Kavya-Anirudh's simple brief for the viral wedding invite. Designer reveals

Anirudh Ravichander and Kavya Maran's wedding reception invitation has caught the internet's attention for its vintage-inspired aesthetic, intricate detailing and elegant colour palette. But behind the invitation doing the rounds on social media was a brief that called for something more enduring than an elaborate wedding card — a keepsake that the couple's guests would want to hold on to.Speaking exclusively to India Today Digital, Ranjani Iyengar, founder of Pink Whistle Man, who handled the creative and production of the invitation, said the idea was to create something classic and timeless while ensuring it stood out in a world where people are exposed to countless elaborate invitations."We wanted to focus on something very classic, very elegant and timeless, but at the same time, something that has a keepsake value, something that people are going to keep with them," Iyengar said.The brief came from the couple and their families, and Kavya was closely involved in the process. Iyengar described her as someone with a keen eye for detail, adding that they worked closely together as the design took shape. This is how the invitation card looks like. Why the invitation sticks to powder blue, ivory and silver While wedding invitations can often be an opportunity to experiment with bold colours, multiple motifs and elaborate themes, the brief was to create something visually rich without making it overwhelming.The palette was kept to powder blue, ivory and silver, with the colours and detailing carrying through the invitation box. "For me, it was a lot of restraint to stick to just three colours in the palette and work with it," Iyengar said, adding that she is usually inclined to experiment with colour (she laughs). The invitation was also not designed to narrate the couple's love story or include deeply personal references. Instead, the focus remained on creating a classic design with details that the couple liked, rather than building an elaborate theme around their relationship.She did not disclose the full contents of the invitation box, saying those details could not be shared at the moment.What celebrity clients want from wedding invitationsHaving worked on invitations for several high-profile clients, Iyengar said she has noticed a recurring preference among them: simplicity.Her previous work includes invitations for Radhika Merchant, Ananya Panday's sister Alanna Panday. She has also worked with directors like Luv Ranjan and Bejoy Nambiar.She also mentioned working on wedding invitations for cricketers like Jaydev Unadkat.Despite the scale and opulence often associated with celebrity weddings, Iyengar said clients do not necessarily want their invitations to be bigger or more extravagant. "Surprisingly, it's the simplicity that they go for," she said. "When they're in that league, they're always seeing a lot of opulence, very OTT things. So I think what they come back to is authenticity and simplicity."The challenge, she explained, is to create something that reflects a couple's personality without being loud or overdone. A design can be distinctive without relying on an abundance of elements.As an example, Iyengar spoke about the invitation she created for Kritika Kamra and Gaurav Kapur, which featured simple stick-figure animations. Rather than using advanced techniques for the sake of spectacle, the team made a frame-by-frame animation, likening the process to creating a small Disney film.The result was minimalist, using just two colours. For Iyengar, it demonstrated how a thoughtful concept can make an invitation personal without making it visually excessive.What will wedding invitations look like in the upcoming wedding season?For the upcoming wedding season, Iyengar expects experimentation with materials to remain an important part of invitation design. In recent years, she has worked with metal, wood, moulded materials and plaster of Paris (POP), exploring how the physical feel of an invitation can contribute to its concept."Tactile invites have a lot of scope to play with," she said, explaining that material can help tell a story through its look and feel, rather than serving merely as a container for printed details.Digital invitations, meanwhile, are also evolving. Iyengar said she has been experimenting with elements of artificial intelligence alongside hand-drawn artwork, conventional animation and after effects.The combination, she believes, can add another dimension to digital invitations without losing the craft involved in creating them.Meanwhile, Kavya and Anirudh's wedding is reportedly being planned as a two-day affair, likely to take place on November 10 and 11. The celebrations in Greece are expected to be attended by close family members and a select group of friends, keeping the ceremony intimate.- Ends