Context

I was approached by a couple to make a poster for their wedding. A vintage cinema provided the perfect venue for this cinephilic couple’s celebration. They requested a poster for theatre entrance, depicting the wedding party spilling out of the venue, having a wild time at the reception. The elaborate, energetic illustrations of big-head caricatures like those found on Animal House, Detroit Rock City and American Graffiti movie posters inspired the couple’s desired style.

Method

The couple provided reference images of the bridesmaids and groomsmen for the caricatures. A library of visual references for illustration style was created. I consulted with couple to plan how each wedding party member should be depicted. We brainstormed solutions to convey their guests’ personalities in a flattering manner to ensure a happy poster reveal on the big day.

Design Process

I began by sketching thumbnails of possible scene layouts, capturing everyone’s likenesses in exaggerated caricature. The scene was refined through feedback from the couple. More and more wedding guests were added to the scene as time went on. Once the composition was approved, the illustration was coloured and poster text was added.

The final poster is a wild and energetic illustration. The wedding party stumbles out of the theatre; the celebration has set the venue on fire! Each caricature captures the personality of the person depicted. The venue and guests are all preserved in the illustration, creating a record of the couple’s special day. Text treatment helps to sells this image as a movie poster, complete with names of the bride and groom as headlining actors, and the rest of the bridal party in the supporting text below. The logos included along the bottom reflect how the couple met (on the online dating website OkCupid) and their interests.

Is there any greater result than happy tears from a client? I received a glowing email from the bride and groom saying they were blown away by the illustration. A framed copy of the poster is proudly displayed in the couple’s home as a memento of the night. This project was a fun challenge as it required a genre of illustration outside of my usual styles. As an unexpected challenge, the wedding was rescheduled many times because of the Covid lockdowns. In order to avoid the need for revisions as plans changed, I removed the date of the wedding and replaced it with “Coming Soon” for flexibility.