Design
Harry Potter-Themed Bridal Shower Invitation
by Anne Kostecki
For my future sister-in-law's bridal shower, her mother and fellow bridesmaids wanted to build around the bride's love of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series. We talked about choosing a specific aspect that resonated with the bride, Leah, and we decided to start with the Hogwarts House she most identified with - Ravenclaw!
So starting with deep blues, and adding metallic colors like silver and copper, we designed a magical bridal shower, filled with sweets, treats, games, and personal touches like framed photos of the bride with each bridesmaid (and fun facts like our favorite Harry Potter books and respective Hogwarts Houses). For the invitation, I consulted with the bride's mother Jan to finalize the design: we wanted a nod to Harry Potter imagery, without an overt "child's birthday party," look. I decided to keep the palette to midnight blues, and I wanted to have an eye-catching blue envelope with copper call igraphy. I chose the same typeface I used for the bride's wedding invitation (Centaur, a classic serif typeface), which has a beautiful, whimsical look, especially when it is italicized.
To draw the most attention, I decided to illustrate the bride's name in the same lettering style as the film posters for the Harry Potter movies - which is a three-dimensional, silver metallic look. I wanted to add a small reference to Ravenclaw, so I illustrated a raven surrounded by an announcement banner, drawn in the same style as the Maurader's Map from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." After assembling the invitation and blue envelope, I saw Harry Potter stamps at my local post office, and knew that would be the ideal finishing touch.
