Our wedding was held outdoors in the simmering, summer heat of the Canadian Prairies. However, we planned much of the wedding in the bitter, winter cold of those same Prairies.
It was 15 years ago this week that we took that walk down the aisle before racing off to Quebec City for the fun part. ?
Back then, my artist wife was still burgeoning in her career in those days. Neither of us really had a true grasp of the business side of her chosen vocation.
Nonetheless, even in those nascent years, she understood the value of promoting her art. Well, maybe. We were also trying to be as frugal as possible with our spending on the wedding, which led to a lot of DIY activities.
As we started our planning, we decided early that we needed to incorporate art.
As we started our planning, we decided early that we needed to incorporate art.
Of course, that led us to having a literal blank canvas, paint, and paintbrushes at our reception for our guests to have some fun with. Thankfully, not too much fun. Indeed, we were fully reimbursed our damage deposit afterward.
But we also leveraged her early printmaking passion.
Yes, the artist who now exclusively uses acrylic while mixing in the odd mirror shard, glass piece, or colorful bead had a strong passion for printmaking. It also helped that she was in the final year of her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and had access to the university equipment for free — aside from her obscene tuition.
She used that tuition to pay for our invitations.
They were a limited-edition, custom print. They were a rich turquoise color with healthy mix of complementary colors and shades. They also included her characteristic straight, vertical lines to help “anchor the viewer’s eye.”
And, if you still own one, I’d imagine you’re one of the clever few who realized the value in that “piece of paper” that arrived in the mail back in February 2007.
While those invitations are limited edition and truly were just a way for us to save a buck on our wedding, they also served as an unwitting introduction to our family and friends to my wife’s art business.
They represent an early effort at marketing her work, her style, and her passion.
Ever since our wedding day, it’s been an up-and-down journey in her art career. Trying, failing, and trying again. Sometimes unwittingly. Just like those limited edition invitations.
And our marriage has mirrored that journey. It’s been filled with unmitigated successes and unwitting failures, but we’ve overcome and improved every hour, every day. And I’m grateful for that and for her being there with me through it all. I wouldn’t trade it for the all the limited-edition wedding invitations in the world.
Happy anniversary, my artist wife!
Great read, Happy anniversary to you both – you two have built yourselves a great life together.