Beautiful wedding stationery deserves beautiful photography. As a watercolor artist and wedding stationery designer, I spend countless hours thinking about color, composition, paper, artwork and the small details that bring an invitation suite together. But creating the stationery is only part of the equation. If you’re selling your work online, the way you photograph it can have an enormous impact on how potential clients experience your designs.
Recently, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Savannah Michelle Photography, a South Florida wedding photographer whose light, airy photography immediately caught my attention.
I sent Savannah five very different Do Tell A Belle invitation suites and gave her creative freedom to photograph and style them. When I received the finished gallery, I was thrilled.
She didn’t simply document the stationery. She created a collection of polished marketing images that I can now use throughout my website, social media, Pinterest, Etsy, Shopify, blog posts and even future lookbooks.
If you’re a wedding stationery designer considering hiring a professional photographer, here’s what I learned from the experience—and what you may want to consider before your own wedding invitation photography session.
Why Professional Wedding Invitation Photography Matters
We stationery designers are accustomed to doing a lot ourselves.
We design. We paint. We source paper. We assemble suites. We package orders. And somewhere in between all of that, many of us become our own product photographers.
There’s nothing wrong with that. I photograph my own work regularly. But a professional photographer brings a completely different eye to the process.
What immediately stood out to me about Savannah’s photographs was her composition, styling and use of light. She photographed each suite in several different ways rather than creating one standard overhead flat lay and moving on to the next design.
Some images were photographed from a bird’s-eye perspective so you could see the complete suite. Others were captured from a slight angle. She also created beautiful close-up images using a shallow depth of field, allowing one stationery detail to remain sharply in focus while the surrounding elements softly faded into the background.
The result was a gallery that felt cohesive without every photograph looking the same. And that variety is incredibly useful when you’re marketing your work.
Think Beyond One Pretty Flat Lay
When planning wedding invitation photography, don’t think only about getting one hero image of each suite. Think about all the places you’ll eventually need photographs.
A stationery designer may need horizontal and vertical images for a website, close-ups for product listings, full-suite photographs for a portfolio or lookbook, vertical images for Pinterest, square or portrait-oriented images for Instagram, detail photographs for blog posts and plenty of supporting imagery for marketing.
One professional photography session can create an entire library of visual content.
Savannah provided a combination of complete flat lays, close-up detail photographs, different compositions and multiple perspectives. That means I’m not repeatedly using the exact same image every time I want to feature one of these suites.
For me, that’s one of the biggest advantages of investing in professional photography.
What Should You Send Your Wedding Invitation Photographer?
Send more than you think your photographer will need.
I sent Savannah five complete stationery collections, each with different colors, textures, artwork and components.
One was a beach wedding suite featuring watercolor seahorses, a coordinating RSVP card, folded seahorse note card, turquoise envelope, embossed turquoise envelope liner and an additional turquoise envelope that I had hand-lettered in white.
Another was a dusty-blue nautical wedding invitation suite featuring a hydrangea crest, blue vellum overlay, sailboat RSVP card, navy envelope and one of my watercolor envelope liners featuring a Nantucket lighthouse with the White Elephant in the background.
I intentionally included an additional RSVP card because the reverse side was dusty blue and incorporated the sailboat artwork. Having both gave Savannah another design element she could use when composing the flat lay.
I also sent my Petals & Prosecco bridal shower stationery, which couldn’t have been more different: vibrant pink watercolor hibiscus flowers, gold foil lettering, a matching folded thank-you card, turquoise envelope and bright green embossed floral envelope liner.
The fourth suite featured watercolor green and antique hydrangeas with a laser-cut RSVP card, chocolate brown die-cut oval details card, burgundy gate fold, chocolate brown envelope and one of my favorite pieces—a burgundy embossed floral envelope liner.
Finally, I sent a cream and burgundy wedding invitation suite featuring my watercolor Chicago skyline, a QR-code RSVP card with “See You in Chicago” on the reverse, chocolate brown die-cut details card and a watercolor tree envelope liner painted in autumn colors.
The variety gave Savannah very different materials to work with—and allowed her to create five completely different visual stories while maintaining her recognizable photographic style.
Give Your Photographer Extra Pieces to Work With
One thing I would absolutely do again is provide duplicates and extra stationery pieces whenever possible.
An invitation suite doesn’t have to be photographed exactly as a guest receives it.
Your photographer may want to show the front and back of an RSVP card simultaneously, layer two pieces together, place an envelope underneath another element or use duplicates to balance a composition.
Extra envelopes are especially useful if you have beautiful addressing, envelope liners or specialty colors.
And if your stationery includes something that folds, wraps or doesn’t naturally lie flat, consider including an additional unassembled piece.
Giving your photographer options gives them more creative freedom.
Wedding Invitation Photoshoot Ideas: Let Your Photographer Style the Scene
You don’t necessarily need to dictate exactly how every photograph should look. In my case, Savannah supplied the styling elements herself and I trusted her creative direction.
She incorporated flowers, ribbon, ring boxes, rings, textural elements and other props that complemented the individual suites rather than overwhelming them.
That’s an important distinction. The stationery should still be the hero. The props simply help create movement, texture and visual interest around it.
If you’re hiring a photographer, ask whether styling is included and whether they maintain their own collection of styling pieces. Depending on your brand, you may also want to send ribbon, ring boxes, wax seals, vintage stamps, handmade paper, flowers or other props that complement your aesthetic.
This is something to discuss before shipping your stationery so both you and the photographer understand who will provide what.
Choose a Photographer Whose Existing Style Fits Your Brand
This may be more important than finding someone who specifically calls themselves a “stationery photographer.”
I was initially drawn to Savannah because I loved the light and airy quality of her wedding photography.
That aesthetic works beautifully with Do Tell A Belle’s watercolor stationery, so I already had a strong idea of how our styles would work together before I ever sent her the invitation suites.
Look through a photographer’s existing portfolio. Pay attention to how they use light. Are their photographs bright and airy, dark and editorial, colorful, minimal or romantic?
Look at their compositions and detail photographs, too.
If you already love the photographer’s visual style, you can give them more creative freedom instead of trying to direct them into creating something that doesn’t naturally reflect their work.
Look for More Than Beautiful Photographs
Talent matters, but so does the experience of working together.
Savannah was extremely easy to work with. Communication was excellent, she understood the stationery and how the individual pieces worked together, her styling was beautiful, and her turnaround was incredibly fast.
As another wedding professional, those things matter to me.
If you’re shipping valuable samples of your work to someone, you want to know that communication will be clear and that your stationery will be treated carefully.
Before hiring a photographer, ask about turnaround time, the number of finished images you can expect, usage rights, how images will be delivered, whether styling is included and how your samples will be returned.
How Much Does Professional Wedding Stationery Photography Cost?
Pricing will vary considerably depending on the photographer, the number of suites, the amount of styling involved and how you intend to use the finished photographs.
For stationery designers interested in working with Savannah, she currently structures these sessions similarly to a branding photography session.
Her rate is $650 for one hour of photography and approximately 60–70 finished images.
Because every project is different, Savannah recommends discussing your specific needs with her beforehand—including how many suites you want photographed, how you plan to use the images and whether you will provide any additional styling elements.
That conversation allows her to determine what makes sense for your particular project.
How Can Stationery Designers Use Professional Photography?
This is where the investment can continue paying off long after the photoshoot. From this one collaboration, I now have professional photographs I can use across:
- My website and portfolio
- Individual product and service pages
- Etsy and Shopify listings
- Instagram and other social media
- Blog posts
- Email marketing
- Printed and digital lookbooks
- Press or editorial submissions
- Future marketing materials
And because Savannah photographed the stationery from multiple perspectives and created both complete compositions and detail images, I have considerably more flexibility in how I use them.
These aren’t photographs I’ll use once. They’re brand assets.
Looking for a Photographer for Your Wedding Stationery?
If you’re a wedding stationery designer looking for professional photography, I highly recommend Savannah Michelle Photography.
Savannah is a South Florida wedding photographer with a beautiful light-and-airy aesthetic and a wonderful eye for styling details. Based on my experience working with her, she’s professional, communicative, creative, easy to work with and—most importantly—delivered photographs of my stationery that I’m genuinely proud to use in my marketing.
Whether you’re preparing to launch a new collection, refreshing your website, creating a lookbook or simply ready to elevate the way you present your work, professional wedding invitation photography can give you a library of imagery that represents the quality of the work you’ve already put into your stationery.
And sometimes, seeing your own designs through another creative professional’s eyes is pretty wonderful, too.
You may also enjoy these articles:
