2022 Year in Review

2022 was Dragonfly Paperie’s year of refinement. As the year comes to a close, I can’t help but notice how this business has evolved in such a short time. From further improving my artistry to narrowing down the best business model for me, I’m ready to look back at this year in review to remind myself how far Dragonfly Paperie has come.

Alexis + Steven’s wedding day radiated minimal elegance. With a black and white suite and vintage-inspired venue landscape illustration, the details throughout their wedding paper have a timeless beauty. We mixed modern and traditional to bring to life the unique minimal vibe of their day.

Emma + Ryan had a fairytale wedding at the Winterthur Museum. The highlight of the suite was the watercolor painting of the lake they live on – their favorite view. The painting ended up being the inspiration for their cake and made its way into many of their day-of pieces as well.

A love story full of laughter, Lynn + Ali were one of our last remaining full-service planning couples. I knew Lynn from all the way back in middle school, and getting to know these two as a couple was an honor. The love and laughter they share is contagious, and I’m so happy to have been able to bring their story to life through paper.

Green on green made Liz + Dan’s suite a spring dream. We used modern and bold elements across their wedding paper and carried through to their day-of pieces. I adored how this suite came out, and the circle-cut invitation was such a fun element to work with.

Evan is my calligraphy partner‘s brother, and getting to collaborate with Alli on their day was so dreamy. We pulled out all the stops in Casey + Evan’s letterpress and foil invitation on custom-color handmade paper, and a letterpress handmade paper envelope liner complete with gold leaf flecks. This wedding was so stunning, it was published in the Modern Luxury Weddings Philadelphia print issue!

Steph is one of my dearest friends. She and Pat eloped lakeside in 2021 and we created a special suite for them as a keepsake from that day. So, when it came time for their wedding celebration in 2022, I knew I wanted to include a nod to their elopement. Using imagery from their drone video as reference, I painted them in a place so meaningful to them. Inside, we had fun with playful wording and painted florals to bring their personalities through in the invitations.

Harvine + Prabhdip were a special couple with a whirlwind of a story. It was a fun and beautiful experience to bring their invitation suite to life, including a custom-designed monogram wax seal and a portrait dear to their hearts.

Bianca + Tim eloped in Santorini, and creating their single keepsake invitation suite was an absolute dream. I loved working on this stunning line drawing of the Santorini cliffside, and then adding in a painting of the scenery to use as an envelope liner. Handmade paper, letterpress printing, and gold leaf edges are just a few of the elements that make this suite so spectacular. This wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty.

Intricate wildflowers abound, Margee + Bobby’s invitations were an etherial earth-tone suite. Hand-placed pressed flower wax seals were a time consuming process that was more than worth it when looking at the final product. These letterpress invites were truly breathtaking.

When Alistaire + Rob told me they were wanting to incorporate their pets, I thought nothing of it (I do pet portraits all the time, of course we can find a way to include them!) – until I learned that Damascus was indeed a horse. This was my first time illustrating a horse, and if I’m being honest the intricate monogram with their hidden pets might be my favorite yet!

Amanda + Luke wanted deep-toned watercolor flowers. In addition, we used rose gold foil printing and hand-drawn rose gold foil floral elements to brighten the suite up. Their petal paper wrap with rose gold twine and a rose gold leaf wax seal were the icing on the cake, and it was all delivered in a showstopping orchid-magenta envelope complete with a meaningful postage set and flourished calligraphy from AlliCat Calligraphy.

Julia + Patrick are in my top three favorite weddings of the year. I collaborated with AlliCat Calligraphy on so many elements, and we got to be there the day of to set up their paper elements. Thick handmade paper, a venue landscape painting, foil accents, and a wax sealed tassel pull – it’s easy to see how this made it onto our favorites list.

An explosion of flowers and burst of color, Laura + Brian’s invitation suite and day-of elements were so much fun to work on! We were so thrilled seeing how everything came together in the end.

It was important for Sarah + Lindsi to show that they “love each other unapologetically”. Their love story was so inspiring, and bringing to life these warm tones and a rainbow monogram was definitely a highlight of our year.

Cats meet Magic the Gathering meet toile elegance in Ashley + Andrew’s wedding suite. This was my last ever planning wedding, and it was an amazing feeling to end that chapter with such a beautiful day.

Samantha + Kevin were one of my first bookings as Dragonfly Paperie – so I have been working with them for a LONG time! It was so great to see their invitations finally come to life.

Two bridal showers – one for a good friend, and one for Alli’s now sister-in-law – added something extra special to my lineup in 2022. With a winery theme and an Italian lemon theme, these two shower suites were so different from each other and spectacular in their own ways.

In preparation for 2023 weddings, we sent out our fair share of save the dates as well. With two destination weddings coming up with out of the box save the dates, I can’t wait to see what we come up with for the invitations for 2023.

I also had the opportunity to collaborate with my calligraphy partner on two gorgeous suites for Meghan Baskin’s photography workshops this past spring. It was so much fun getting creative in the studio to fit the vision!

Last but not least, we released three wax stamp designs with Artisaire in 2022. These designs were so meaningful to me, and I am so glad that others have the opportunity to get creative with something I’m so proud of.

Shop Pinky Promise, Alice, and June – all available now on Artisaire.

Thank you to Samantha Jay Photography, Rebekah Viola Photography, Tara Beth Photography, Alex Medvick Photography, Bianca Tang Photography, Adrienne Matz Photography, Hillary Muelleck Photography, Lisa Hornack Photography, Brian Hatton Photography, Katie Karlberg Photography, Lytle Photography, Meghan Baskin Photography, and Artisaire.