Web / Custom Design & Build
Karim & Felicia
A wedding site that doesn't look like a wedding site.
Client
Personal Project
Role
Design & Full-Stack Engineering
Timeline
2025
The problem
Wedding websites have a template problem. Every couple gets a choice between a handful of pastel layouts, a stock photo of peonies, and a countdown timer that hasn't been updated since 2018. The result is sites that look like each other and feel like none of the people involved.
The brief was simple: build something that actually reflected Karim and Felicia — their aesthetic, their story, their guests. No template energy. No compromises on craft.
This project wasn't a showcase commission. It was personal. Which meant the only acceptance criteria was whether it felt right — a harder bar than any sprint review.
The approach
We started with the guests. Most wedding sites optimize for the couple's vision and leave guest experience as an afterthought. Here, we designed the RSVP flow, travel information, and schedule first — then built the visual identity around making those functional moments feel considered.
Design-first, then implement.
The design system was built from scratch: custom type pairing, a restricted color palette that held up in both light and dark environments, and motion principles that added warmth without being precious. Every component was designed before it was built.
RSVP as a product problem.
The RSVP system was built to actually work — dietary restrictions captured and exportable, plus-one handling with name collection, email confirmations that don't look auto-generated. The couple got a simple admin view showing real-time attendance numbers without needing to open a spreadsheet.
A wedding website is a UX problem. Most solutions optimize for the couple's feelings and make the guests do the work.
The work
Custom design system: typography, spacing scale, color tokens, motion principles
Fully responsive layout — mobile-first, since most guests RSVP on their phone
RSVP form with dietary restriction capture, plus-one handling, and email confirmation via Resend
Real-time admin dashboard: attendance counts, meal selections, travel details
Photo gallery with lazy loading and lightbox
Venue and travel information with embedded maps
Custom 404 and loading states that stayed on-brand
Deployed to karimandfelicia.wedding with SSL and custom domain on Vercel
The outcome
Guests who visited the site actually commented on it — not because it was technically impressive, but because it felt intentional. The RSVP rate for digital submissions was over 90%, with almost no follow-up required from the couple.
More than the metrics: the site felt like the people it was made for. That's the hardest thing to build and the easiest to get wrong.
The best test of a personal project: the people it's about feel seen in it.
Tech stack
Next.js
TypeScript
Chakra UI
PostgreSQL
Vercel
Resend
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