Wedding Animation – Wow Your Guests With Your Love Story in Cartoon Form!

By far, one of the most unique ways we incorporated our photos into the wedding was through our wedding animation or cartoon.  This idea is much more popular in Asia, and I found out about it through my friend who was working overseas.  We happened to be getting married a few months apart so we were discussing how our wedding plans were going, and he told me how he hired an artist to create cartoon images of him and his bride that they planned to use for a unique invitation.  He also had the same artist create an animated version of how they met and their courtship.  He told me to go on YouTube and search “wedding animation” and it blew my mind.  Who doesn’t love cartoons?

I wasn’t sure it was in our budget, but when we prioritized, it was definitely on the top of our extras list.  I would have loved to have a photobooth, but this was just so creative and unique, I went for the animation.  After reviewing about 4 or 5 companies online, I selected Coffee and Tea Dreamworks based in Singapore.  They seemed the most professional to me, had a lot of amazing reviews and since English is a primary language in Singapore, I didn’t worry about having communication issues.

The different companies I looked at obviously had their own individual animation style which varied considerably, but I was most impressed with how Dreamworks’ mascots really resembled their counterparts.  The site featured a page of past clients, with photos of the wedding couples next to their cartoon images, so I could see how well the animator captured the features of the couple.

So, what do you think? Do we look like our cartoon counterparts?  We were supposed to remember to recreate the exact pose of our animated selves on our wedding day so we could put them side by side but we forgot!  I emailed the animator a photo of my dress during the creation process, and they reproduced it so nicely!  I didn’t want my groom to see me in it ahead of time, but he only saw it in cartoon form, so that doesn’t count right?  The craziest thing is that I never told them what my bouquet was going to look like – so Twilight Zone!

So, how does the process work?

1. Gather some photos of yourself – a mix of close ups and full length shots clearly showing your face and how you look.

2. Write a narrative about how you met, what you like to do together, interests, hobbies and how he proposed – essentially your “love story”.

3. We selected a few photos of our family and friends which the animator incorporated into the animation.  My photos appeared in a picture frame on my nightstand, while my husband’s photos appeared on his computer Facebook account.

4. The animator creates your cartoon image or mascot and sends it to you for approval.  You’ll have an opportunity to request changes if you’d like.

5. Select a few songs for the animator to use as background music.  It is important to choose a good song as that provides the framework for your cartoon. We chose Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” (perfect right?) and an instrumental song written by my talented hubby.

6. The animator then gets to work on depicting your story.

7. We got a preview sent to us via email and then we had opportunity to request changes.

8. Allow yourself and the animation company enough time to put the cartoon together – the company we worked with requested 3 months to produce the end product and they sent the finished product on DVD well in advance of the wedding.

Here are a few screenshots of our wedding animation:

The whole process went very smoothly and the company was very professional and prompt to respond.  We mostly communicated via email and on one occasion we spoke to our animator via Skype which gave us the chance to interact and give feedback.  We kept it a secret from everyone so it was a big surprise.  We actually had what looked like a standard wedding slideshow, transition into the animation so our guests were not expecting it.  I can’t tell you how many compliments we had from friends and family because it was so unique.  Now post-wedding, we have this great animated version of how we met to show the kids and grandkids someday!

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By the way, this is the sixth in a series of posts on DIY wedding photo ideas in celebration of wedding season and my upcoming one-year wedding anniversary!

If you missed the first five posts:

Wedding Proposal Photo Book & Wedding Website

Save the Dates, Photo DIY Wedding Invitations & Engagement Photo Book

Showcasing your Engagement Photos on your Wedding Day – Photo Guest Book & Personalized Sweets

DIY Custom Photo Table Numbers

Top 10 Tips for an Amazing Wedding Slideshow

For a roadmap of the series, read the overview on DIY photo ideas for your wedding.

Go to the main DIY guide for Weddings & Brides.

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