15 Beautiful Wedding Venue Illustration Ideas & Uses
A wedding venue illustration or wedding venue sketch is a bespoke drawing or watercolour of the place you’re marrying — and one of the most versatile and beautiful additions to your stationery suite. But what many couples don’t realise is just how many different ways it can be used — from save the dates and envelopes to menus, signage, and even keepsakes after the wedding.
Hi, my name is Laura and I’ve been a wedding stationer based in the UK for 13 years — and wedding venue illustrations are one of my favourite things to work on. But a lot of couples are not sure whether to make the investment - there aren’t that many wedding venue illustration ideas out there and it can seem a little bit of a one hit wonder.
In this blog, I am going to show you 15 simple ways you can add a Venue Sketch or illustration to multiple pieces of stationery through your day.
Introduction
Wedding venue sketches are one of those stationery details that turn a beautiful piece of stationery into something completely and unmistakably yours. We’ve helped hundreds of couples include their venue illustration across their stationery — and no two have ever looked the same.
In this blog you will find:
1) Save the Date examples
2) Invitation layout examples
3) On-the-Day Stationery inspiration
4) Creative keepsake Ideas
When couples come to us wanting to include a Wedding Venue sketch or Illustration, the first thing I normally cover off is just how versatile a single piece of artwork can be. From Save the Dates to Thank You Cards, venue sketches can add a personal and meaningful touch, but also create a cohesive look that carries your style from start to finish.
Whether you’ve already booked your illustration with us or you’re just considering it, here are 15 creative ways to make the absolute most of this bespoke artwork throughout your wedding stationery and day.
Here are my 15 ways on how to use a wedding venue sketch
1. Save the Dates with a Venue Illustration
Save the Dates are the first glimpse guests receive of your Wedding Day. You can add your Venue Sketch to your Save the Dates so guests can instantly recognise where you are getting married - and feel excited for the day ahead.
Adding a Venue Sketch or Illustration to Wedding Invitations is probably the most popular choice we have seen in all the years we have been designing. Invitations give additional scope on where to place the sketch, too. Below are three examples of where you can place a venue sketch within your invites
3. Envelope Liners with a Venue Sketch
Envelope liners are a bit of a secret weapon for Save the Dates and Invitations. We often find couples who don’t want artwork on the front of their invitations absolutely love envelope liners, because they give you that hidden moment of wow without changing the main design.
Top Tip: For those who might be concerned at the envelope being ripped open and the illustration being torn, if you seal your envelope with a sticker or wax seal you can prevent guest tearing the envelope open.
4. Details Cards / Information inserts
By placing your venue illustration onto a details card or information insert that is for accommodation details, reception location or details regarding transport, you can effortlessly tie in practical details back to the design.
See our section above under 2. Main Wedding Invitations for an example of how a Venue Illustration looks on an Invitation Insert.
5. Digital RSVP cards & Venue Sketch Ideas
If you are opting for a Wedding Website with a QR code or URL link to send back RSVP, these can look a little stark with a scannable code on them. To give this functional insert a bit of a lift, consider adding a soft watercolour illustration to the card, to make even the most practical part of your invite feel special.
6. Maps
Maps are gorgeous additions to stationery, and also serve a useful purpose. If you are getting married abroad or have a weekend wedding here in the UK, a lot of venues that cater to these types of weddings are sprawling estates. Custom painted maps then not only serve as something truly unique to your stationery, but also as a handy guide to help your guests navigate either the local area, or the venue grounds. Typically, Venue Illustrations are included in maps.
Turn another functional piece of stationery into something guests can keep but adding a venue sketch to your order of service booklets. We frequently foil these for couples, especially if they have used foil on their save the dates and invitations, as it carries the theme through the day.
8. Menus & Table Stationery
Menus and Place Cards can all come printed or foiled with a Wedding venue Sketch on them. Not only does this carry your sketch through your day, but it can also look superb and give a real luxury feel to any table stationery.
9. Seating Charts / Table Plans
Large Wedding Signage is a fabulous place to show off your Venue Sketch. Not only does it become part of the wedding decor, but it can also compliment your styling perfectly.
10. Welcome Signs
Aside from a functional nature of welcome signs, adding your venue sketch to them keeps them included in the style of your day. Function can absolutely still be stylish
11. Order of the Day Signage
More and more weddings are using an Order of the day to help the flow of events through the day. And as with welcome signs, where they do serve. very helpful purpose, there is nothing stopping you adding your personal touch to them with your venue sketch.
12. Guest Books
Whether you are having a board for people to sign, a traditional bound book, or a polaroid guest book for funny photos and advice, you can make it truly yours by adding the venue to the front font of it, or if using a board, why not have it as the centrepiece artwork for people to signs around.
13.Favour Tags
Wedding Favours are a bit like Marmite; you either want them or you don't. If you are opting for wedding favours, such as limoncello Bottles, or Macaroon parcels, adding a favour tag to your favour not only indicates that there is something lovely for the guest to have, but keeps your styling consistent especially if including your venue sketch on them.
14. Wedding Website ideas with a Venue Illustration
In recent years wedding websites have become more and more useful. Not only do they provide instant access to details, but they can also hold a lot of information regarding your day, that invitations simple can't include. However, one of the biggest downsides we have found our couples have with a wedding website is that a lot of the time stationery and website don't match aesthetically. Different fonts, little or no artwork - they can feel a bit clinical and not really "you". When opting for a venue sketch, this is the one thing you can add to your website, to tie in you invites and stationery with your website. If you also have a custom map made as well you can add the map to the website as well, for a more cohesive look.
15. Keepsakes
This one ties in with the wedding guest book board mentioned earlier, but if adding your venue sketch to a wooden or acrylic board with the use of our UV printer we are able to print on such materials, and include your wedding sketch. If you want a frame photo from your day, you can also add a sketch as a watermark in a bottom corner for an added personal touch.
In summary
Whether you’re going for something modern and minimal or full-on romantic with a watercolour painting, a venue sketch really does add that touch of personality and luxury to your stationery.
If you’d like to chat about commissioning your own illustration — or adding one to your stationery with us — you can find all the details here:
View our Wedding Venue Sketch & Illustration service
Wedding Venue Illustration FAQ's
Do I have to use my venue illustration on everything?
No — even just using it on your invitations or signage can make a beautiful impact.
Can I use my venue sketch digitally as well?
Yes — we supply artwork suitable for wedding websites, email invites and QR cards.
Is a wedding venue illustration expensive?
Not necessarily — our illustrations start from £50.00 and can be used across your entire stationery suite.
For more information on the cost of Wedding Stationery, see our blog Why are Wedding Invitations So Expensive?
I have my own venue illustration, can you use it?
We offer a File Checking service for a one-off fee of £50, where we can check your artwork to see if it is suitable for printing or letterpressing. You can email us at hello@ellebeedesign.co.uk to request this service from us prior to placing an order.