects of the invitation came together gradually, with ideas coming from Mandy and me, as well as from the artist.
The artist was Robin Swaby, recommended to us by one of our friends. Obviously, she did a fantastic job. She took our suggestion sketches and reference art and put together this beautiful work. She also did the calligraphy. You can find her signature underneath the singing snail.
Let's talk about the various things! On the top left, we have the USS Enterprise. We have another blog post about why that's in there. Below that on the left, is Waggles. Waggles was the beagle who lived with my family when I was growing up. He was a beloved part of the family, though he finally had to be put to sleep a few years ago. He was quite concerned with making sure my siblings and I didn't fight, and he always enjoyed lying down in the spot where the sun came in through the window. He was passionate about his meals, always excited at the sound of the leash, and he was never even close to fast enough to catch any rabbits.
Across from him on the right (and a little above) is Duckie (Mandy is writing this paragraph). Duckie is an airhead. And a princess. And a doofus. And a good girl. She knows that kisses get pettin's, but she doesn't know a whole lot else. She warrants being preserved in art.
On the lower left is a snail playing a tuba. I (Josh is writing again) play the tuba! On the right is a manatee. Mandy has been fond of Manatees since she was very small and saw one at Sea World. Below that is a singing snail. As you know, Mandy is quite the singer, and she and I met in an a cappella group. "Much rejoicing" is, of course, a quote from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I'll also say something about how they were printed. We actually weren't sure how exactly we'd get them printed, until I was wandering in Pasadena looking for dinner (I was at a conference at Caltech) and noticed a printing place (they still exist!) open, well past the closing time listed on the door, and decided to go in and see whether this suspiciously convenient open door was auspicious. Long story short: it was. They also helped make the reply cards, and contributed to what seems to be an unexpected snail theme for our wedding.
All in all, the invitation is a work which combines so many things which make us who we are, all put together in a lovely, anachronistic way, and it also stands as an invitation for our closest friends to join us for our wedding. We couldn't be happier with it!
J