NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, The Knot, a leading wedding planning and registry resource, releases the new Black Artist Collective on The Knot Invitations—a one-stop shop for all engaged couples’ wedding invitation and paper needs—featuring designs by talented creatives Melissa Koby, Christine Llewellyn Ohemeng, Chantell Marlow and Reyna Noriega. Each of these artists has designed stationery suites offering a variety of products, including save-the-dates, wedding invitations, wedding response cards, wedding programs, guest books, table numbers, thank-you cards, coordinating wedding website designs and more.

The launch of The Knot Invitations’ Black Artist Collective reinforces The Knot’s commitment to providing a platform to underrepresented creative artists. As today’s couples have shared their desire to be more intentional and socially conscious throughout all buying decisions including wedding planning, The Knot Invitations’ Black Artist Collective provides couples an opportunity to support and showcase the work of creatives of color throughout their wedding planning journey. The Black Artist Collective also serves as the first of many collections on The Knot Invitations dedicated to amplifying the work of underrepresented communities and is part of The Knot’s larger commitment to help couples become better allies through its content, products, tools and services.

Meet the Black Artist Collective

Melissa Koby—Based in Tampa, Florida, Melissa Koby began her journey as an artist at the early age of 4, when her mother gifted her an art easel. Since then she’s devoted her life to visual art. Koby tells The Knot, “To me, art is in itself a love language. An artist pours their heart into their work. When you look at artwork, you are looking at the emotions of the creator. When you buy art, you are showing a deeper appreciation for what they (the artist) love. When you give art to someone, you’re spreading that love.” Though Koby had toyed with the idea of turning her art into stationery previously, partnering with The Knot Invitations gave her the platform to make that idea a reality. Her illustrations, and now her stationery suite on The Knot Invitations, emphasize rich, natural colors that reinforce the message of unity.

Christine Llewellyn Ohemeng—After obtaining her MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and later working as a marketing manager, Christine Llewellyn Ohemeng left the corporate world to pursue her passion for art and design. She later founded Christine Joy Design, where she began specializing in home goods, apparel and consumer products. To Llewellyn Ohemeng, art is a form of self expression. Inspired by her Carribean heritage, her designs are often characterized by their playful yet elegant hand-drawn motifs combined with modern, minimalist pattern composition. Llewellyn Ohemeng’s watercolor-style designs offer to-be-weds a new contemporary, elegant stationery suite to choose from on The Knot Invitations. “Having gone through my own wedding planning nearly ten years ago, I am intimately familiar with just how important each and every decision is to couples. To think that they will decide to use my design for that first communication to their guests is such an honor,” she says.

Chantell Marlow—Chantell Marlow is a Midwest-based graphic designer and illustrator with an affinity for all things floral. Though Marlow has always identified as a creative, she attributes her blossoming moment as a digital artist to her journey into motherhood. Marlow considers her art a form of activism and often reflects the beauty and strength of her community in her designs. “Protest art, political art, educational art, and others like it, make it possible for conversations to be had, stories to be shared, and ideas to be communicated across political divides, across geographic divides, across racial divides, and across the nation as a whole,” she says. Inspired by nature, faith and beauty in the world, Marlow’s floral invitation suite is perfect for those looking for modern yet bohemian wedding stationery. She is enthusiastic about her designs being offered as a wedding stationery suite, noting that “wedding art, whether stationery, event decor, florals and more, help couples reflect on their unique love story and relationship.”

Reyna Noriega—Reyna Noriega is a Miami-based Black and Afro-Latina visual artist, author and educator. Through simplified shapes and forms in bold and vibrant shades, Noriega portrays figures of people of color, architectural spaces and landscapes in her designs. “My identity as a black and Afro-Latina woman shows up naturally in the dynamic ways I like to incorporate movement, color and joy,” she says. “I am also very intentional in my choices to illustrate women of color and offer representation that doesn’t always exist.” Noriega has devoted her multidisciplinary practice to uplifting women and helping them find happiness. She is excited for her designs to be a “tool for couples as they define their special day.” Her artwork adds a vibrant yet natural vibe to the invitation suites available on The Knot.

“We are so excited to feature the work of Melissa, Christine, Chantell and Reyna, to share their stories, and to have their designs inspire our couples—like they have us,” says Kristen Maxwell Cooper, editor-in-chief of The Knot. “With The Knot Invitations and collections like the Black Artist Collective, we have the opportunity to showcase and amplify the work of artists from around the world. The Black Artist Collective brings a new energy to our paper offerings and gives millions of couples access to incredible artwork as they determine their unique wedding style and communicate that with their guests.”

The newly launched The Knot Invitations is a one-stop shop where engaged couples can find hundreds of affordable and customizable invitations and stationery designs that will showcase their unique personalities, love stories and wedding styles. From “Change the Date” cards and free reprints (more than a third of to-be-weds in the US with weddings between September 2020 and January 2021 have postponed their celebrations due to COVID-19₁) to thank-you notes and everything in between, The Knot Invitations offers couples all their paper needs while ensuring every point of guest communication remains on theme, including matching wedding website designs. Additionally, in partnership with American Forests, The Knot will plant a tree in an area of crucial need with every purchase on The Knot Invitations through the end of 2020.

Source₁ The Global COVID-19 Weddings Report; conducted in September 2020 and fielded among users of the The Knot Worldwide family of brands: US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, India, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Chile with weddings originally planned September 2020 through January 2021.

About The Knot

The Knot is the nation’s leading multiplatform wedding resource offering a seamless, all-in-one planning experience—from finding inspiration and local vendors to creating and managing all guest experiences, wedding registries and more. The trusted brand reaches a majority of engaged couples in the US through the #1 wedding planning website TheKnot.com and #1 iOS and Android mobile app The Knot Wedding Planner, The Knot national wedding magazine, and The Knot book series. Since its inception, The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan a wedding that’s uniquely them. Visit The Knot online at TheKnot.com and follow on social media: Facebook.com/TheKnot and @TheKnot on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.