Consultation
Like every Samantha Meyer Studio event, the design process for this Greek destination wedding began with an in-depth consultation. Before crafting their save-the-date, we dove into Athena and Michael’s story—who they are and how they wanted their wedding to feel.
Their journey and guest list span three continents: Athena is proudly Greek, while Mike was born in Colombia, and together they’ve built a life in Brooklyn. We discovered that Mike is known for his collection of pristine white sneakers and his passion for mechanics, while Athena owns an olive oil company and is rarely seen without their beloved Scottish terrier, Phyllo—who even made an appearance on The Dogist.
Drawing inspiration from their story and the event planner’s design vision, we began shaping a cohesive brand for their wedding celebration.
Research & Inspiration
To build anticipation for their bold and inventive wedding on the Athenian Riviera, the couple wanted a save-the-date that felt fresh, unexpected, and unforgettable.
Sam approached the research with an unconventional idea: inspired by the multilingual guest list and Mike's fascination with machines, interactive verb conjugation wheels from language classes came to mind. She began collecting the vintage spinning volvelle cards as references.
At the same time, she gathered books on Greek and Colombian art, architecture, history, and mythology to flesh out her background knowledge of cultural symbols and draw inspiration from the past. The circular patterns in ancient Greek pottery seemed a perfect mirror of the concentric circles on the soles of Mike's signature Air Force Ones. She studied the classic motifs and their meanings, even discovering an ancient piece featuring a processional of wedding guests—a perfect nod to the couple’s upcoming ceremony.
The Design Process
CREATIVE CONCEPT ∙ After our consultation and research phase, we constructed the Creative Concept: a multi-page design deck featuring a mood board to set the visual tone, explanations of chosen materials and printing methods, sketches of the concept, and pricing details.
For this event, Sam envisioned a layered spinning card, allowing guests to read the event details in Greek, Spanish, and English without cluttering the design. She selected deep, textural letterpress printing on extra-thick cotton cardstock to evoke to the sculptural textures of the Parthenon.
GRAPHIC DESIGN ∙ Once the Creative Concept was approved, Sam began constructing graphic design proofs, including realistic mockups and high-resolution PDFs for each printed detail.
In addition to classic Greek pottery motifs and nods to Athena's namesake goddess, Sam wove in subtle references to the couple's personal histories throughout the design. Look closely, and you'll spot their beloved Scottish terrier and Colombia's national tree.
Production & Mailing
CASE STUDY No. 2
Lastly, we brought the concept to life. Each layer of thick cardstock was letterpressed with two passes of ink, carefully die-cut, and assembled with a hidden spinning mechanism for perfect alignment. The printed envelopes were lined, stuffed, stamped with the couple's signature olive tree, and finished with two postage stamps before being shipped to their new homes.
As guests whirled the dials on their save-the-dates, our work was far from over.
We repeated the design and production process for their invitations, another interactive trilingual piece–this time a linen-wrapped folio with a clever folding mechanism. We then collaborated with the event planning team to create, thoughtfully package, and ship escort cards, menus, signage, and other cohesive details that delighted guests upon their arrival in Greece.
Yamas!
