The idea for this website started a few years ago, but I never found the time to create it. A few months ago, though, I suddenly felt motivated to finally start, so I began planning the branding, content, and design. Little by little, the website Poglavlje ljubavi came to life.
What It Is
Poglavlje ljubavi is a site I designed and built for selling digital wedding invitations. Couples browse the available templates, choose a style, and place an order. I then adapt the template to the data they send me and deploy the invitation as a subdomain of the website, and each couple gets their own URL to share with guests. There are also other pricing plans where the site can be hosted on a custom domain and completely customized.
Digital wedding invitations are becoming more and more popular, and it is easy to see why. Sending a link over WhatsApp is much easier than printing and physically delivering paper invites to every guest on the list.
Branding
Weddings have a very specific aesthetic, and I had that in mind from the start of this project. I wanted the website to have a romantic feel and include wedding-related symbols.
The website has a light theme with lots of white tones. I immediately knew that was what I wanted. White is the color of weddings and wedding dresses, and it feels elegant and clean.
For the accent I went with blue. There is an old tradition that the bride needs to have something blue on the wedding day, and I liked the idea of referencing that. It also just works well with white. The two together look clean and elegant without needing much else.
The logo is the name written in a handwritten font. Poglavlje ljubavi means "Love Chapter," and the handwritten style is a nod to signing marriage documents. It keeps the brand from feeling too corporate against an otherwise minimal site. It was also important for me to incorporate the logo into the name itself, so I used the main hero text: “Krenite jednostavno u novo poglavlje ljubavi,” which can be translated as “Ease into a new chapter of love.”
I also deliberately avoided a generic, descriptive name like wedding-invites or something that spells out exactly what the product is. An abstract name gives the brand much more room to grow. It is not tied to one format, one product, or one interpretation, which means the content and branding can expand in directions that a literal name would immediately close off.
Templates and sections
Creating the templates was interesting because I had to design several versions that had the same sections but looked different. All the current templates have a clean aesthetic, classic and minimal with some leaning more romantic. I plan to add more variation because not everyone wants minimalism for their wedding, but I wanted the base to be solid first.
Couples can pick which sections to include in their invitation:
- Hero with photo: I know that some people do not want to include their photo, so the image is optional. In that case, only text is displayed (the couple’s names and details such as the wedding date and location).
- About us: a short story about how they met, which I think is a nice personal touch.
- Wedding details: a timeline with the full schedule and locations. There is no limit to how many steps can be added to the timeline.
- Wedding menu: I personally always need to know the food situation at a wedding, so I think others will appreciate this too.
- FAQ: handles the questions guests would otherwise be sending over WhatsApp, parking, dress code, that kind of thing.
- Contact: details of both partners so guests can reach out to them directly.
Couples can also ask for a custom section if none of the existing ones cover what they need. If a request comes up often enough, I will probably add it to the standard template options.
Challenges
Making multiple template designs that I am actually happy with and that do not look too similar to each other is harder than it sounds. Each one needs to feel distinct enough to give couples a real choice, but they all still have to fit within the same clean aesthetic. Finding that balance is an ongoing process.
Creating branding images took more time than I expected. The grid where I display the templates ended up taking longer than programming some of the actual sections.
Plans for the Future
The most obvious next step is expanding the template library. I launched with a small number of designs because I wanted each one to be something I was actually happy with, but there is clear demand for more variety, including styles that are less minimal.
I definitely need to expand the pricing plans and add RSVP functionality. I didn’t include that in the first version of the website because I know that in the area where I live, wedding invitations work in a way where guests directly inform the couple whether they will attend the wedding. Confirming attendance via email isn’t that popular because it doesn’t really feel as warm or personal.
I also need to work on getting the website out there. Creating Instagram and Facebook pages, advertising on social media, and so on. I have been postponing that process because I know that creating content for social media takes a lot of time.
On top of that, I want to find couples who are willing to test the website so I can see whether I need to further improve the overall flow through their feedback. But the whole process sounds fun, and I cannot wait to get started on it.