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Wedding Stationery by Chris, Whitstable (2024)

17/06/2024

Three Peaks 🏔⛰🏔

So last week I took on the Three Peaks challenge with a team from all to raise money for two local hospices in Kent.

We started up in Scotland taking on Ben Nevis, which went well and was beautifully clear at the top before making our way to Scafell Pike overnight to take that mountain on first thing. We reached the summit there too, but unfortunately due to a couple of injuries in the group, we fell behind target and our guide made the call that only the fastest walkers would be able to take on Snowdon, which was Olly & I.

When we got to Snowdon we were met with 50mph winds and rain lashing down, so the decision was made that we wouldn't attempt the summit but we would still get out on terrain and experience it. We reached the Halfway House, which was 417m up and turned back (after nearly being blown off our feet several times).

We were a bit disappointed to not be able to finish the challenge as we'd planned to to complete all three peaks but the main thing is how much fun it was working together as a team, supporting one another during the toughest moments and most of all raising £5,525 for two amazing charities.

Thank you all so much for anyone who sponsored me and entered the venue portrait raffle, you're all awesome! ✨

17/06/2024

✨ Happy Anniversary - Cat & Thurston ✨

Can't believe it's been a year since this wonderful day.

Cat is one of Olly's best friends that he met at university and she was even one of the bridesmaids at our wedding.

I was very honoured when she asked me to design her wedding stationery and their invites are still some of my favourites, because of how bright & playful the illustrations are and for all the personal details they asked me to include within them.

They had a festival themed wedding they wanted reflected in the invitations and for their table plan, they wanted to include their love of visiting the theatre together, with each table named after their favourite shows.

It was a beautiful day to be a part of creating, as well as being a guest at.

Happy anniversary C & T xx

03/06/2024

Character Invitations ✏

This is an invite I did a few years ago and is one of my favourites because it was for one of my closest friends and her husband.

For their Wedding Invitations, they were inspired by Quentin Blake's style, in particularly the illustration he did of Roald Dahl's Matilda at 30, where she was sat on the pile of books and for their invites they wanted themselves as characters with books & records to represent their love of music, reading (and mugs of tea).

These illustrations were really fun to create and more playful and colourful than a lot of the designs I create and extremely personable which is what I love. They also used my drawings for their favours and had them printed on mugs to give each guest to commemorate their special day.

The illustrations were created using fine liner, watercolour and pencil and if you swipe through you can see the different stages of building up colour, as well as the bride enjoying a brew from her very own mug ☕

31/05/2024

Quex Park ✏

A watercolour and fine liner illustration of the beautiful gazebo in the gardens of Quex Park I painted for the Weddings at Quex Spring Open Day last month.

Such a beautiful piece to draw, especially with all the details in the metal work. Swipe through to see the different stages from sketching, to inking, to the finally painting.

29/05/2024

Envelope Liners 🪶

When working with couples to create their wedding stationery, envelopes can sometimes be a bit of an after thought, but not for the couple I worked with to create these beauties.

They wanted to include their love of farming and game birds in their stationery and their Saves the Dates to have an impact when their guests received them. So I designed this feather pattern envelope liner, using my original watercolour illustrations, that complemented the theme and paired them with a brown, kraft envelope for a rustic feel.

I designed the final pattern digitally after scanning in my feathers, layering them over a sage green background to match the colour scheme of the wedding, before getting the professionally printed and hand finishing each envelope myself.

To find out more about my stationery or discuss your own ideas for dream wedding stationery, visit my website or drop me a message ✉️

27/05/2024

✨ Win a Portrait - Charity Raffle ✨

Some of you may have seen that I'm currently training to complete the National Three Peaks Challenge next month, where we will aim to climb the tallest mountain in England, Scotland and Wales in 24 hours.

It's all for a good cause to raise money for the Heart of Kent Hospice in Maidstone, that provides end of life care and support for patients and their families.

To help boost my sponsorship and raise as many funds as possible for this amazing charity, I'm running a raffle where you can win an original building or venue portrait of your choice.

For every £5 you donate via my Just Giving page, you will be entered into the draw to win the prize. The draw will take place on Monday 17th June, once I've completed the challenge.

All the details are listed in the post and please feel free to share to help me raise as many donations as possible.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-millard-1711532717948

Chris ⛰🏔⛰

23/05/2024

It's all in the detail ✏

I often find that your wedding venue can be a great starting point for your Save the Date and Invitation designs.

My venue line illustrations are a great way to incorporate them within you designs, whilst keeping your stationery chic and stylish.

I draw your preferred view of the venue by hand, using pencil and fine liners, adding in any additional personal touches or details that you may want, so it's completely personal to you.

Once finished, I'll work with you to complete the final design, adding your wording and pairing the illustration with any additional artwork or pops to colour you want to match your theme, before getting them professionally printed with you choice of paper and finish.

Visit my website to find out more.

21/05/2024

Getting to know the couples I work with and telling a story about their relationship and wedding through their stationery is the best part of my job and getting to see just how unique each couple is.

I enjoy working closely with my clients throughout the process, from the initial meeting either in-person over coffee or online where we talk about ideas, to updating on how their designs and illustrations are progressing, to finally sharing the finished designs with them, that can tell their story or match their style of their special day.

To learn more about my work and creative process or find out about working with me to create your personalised wedding stationery, visit my website.

14/05/2024

Fitzgerald's 💍

This year I shifted the main focus of my business to weddings and one of the goals I set myself was to create a quick illustration of each of the venues and spaces where I attended wedding fairs, so last week I created this illustration of the beautiful Fitzgerald Jewellers, Canterbury.

Swipe through to see a few shots I took during the drawing and painting process, from the initial pencil sketching and inking, to the colour washes and final pencil detail.

13/05/2024

Yesterday I took part in The Wedding Showcase, hosted by

I've been a fan of Fitzgerald jewellers, Canterbury, ever since Olly & I visited their beautiful showroom 2 years ago to get our own wedding bands and this was such a lovely event to be a part of.

At the event I met lots of couples planning their special days and we spoke about all things stationery and there were some really creative ideas for wedding stationery we were bouncing around which I loved.

It was also good to catch up with some other familiar local wedding suppliers as well as getting to meet some new, talented small business owners and creatives 😊

18/04/2024

✨ Upcoming Event ✨

I'm very excited that next weekend I'll be taking part in the Spring Open Day Wedding Fair.

I met the team from Quex at another event I took part in recently and they've invited me to be part of their Open Day because they think my work will fit with the couples they work with which is great.

I'll be there alongside some other fantastic local wedding suppliers with my portfolio of wedding stationery designs and sketch sheets to discuss ideas and answer any questions you have about your wedding stationery and the process.

Head over to the Weddings at Quex account now to register your interest and keep an eye out for some illustrations of the venue I'll be working on next week ahead of the event.

17/04/2024

Over the weekend we made the most of the good weather and started getting the garden ready for the months ahead, looking at what we want to grow in the flower beds and in the veg patch.

I've really grown to appreciate our outdoor space, getting to watch all the different birds and insects that visit from my office window and admiring all the different shades and colours there are.

For the invites I create I am often asked to include greenery within some of the design, either alongside flowers or as motifs within the layout, and watercolour paints allow me to easily experiments with different shades and tones to fit the colour palette couples are after and matching their theme.

I'm already looking forward to the summer when our garden is in full bloom and taking some time to sketch and paint what we've grown 🌿

15/04/2024

The Quayside ✏

Building illustration of my favourite pub in Whitstable, The Quayside. Initially sketched in pencil before inking in the details and painting using watercolours.

You can find out more about my venue illustrations and building portraits on my website and commission your own.

11/04/2024

Casa Santonja ✏

I created this wedding venue illustration as a gift for a friend who got married at this beautiful venue in Spain, now almost six years on I've been commissioned to draw it again as a wedding gift.

It's such a beautiful venue, with so many little details that it almost feels like I'm drawing it for the first time. The current one I'm working on will be in full colour, whereas the original focused on the greenery surrounding the venue.

What I'm enjoying most is seeing how my style and approach has adapted in the time between the two illustrations, and although they are different, I can see the progression in how I'm working.

19/03/2024

Sunday I was at the East Quay Wedding Fair, which was a lovely local event to be a part of.

I got to meet lots of talented local suppliers and speak to couples planning their special day which I always enjoy and find interesting to hear the different ideas and approaches each couple takes to making their day their own.

My illustration of this unique venue is one I painted ahead of the event using watercolour and fine liners, showing the view from the beach and a massive thank you to Karen from Whitstable Cheese and Wine , who very kindly papped me modelling it in front of the venue.

14/03/2024

This Sunday I'm taking part in the Wedding Fair, which I'm really looking forward to.

I'll be there with my custom stationery designs, along with lots of other fantastic local wedding suppliers, all on hand to discuss ideas with, answer any questions and give you lots of inspiration for your big day.

If you are looking to attend, make sure you register in advance to receive your goodie bag on arrival.

See you there 😊

14/03/2024

Wedding Invitations - Samantha & Ashley

Working with Sam & Ashley was great, they came with a really clear idea of what they wanted & the theme they had for their stationery design - elegant, luxury, sage green, light grey & greenery 🍃

The finished invitations included Day and Evening versions of the gatefold design, R.S.V.P cards and a bellyband to wrap around each invite. I also designed an envelope liner using the leafy illustration I created, which was paired with a brown kraft envelope for a final touch of luxury.

The thick cream paper the designs were printed on, with the minimal colour palette and hand finished touches, brought this design together and added that elegant finish they were looking for to their invitations.

11/03/2024

Today I'm Making . . . . . .

For today's Meet the Maker prompt I'm sharing with you a venue illustration I'm currently working on. Instead of the usual wedding venues I work on, this is actually a commission of our favourite pub in Whitstable, The Quayside.

So far, I've completed the initial sketch and first inking of the outline before building up the line detail and applying the initial colour washes.

I've got a few different venue illustrations I'll be working on this week, including a map for a wedding commission which I'm looking forward to getting stuck into ✏️

08/03/2024

Meet the Maker - Your Brand

For today's prompt I wanted to use highlight the values that drive my business and the work I create:

Creative ✨
Working on different commissions, coming up with new ideas and getting to draw and play is what I love most about what I do - it makes every day different, and that really keeps me engaged with my work.

Thoughtful ✨
It's the personal touches and little details that make my work stand out and allow couples to tell their story within my designs. Listening to your ideas and getting to know you, allows me to include the details in a way that reflects you and fits your style.

Collaborative ✨
Working closely with couples and clients to bring their ideas and vision to life is at the heart of what I do. My favourite projects have been when we've worked together as a team, bouncing ideas around and regularly checking to create exactly what you want.

Adaptable ✨
Being flexible, responding to changes and trying new things, keeps me on my toes and allows me to grow as a creative. No idea is too out there for me and I love the challenge of finding solutions and adapting my work and ideas to fit with whatever you throw at me.

Unique ✨
I want each of my designs to be as individual and unique as the couples I work with, reflecting their tastes, style and story - no two people are the same and I believe your wedding stationery shouldn't be either.

07/03/2024

Combination

For today's Meet the Maker prompt what initially came to mind for me is the challenge I sometimes face with combining all the elements couples want included within their design.

I have to make sure everything will fit together, whilst making sense in the composition and ensure there is not only enough space for the wording, but that it will also be clear to read.

One of the more challenging commission I worked on was this scene for Cat and Thurston, which featured an illustrated scene of their festival wedding at dusk on the inside, full of personal touches about the couple but still needing to include lots of information for their guests.

By working closely with the couple and understanding exactly what they wanted I was able to produce an illustration and design that did just this and is one of the most memorable and eye-catching designs I've created so far.

06/03/2024

✨ Review ✨

This commission always holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first I worked on that included both an illustrated timeline and table plan.

Ian & Lydia's bird themed wedding stationery, included:

- Wedding Invitation
- Timeline of the Day, with custom illustration of the couple
- Bird themed table plan and signs

All of the illustration were drawn using fine liner, watercolour and pencil.

04/03/2024

The Human Touch

It is March, which means that it's Meet the Maker month. This year I've decided that I'm not going to put pressure on myself to post everyday, but share with you on the days where I really connect with the prompt and give you a little more insight into my business & how I work.

Today's prompt of Human Touch, is all about the hand made element of your work, which is all of the illustrations that I create for my wedding stationery, which are custom drawn for each couple I work with.

I initially sketch out all of my images in pencil, before using fine liner to draw in the detail. From there if the illustration is to be in colour, I will use watercolours and pencils before scanning in the image to be used across the different elements of the couples wedding stationery.

This illustration was part of Hannah & Will's stationery, which featured just line illustrations of the different venues. Once scanned, I used photoshop to give the drawing a blue overlay to match the colour scheme of their wedding.

01/03/2024

Hannah & Will 💙

This gate-fold invitation design is always a popluar one at wedding fairs.

The clean line illustrations of the two venues, Nymans Gardens and Gildings Barns, really appeal to people and the flower detailing in the corners brings everything together perfectly.

All of the illustrations were drawn using fine-liner and pencil and given a colour overlay in blue from the colour scheme of Hannah & Will’s wedding.

The final invites measure 148mm x 148mm folded, printed on a luxury feeling cream paper stock and paired with matching envelopes.

28/02/2024

Wedding Fairs 💕

It's been busy couple of weekends in terms of wedding fairs recently.

I find fairs great for getting to meet other local suppliers and find out what services they offer as well as speaking to lots of lovely couples about their bigs day & their stationery ideas. It also gives me a chance to share my portfolio of designs and see which resonate most with people.

I've got a few more events booked in over the coming months at some exciting new venues, that I'll be sharing the details of shortly, so keep an eye out for those.

In the meantime, if you are interested in finding out more about working with me to create your wedding stationery designs and get a tailored quote for what you are looking for, feel free to drop me a direct message or email ✉️

27/02/2024

The West Pier is one of my favourite things about Brighton.

There is something both beautiful and eerie about it at the same time and I love seeing the exposed framework and structure of the old pier with the waves splashing around it and a murmuration of starlings flying around it.

It is also one of my favourite structures to draw and one of the reasons why I'm really enjoying the current wedding commission that I'm creating on because it's taking pride of place on the outside of the design.

I can't share an image of what I'm working on just yet but in the meantime here are a couple of previous drawings of this iconic structure I've previously created.

The first was part of a previous wedding commission, drawn using a mix of pen and watercolour and the second was a gift commission, drawn using fine liner and stippling to add in the tone and detail.

23/02/2024

One of my goals for this year is to attend more events, build relationships with local wedding businesses & venues, and to become a supplier people trust to recommend to couples planning their special day.

So, I'm absolutely thrilled to officially be a recommended supplier at Whitstable Castle alongside some other fantastic local businesses.

This Sunday is the castle's first wedding open day of the year, so if you are in the process of planning your wedding, make sure to come along and get some ideas, meet some suppliers and talk about your big day.

22/02/2024

Beautiful Brighton 💙

This was the first scene illustration wedding invitation I designed and it featured illustrations of iconic landmarks from Brighton running throughout it, all drawn using watercolour and pencil, to capture the colourful, playful, energy of the city.

The final stationery suite for James & Katherine included a Save the Date, Change the Date (plus baby announcement) and Invitation with guest information slip, as well as a range of day items.

I'm buzzing that this week I'm starting a new commission that is also based around Brighton and the different locations for the couples wedding around the city. This time playing with a mix of full colour illustrations and simple, chic, line drawings and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together 🖊

21/02/2024

Strike a pose 📸

I'm currently working on photographing my wedding stationery portfolio, both the finished designs and the sketch sheets used to create each of them, to give you more of a behind the scenes look at my work.

It's great to go back through the artwork and designs I've created over the years and look at my body of work through a different lens and I'm excited to share them with you.

I'm enjoying the process, especially having an excuse to dust off my old DSLR camera and experimenting with different settings and effects rather than relying on a camera phone, which doesn't quite hit the same.

My camera was also the last Christmas gift I ever got from my dad, so using it to document my work as part of my business, feels like he's part of this & I get to share it with him on a level, which means a lot 🤍

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for some updates to me website, Pinterest and on here with the different images I've been working on.

20/02/2024

Colour Schemes 🎨

Are you struggling to decide on a colour scheme for your wedding and unsure how you can tie this in to your stationery for the day? I've got you covered!

I'm here to make sure your colour scheme and style of your wedding flows seamlessly across all your stationery, from artwork & design, to envelopes and finishes, creating a cohesive and unforgettable experience for your loved ones that sets the tone for your big day.

I work closely with you throughout the different stages of designing your stationery, from initial concept meetings where we discuss your ideas and how to incorporate them within the final design, to the creative process to check you're happy with how everything is coming together.

For my own wedding, we had the colour of mustard, teal and purple, which we named 'regal peacock'.

With such bold colours I decided to keep the illustrations simple and opted for black and white line drawing of our beautiful venue The Old Kent Barn, paired with pops of colour around the edges and envelopes that matched our theme 💛

To find out more or to discuss your own ideas for your wedding stationery, get in contact today.

16/02/2024

Flower Arch - Wedding Gift Illustration

As well as stationery designs, I also create wedding gift illustrations, usually based around the venue or a key part of the day that is significant to the couple.

This flower arch illustration, was commissioned by a friend of mine to gift to her sister and brother-in-law. They were married in front of the arch and she thought it would be the perfect way to commemorate their special day and remember it for years to come.

After initially drawing the structure in pencil, I build up the detail of the leaves and flowers using watercolour and pencils and finished it off by adding the couples name and the date of the wedding below.

You can find out more about my gift illustrations and how to commission your own on my website.

Wedding Stationery by Chris

17/06/2024

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03/06/2024

31/05/2024

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