The design of our custom monogram was developed over many, many conference calls at work and devoured a ton of legal pads in the process. In fact, my coworkers must have thought that I was taking notes in a new form of shorthand that resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics - or perhaps Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass windows. I designed the center square with the intent of adding flourishes that I eventually purchased from iStockphoto.

I love how the back-to-back “K’s” combine to form both sides of an “M.”
I plan on using both the color version shown above and a black and white version of the monogram throughout our wedding decor on stationery and a few other tiny details. One of those pieces will be a custom made sculpture created by local artist, Kristine Mays. Best known in the home decor world for her absolutely incredible wire letters, Kristine also works on a grander scale creating dress, shoe, handbag, and body-sized wire sculptures.

A few examples of Kristine’s gorgeous wire letters that can be purchased at Etsy.

Isn’t this dress sculpture so reminiscent of a bridesmaid or flower girl dress with its adorable satin sash?
After seeing the large and small letter wire sculptures, my first thought was to purchase two small letters for our first names and one large letter for our last name so that we could create our own monogram. Then I thought - why not see if Kristine could re-create our custom monogram in her distinctive style?
My custom monogram sculpture created by Kristine Mays.
Well, I recently received my amazing new sculpture and I am blown away by her craftsmanship! Not only did she happily make any changes I requested during the design process, but she also tied beautiful black and white ribbon to the top so I could hang it right up once I received it in the mail. I’m so excited to re-use this piece after the wedding - since it’s coated in rust-free paint, it just might make a handsome addition to my front porch!
Are any of you incorporating custom monograms into your decor?
I love this idea of repurposing wedding items — whether attire, decor, etc. — into something for practical future use…it’s both enviornmentally- and budget-friendly! I’m considering cake toppers that I could turn in Christmas tree ornaments — and a guest book (like a birthday book or cookbook) I was use regularly.