When I was at the Something Blue PR press day a couple of weeks ago I can across a fantastic company called Illustries. They are amazing! I was really excited to finally see wedding albums with personality that represented more than a selection of photos, but include quotes, copies of the speeches and some even have cute life map. These are tailor made memory books which are beautifully presented. Illustries don’t just stop at books, how awesome are the tea towels and frames below.
The two lovely ladies behind Illustries Emma and Sam filled me in on their business and their fantastic products.
How did Illustries come about?
Emma (our ‘Head of Words’) got married in 2008 and was looking for something different to record her own wedding. But she couldn’t find what she wanted, which was to combine her photos with words (well, she is a writer at heart!) and nothing seemed to fit the bill. She knew someone who could help – Sam, our ‘Head of Pictures’, and we decided to create it ourselves!
We already had a working relationship – Sam is a very experienced graphic designer (running her own business called Alilia) and Emma is a marketing consultant and seasoned copywriter (running Slate) and we’d worked on other projects together. We decided to try and fill the gap we could see, and some time later, here we are!
We developed a range of memory books that include every detail of the day and reflect the style and ideas of the happy couple. We don’t have any word count limits, we don’t use any template software and so every Illustry is as unique as the couple themselves.
The Avante Garde Illustry Memory Book
The Classic Illustry Memory Book
How do you add a bit of magic to a couples wedding memories?
We think wedding days are magical moments – but those moments have been a long time in the making, and they do pass by in a flash. The brides and grooms we meet have spent lots of time thinking about all those details to make their day special, and we want them to remember everything. By using their colour scheme and their theme we capture the feel of their unique day, and in our interviews we capture all those memories – we tell the story behind the beautiful photographs, which we think is a really magical combination.
It is really important to us that every time our couples open their Illustry they are back in their day, every time. Time travel – surely that’s magic?!
The Celebrity Magazine Illustry
The Guest Book
What products do you have on offer and how can couples place their order?
Our stars are our bespoke memory books – thousands of words, more than a hundred photographs and dozens of original features like poems, illustrations and quotes. Clients can choose from three creative styles, before an Illustry is crafted just for them.
Quirky and bang on trend is the Avant Garde Illustry. Packed with graphics, illustrations, large quotes and relaxed typography, the Avant Garde is the Kate Moss of the Illustries world.
The Classic is as cool as Audrey Hepburn, storybook-style with large photographs and a beautifully written story, all complemented by elegant, stylish and contemporary design.
The bespoke CELEB magazine makes the couple the star of their own special edition – 48 pages of wedding reporting, packed with features and just like everyone’s favourite magazines from start to finish! Our package includes one full-size and 50 handbag-sized copies.
We also offer some other great ways of celebrating your relationship, all of which started life in our books. We have framed prints, including our quirky Life Map that charts a couple’s relationship as a hand drawn “flow chart’ complete with funny notes. It makes a great reception talking point, and we can add your signature colour.
There is also our Mr&Mrs print – the perfect reception centrepiece and guest book in one. You send us a lovely shot of you both before the big day and we create your ‘Mr&Mrs’ image – your new surnames in your own colourways, complete with a little graphic that reflects your theme (birds, hearts, bicycles whatever!). We send it to you, your guests leave messages of love and joy and when you’re ready, you simply send us your choice of wedding photograph and we send you a new print to pop back into your frame to hang on your wall and remind you of your once-in-a-lifetime day, everyday.
Then we have our unique Guest Books to get your guests chatting, scribbling and doodling – packed with prompts, quotes and features including a Mr&Mrs Quiz, doodle the bride and groom, awards ceremony and even a ‘scale of drunkenness’!
And finally, we have some fabulous tea-towels, great as favours and thank yous, all of which can be personalised with your choice of colour and your names.
You can take a look at our Illustries and see lots of examples on our website Illustries.com – we have lots of pictures, page-turners and extracts from the stories to give you a flavour. Or to order you can just give us a call on 0845 468 1610 or email hello@illustries.com!
More Than just Books
COMPETITION
If you love Illustries as much as I do now is your chance to win a wonderful Guest Book!
Terms and Conditions
1. Only one entry per person
2. In order to qualify for the competition the entrant must:
a. either:
like Style Your Wedding and Illustries on Facebook or
follow Style Your Wedding and Illustrious on twitter
b. explain in the comments section of the Style Your Wedding blog in no more than 140 characters why they want the Illustrious Guest Book.
2. This competition will open at 13.00am on Tuesday 19 February 2013, and end at midnight on Monday 4 February 2013. The winner will be selected on Tuesday 5 March 2013 and contacted directly via email. The decision shall be final
3. The winning entry shall receive an Illustries Guest Book
4. The winner will agree to a selection of their wedding images being featured on Style Your Wedding and illustrious blogs.
I would love to win this beautiful book for my daughter & her fiancé as a lasting reminder of there special day with all the friends & family that love them.
Thanks Ann, dont forget to Like Illustries and Style Your Wedding on Facebook -or- follow both of them on Twitter 🙂