How can I include my pet in my wedding invitation artwork?
If you’re wondering how to include your dog, cat, snake, bird, gecko (I really did draw a gecko for save the dates once!) or any other pet in your stationery, you’re in the right place. There are so many fun ways to do it!
Your pet can be added to so many parts of your wedding stationery from the Save the Dates to dinner menus to cocktail napkins, and so much more. Including your pet is such a fun way to make your wedding personal and tell the story of who you are as a couple.
Here are some ways I have helped couples include their pet on their wedding day:
1) Envelope Liners featuring your pet
This is my personal favorite. The envelope liner is a prime location for extra artwork and the perfect space to include a pet in your wedding invitations. Plus it can be done beautifully, like in the custom artwork below, which I created with trailing florals surrounding a pet drawn in elegant line work. This style is very much inspired by vintage artwork and toile de jouy patterns.
Adding custom artwork to an envelope liner is a simple and beautiful way to feature a pet in wedding stationery.
2) Create a pattern for the back of your invitations and dinner menus
The back of wedding invitations are often blank, so adding artwork to the back of your invitations is a like a surprise for your guests! Imagine them receiving your gorgeous invitations in the mail, reading the details of your wedding, and then flipping it over to see a beautiful pattern of florals and your dog, cat, bird, gecko, etc… (left image). It’s not only unique, but it really showcases who you are and what’s important to you.
Also, day-of stationery, such as dinner menus (right image), are another great place to use this pattern. That way, your pet is included on your actual wedding day, too.
You could even include two pets or two different poses of your pet with a pattern like the one of the left! This style of art is my favorite to create for couples—although watercolor portraits are popular, this style is so timeless and elegant.
3) Display your pet on your wall at home
Ok, so this is for after the wedding, but the incredible part of commissioning custom artwork is that there is actual, physical artwork that can be displayed. Here’s a snake and floral drawing down with pen and purple ink artwork. I actually just mailed this to the couple:
Custom artwork for wedding invitations featuring pet snakes, hydrangeas, and wisteria.
The bride who commissioned the piece above had a vision for gorgeous, summery florals for her June lakeside wedding. She also has 3 pet snakes and a black diamond engagement ring. Isn’t that such a vibe? So of course I immediately said, “We need to include the snakes in the wedding invitations!” She wanted an elegant design with her snakes and her wedding day flowers— hydrangeas, wisteria, and lilac— in a lavender color palette, which is what led to the custom artwork above.
We then used this artwork throughout her suite — sometimes with the snakes and sometimes without. Here are some examples including floral art on his and her vow books, menus, and name cards:
4) Feature your pet on Drink Menus or Ice Cream/Dessert Menus
There are other fun options too, such as including your pet on a drink menu or maybe even an ice cream menu, like the one below. For this commission, I got to paint a dog named Sundae (how cute🍦) and make him the star of the ice cream bar.
A cockapoo named Sundae who starred on this ice cream bar menu at a summer Newport, Rhode Island Wedding. Photo by Audrey Cutler Photography.
5) Add your pet to custom Cocktail Napkins
A watercolor dog portrait is always a very sweet option. Here is a golden retriever named Weller that I painted. One of the watercolor portraits was used on the front of the invitation, and the other was used on the back of invitation, which made for very personal double-sided stationery! And the photo on the left shows the artwork on cocktail napkins.
Another fabulous perk of custom pet portrait is that you can use it for some many pieces— not just invitations but also for day-of stationery like cocktail napkins.
I would be honored to draw your cat, dog, snake, or any other pet that you love and want to feature in your wedding stationery. I work in two styles: sweet watercolor pet portraits (left) and elegant ink drawings (right).
