Brittney and Ben’s wedding took place on April 12th, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. They had a Japanese-themed wedding, so I incorporated a cherry blossom motif throughout their invitation suite. Most people would recognize this iconic flower. The cherry blossom, or sakura, is one of the most identifiable symbols of Japanese culture. Out of curiosity, I did a little research into the ubiquitous blossom–apparently, in the Buddhist tradition, the sakura’s nature of blooming en masse is a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.
Another interesting thing I read is that Japan has gifted thousands of the trees to the United States over the years. Many cities hold a cherry blossom festival during cherry blossom season, which begins in April–the month of Ben and Brittney’s, wedding, in fact. Did you know that our fair city of Philadelphia has over 2,000 cherry blossom trees? If you head over to Fairmount Park during the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia, you can view the magnificence of cherry blossoms in bloom, which inspired this invitation suite.
Photography by Melania Marta Photography