N&S got married at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe, and then hosted their intimate celebration as a Detroit Athletic Club wedding reception. As their wedding invitations designer, I had the pleasure of working with this sweet couple from the beginning, with their save the dates, into invitations, and then their day-of-wedding stationery. At the helm, they partnered with Marissa Daniella Events as their planner. Thanks to their gorgeous images from Alicia Frances Photography, we can relive their day.
Design Elements for this Detroit Athletic Club wedding
Color Palette: N&S were planning to have a wedding full of green, mixed with mauve and burgundy.
Inspiration: This couple wanted everything to feel luxe and timeless, but immensely personal to each guest. Lots of individual touches!
Event Goals: N&S were hosting an intimate gathering for 50 of their closest loved ones. They wanted it to feel like a fabulous dinner party, rather than a cavernous ballroom. Everything felt a little bit “lived in” and comfortable, but still elevated enough to be appropriate for a Detroit Athletic Club wedding reception.
From Design Mockup to Reality
Here, you can see the digital mockup I sent to the couple as part of their stationery design process. You can see each element included, at scale and in reference to the other elements.
This is part of every proof round! Then, we take what was on screen and it translates to real life.
Save the Dates
N&S had me paint a watercolor venue illustration of the church where they’d be getting married: St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. This is a stunner of a building that was a joy to paint. The final painting graced the top of the save the date card, which was housed in a light, minty green envelope. The card itself had a mostly all-script design, which would make an appearance later on in the invitations, as well.
The save the date photo here was taken in studio by Annie Lui Photography; the building photo from the actual wedding day was taken by Alicia Frances Photography.
Invitations
For this Detroit Athletic Club wedding, I designed the invitations to feel like a storybook. The envelopes were individually hand calligraphed and featured vintage postage in coordinating colors. The chinoiserie pattern anchored the design, starting with the envelope liner. Their elements were tied together with a mauve silk bow. Each insert card featured a different die cut shape and repeated elements from elsewhere — the chinoiserie and the painting from their save the dates. The main invitation was classic and timeless with an all-script layout and no other ornamentation. Deceptively simple, fully gorgeous.
A black tie reception deserves an elegant preview and these certainly delivered a “wow” for their guests at their mailboxes.
In Studio Photos
These next photos were taken of the invitation suite separately, by Annie Lui Photography, in her studio.
Ok, back to the wedding day coverage!
Getting Ready
N looked like a perfectly coiffed, vintage Hollywood starlet. She oozed elegance in every way. Brides, take note — you’ll never look back in 50 years and question your appearance when it’s this timeless and gorgeous. Her choice of dress, hair, makeup, and accessories, all perfect.
First Look
This couple is warm, kind, and radiated care for one another — and their loved ones — at every opportunity.
Ceremony
As their custom stationery designer, I created ceremony programs for their traditional Catholic mass, held at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe.
It’s hard to overstate the grandeur of this particular church. It’s gorgeous inside and the grounds are immaculate!
No shade to the standard church ceremony programs, but having your stationery designer create these for you is an elevated touch — they’ll be printed on nicer quality paper and the design will perfectly coordinate with the rest of your aesthetic vision.
Detroit Athletic Club Wedding Reception Design Details
Since N&S were hosting a smaller group for their big day, they wanted everything to feel really intentional and personal for each person they had included.
The whole event felt so inviting and warm, thanks to all the touches dreamt up by Marissa Daniella Events.
Welcome and Cocktail Hour
I hand calligraphed escort cards on the same green card stock to match their invitation envelopes. Each person’s name written by hand, tucked in perfectly into a display of hydrangeas. Swoon! It looked so effortless and chic, even though it was a labor of love.
Tabletop Decor Elements
The whole group was seated between two long tables — perfectly intimate and inviting. The tables featured a green chinoiserie style patterned linen for a soft and feminine touch. This was then balanced out by a more bold, black and wicker chair selection.
Each place setting featured a full silverware set and a green napkin. I designed a mauve menu in an antique die cut shape, complete with a coordinating tassel and hand calligraphy with each person’s name. Talk about customized!
The decor down the length of the table was ornate and overflowing with florals, fruit, and taper candles. Jodi, the owner of J. Costello Designs, outdid herself! This all set a beautiful scene. So as not to take away from the rest of this beauty, I designed the table numbers to be simple ovals, so they’d be “tucked in” as a small detail.
Bar and Late Night
N&S knew they’d have a floral installation at the corner of their bars, so I kept the bar signage design relatively simple. This coordinated with the same shape from the menus (which had also been in their invitations), so it was a nice carry-through element of design as part of their Detroit Athletic Club wedding.
Portraits
These were simply too pretty not to share. If you’re hosting a Detroit Athletic Club wedding, their staircase is not to be missed for photos!
Looking for an invitations designer for your Detroit wedding?
As a Michigan luxury invitations designer serving Detroit, our state, and beyond, my role is to help you create a design backdrop that pairs with your vision from the very beginning. This way, your guests get a true preview of what’s to come on the big day, you’re supported throughout your whole engagement, and every design element is thoughtful and cohesive as you celebrate.
I’d be honored to join your vendor team. You can learn more about my invitation services here, or inquire for your own event by filling out this questionnaire. I can’t wait to learn more about you and how I can be of help.
Vendor Team
Planning and design: Marissa Daniella Events
Ceremony venue: St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
Reception venue: Detroit Athletic Club in Detroit, Michigan
Photographer: Alicia Frances Photography
Invitations and day-of-wedding stationery: Leah E. Moss Designs (that’s me!)
Florist: J. Costello Designs
Band/DJ: Steve Wood and Robert McCloy
Wedding gown: purchased from Ivory Loft in Fenton, Michigan
Tuxedo: Bonobos
Hair artist: Isabelle O’Neil
Makeup artist: Danielle Paquin Beauty
Hi there, I'm leah.
Luxury wedding invitations designer, likely with ink stains on my hands.
If you’re new around here, nice to meet you! I’m an artist who designs luxury wedding invitations — and all the rest of your stationery to coordinate. Sentimental lovers like you deserve to remember joyous moments forever. Learn more about my story or my services, to see if I’d be a good fit for your special day!
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