There is a specific kind of trust that comes with a wedding commission. Someone looks at your work, at everything you have made and everything you have put into the world, and they say: I want you to be part of one of the most important days of my life. I want you to make something that my guests will carry with them long after the celebration is over.
When that message came in I was thrilled. I was also terrified. And I immediately started making a list of everything I needed to learn.
The brief
The couple is Indian and American and their wedding is a multi-day celebration, a high end fusion of both cultures. From the very beginning they were clear about what they didn't want. They didn't want something literal, no illustration of two people getting married, no names inside a heart. What they wanted was harder and more beautiful than that. They wanted the whole feeling of their wedding. A celebration of love as a concept, as a visual language, as something their guests could hold in their hands and understand without needing it explained.
That brief is the best kind to receive because it gives you real creative territory to work in. It also means the research has to be thorough.
The research
Before I draw a single line for any commission I spend time learning. For this one that meant weeks immersed in Hindu visual traditions, ornamental languages, the symbolism of animals and flowers that appear in Indian art and culture, and the history of textile design across both cultures represented in this wedding.
That is when I found the sarus crane.
The sarus crane is one of the tallest flying birds in the world and one of the few that mates for life. In Hindu tradition it is a symbol of eternal love and fidelity, and it is said that if one crane loses its partner it will mourn itself to death rather than find another. When I read that I knew immediately it belonged in this design. It became one of the visual anchors of the entire piece.
I also studied Sanskrit poems, the decorative traditions of both cultures, and the visual language of the couple's wedding as a whole. Another artist had designed their stationery so I was deliberate about not looking too closely at her work. I needed my creative decisions to come entirely from my own research and my own interpretation of their story, not from what someone else had already made.
Picture of "Animal Motif in Asian Arts" book by Katherine M. Ball
The process
I painted most of the elements by hand in gouache and watercolor before bringing them into Photoshop. This was a deliberate choice. I wanted the finished scarf to feel alive and warm and unmistakably made by a human being, not generated, not templated, not printed from a stock library. When you hold it you should be able to feel that someone sat down and painted every element that lives on it.
The Indian part of the brief gave me permission to go all in with ornaments and layered decorative detail and that is honestly where I feel most like myself as an artist. My background in architecture taught me to think about composition in terms of weight, balance, and depth — the same way you would think about designing a facade or a floor plan — except that the canvas is fabric and the structure is the pattern repeat.
I did three full proposals for the couple. One of them I am sharing here because I think it shows something important about the process: the design that gets chosen is not always the first idea or the most obvious one. It is the one that best translates the story into a visual language that feels true to the people it is made for.
They chose the proposal I loved the most. That does not always happen and when it does it feels like a gift.
The beginning of one of the most important elements
The easter eggs
Inside the final design I hid references to the couple that only the people closest to them will recognize. Small details, visual inside jokes, things that will mean nothing to a stranger and everything to someone who knows them.
One of them is their dog.
I am going to their wedding in July to show the guests how to wear the scarf at the welcome party and I cannot wait to see if anyone finds them. The finished piece will be revealed here and on Instagram after the wedding. Until then you will have to take my word for it that it exists and that it is one of the things I am most proud of making.
One of the sketches / proposal that didn't make it to the final round
What a wedding commission with Mali looks like
If you are getting married or planning a celebration and you are reading this wondering whether something like this is possible for you, here is how it works.
How do we start? Everything begins with a discovery call. Before that, I ask three things: when your wedding is, whether you have a moodboard you can share, and when you are free to talk. That first conversation is where I learn about you, your story, and what you want your guests to feel when they receive the piece.
What can Mali design for a wedding? Custom silk scarves and twillies are the most common commission for weddings and welcome bags. We design the print from scratch based on your brief, your cultural background, your story, and the visual language of your celebration. Every element is hand drawn and hand painted before being digitalized. Nothing is stock. Nothing is templated.
How long does it take? Mali works 14 to 15 weeks from brief to final delivery. That includes the research period, the design proposals, revisions, production, and shipping. If your wedding is in late 2026 the time to reach out is now. If you are planning for 2027 you have more flexibility but earlier is always better.
What does it cost? Every commission is different because every story is different. Pricing depends on the complexity of the design, the number of pieces, and the production specifications. The best way to get an accurate number is to get on a call and talk through what you have in mind.
Can Mali also design other wedding elements? Yes. For this commission I am also designing a sticker pack for the couple. Depending on the project we can discuss what else makes sense as part of the same creative world.
How do I start? Send me a DM on Instagram or an email to info@malicollection.com. Tell me when your wedding is, share your moodboard if you have one, and let me know when you are free for a discovery call. That is where everything begins. 🌿
And if you are not getting married but you know someone who is, send them this post. If they book a commission with Mali, you both get a discount.
los quiero mucho, Bárbara P.V.P 💖
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