Weddingbee Blog

I never imagined I would be saying this, but I am in love with maps. If you are not, than you probably haven’t seen Laura Hooper’s maps. If Mr. Spring Roll and I had an unlimited budget, we would commission a custom wedding map. Unfortunately, our budget is nowhere near unlimited. Instead of forgoing the map altogether, I decided to create my own:

For those of you who would like to create your own map, I have put together a tutorial:

1. On MapQuest or any map website, type in your wedding location to view a map of the area. Roughly get an idea of what the land looks like (I.e. bodies of water, edges of land, mountains, etc.)

2. Using Photoshop or a similar editing program, open a new blank window. (My window size is 640 pixels by 480 pixels.)

3. Select the pencil tool. Draw the edges of land, and any bodies of water. If your map does not have land edges or bodies of water, skip this step and leave the window blank.

4. Also using the pencil tool, draw lines to make the main roads that your guests will travel.

5. Select the text tool. Type the names of the roads next to the drawn lines.

6. Visit a free font website (I used this website), and download any Dingbats (icons) you would like to use on your map. I downloaded nature, animals, waves, and many others.

7. Use the Dingbats to decorate your map. I chose a wedding cake and hearts to show the locations of our ceremony and reception. Then, I decorated the land and water using sea animals and trees.

8. If desired, use the paintbrush tool to add color to your map.

Are you including a map for your guests in your invitations?  Share your tips for map-making with the hive!