I am very excited to present the outcome of many hours of research, reference, and the management of numerous intricate Illustrator files~
Presenting the very first! (that I’ve ever seen) Harry-Potter-Marauder’s-Map-Inspired Wedding Invitation!
The Marauder’s Map from the Harry Potter series is definitely one of the most intriguing props. It combines 4 of my favorite things: old maps, secret compartments, intricate illustrations, and paper folding challenges.
Here’s the scene from Prizoner of Azkaban where Mr. Potter receives the map for the first time:
I wish I could say that I found a way to make the information appear and disappear on the paper, but my background is in graphic design, not chemistry :•) Nevertheless, I’m very pleased with the final result!
I turned the “marauding” aspect into a love story. When the cover flap is opened it reveals and illustrated telling of the couple’s proposal, in a style similar to the actual prop where letters and phrases are used to illustrate scenes and locations. The couple is represented throughout the piece by their footprints so we can follow their path together. (PS the footprinted credits in Prisoner of Azkaban has got to be my favorite film credit sequence of all time.)
The replica map prop sold by Barnes & Noble measures 15.5″ x 72″ open and folds to 15.5″ x 8.25″. Since a 6 foot wide invitation seemed a bit much and would certainly raise the price per suite of this invitation far too much, I decided to down size and go with a much smaller, but still quite sizable proportion : approx 8.6″ x 22″ open, 8.6″ x 5.5″ folded.
The envelope design is inspired by the Howler Letter prop from the films. I couldn’t pass up the wonderful ribbon and wax seal detailing. I have yet to see how this might ship. The ribbon flaps are affixed to prevent looseness during shipping, but my guess is they will require extra postage to be manually sorted rather than by the machine used to sort regular mail. I’m curious to see the postman’s reaction when I bring this in to find out.
I used my own proposal story for the illustration you see within the first spread. I also decided to add little instructive tabs to the corners for each spread. There is a particular way to view this invitation and if you’re not familiar with the film or the prop, you may just open out the whole thing right away, which doesn’t allow for the series of information to be presented properly. So I decided some minor instruction would be best.
This is the view of the inside, back-most spread containing the “secret” compartment, which is the official invitation part of the piece that opens out vertically…
And here’s the view of the entire invitation opened out fully. Sample names and locations were used of course, as this was my very first printed run of the idea ~ but I look forward to customizing this for some special couple out there!
You can order / request a quote for this invitation suite here ~ OR ~ to see more photos, CLICK HERE
This piece will be featured at the Homespun “This Ain’t Your Mama’s Wedding + Party Expo 2″ coming up on Sunday, March 11 to Warehouse Row, downtown Chattanooga. Come see us and we’ll let you play with this extraordinarily unique piece in the flesh! :•)
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This is just incredible! I’d totally plan a HP inspired wedding just to have these invitations.
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These are amazing. You are my far the best wedding invitation graphic designer on Etsy! I hope you get featured soon!
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Absolutely amazing. I’m not a Harry Potter fan, but I, too, would love to have something like this just because it is so intriquing. An invitation like this could also be used for those special anniversary celebrations (25th, etc.).
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Can I say omg. this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I’m a huge harry potter fan, and would love love love these. Unfortunately I’m 17 right now, and have no plans for get married. PLEASE don’t stop selling these. They are a must have for me when I do wed. Thank you.
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melissa says:
Jillian ~ no problem whatsoever! They will always be here :•)
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this is absolutely amazing. i am awestruck. makes my harry potter loving heart skip a beat. i wish i hadnt already ordered invitations! But im sure this will make many brides happy
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I absolutely love this and would love to get a quote. however a) im in the uk b) i don’t have a date set yet c) i don’t understand the bit about based on quantities of 100 $8 per unit…. ish…. does that mean that each invitation will be about $8 if i ordered 100? look forward to hearing from you soon ! so editable’s about this major piece of HP find!
Thanks Kat
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Hi!
Myself and my fiancé are HUGE potter fans… so much so that he actually proposed to me at the Harry Potter studio tour (yesterday)! We are 100% sure we want these invitations at our wedding – is it possible to ship to the UK, including a sample, without extortionate shipping costs?
I hope so
these are our dream!-
Hi Rachel! Yes I ship to the UK! Some customs fees typically apply for international shipments, however I can set the value so the fee isn’t so high. Feel free to order a sample from the listing in the shop! :•)
Best, Melissa
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Hi Melissa,
If I order a sample now how much will shipping cost for it? I’m SO excited!
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Dawn Koch says:
looking to purchase these for a wedding…are they available now…please let me know. my daughter’s wedding is June 29th of this year. thanks alot
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Hi Dawn, sorry I just saw this message a little late! Yes this design is available in the shop currently. Feel free to submit your details for a quote.
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Ali says:
These are simply stunning! Is there any chance you would ship to Australia? We’re getting married later this year and they’re something we’d definitely consider having!
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Hi Ali, I can certainly ship to Australia! Feel free to submit your project details using the form here http://onelittlem.com/romancemanaged/ for a price quote.
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