Overview
Invuna is Tangled Design's in-house SaaS product — a complete event invitation platform powered by AI. A user describes their event in their own words ("wedding in Brașov, 12 June, 4pm, dress code cocktail, please bring flowers") and the system handles the rest: the AI writes the copy, generates the artwork, assembles the invitation, manages RSVPs, tracks the calendar, and delivers the finished invitation across WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram Story, Telegram, email, and direct link. Authentication, payments, and multilingual routing — all in place. All custom-built. Live at invuna.com.
This is not a client case study. This is what we build when there's no client — the product we own end-to-end.
The Challenge
The invitation software market is broken in a specific way. Every existing tool forces the user to pick a template, crop a photo, fill thirty form fields, and hope the result doesn't look like a 2015 eCard. The templates are generic, the design systems are rigid, and the content — the actual words on the invitation — is left entirely to the user. Which means most invitations sent through these platforms are ugly, long-winded, and forgettable.
We wanted to find out what would happen if you let the software do the work the user actually hates. Describe the event. We generate the words. We generate the visuals. We handle the sharing. We track the RSVPs. We manage the calendar. The user's job is to describe the moment — not to become an amateur graphic designer and copywriter on a Tuesday night before a birthday party.
Doing that end-to-end meant building a real SaaS product, not a marketing page with a signup form. Authentication. Payments. AI pipelines for both text and imagery. An RSVP system with guest tracking. A calendar that respects time zones. Multilingual routing. Analytics. Legal pages. Everything that a consumer SaaS actually needs.
The Approach
We picked the stack deliberately.
Not WordPress — because this is a product, not a content site.
Not a heavy React framework either — because the product is consumer-facing, has to load fast on phones, and didn't need the abstractions of Next.js for its core flow. A lean stack was the right answer.
Vanilla JavaScript on the frontend, Express on the backend, DigitalOcean App Platform for hosting, Cloudflare for DNS and edge, Bunny CDN for video delivery. Custom authentication. Custom language routing. Everything engineered with intent, every dependency chosen because we actively wanted it, not because a framework came with it bundled.
For the AI layer, we built a pipeline that extracts structured event data from free-form natural language, validates and enriches it, and then feeds two separate AI generation steps: one for the copy, one for the artwork. The output is a complete invitation with matching words and visuals.
For payments, we use Stripe — but with a flow that respects the way people actually buy invitation software. No forced subscriptions. Pay when you need it, use the credits, come back when you have another event.
For the RSVP system, we built a full guest management tool — the host can see who's coming, who's declined, who hasn't responded, dietary restrictions, plus-ones, and custom questions if needed.
For the calendar, we built an internal event tracker so hosts can see all their upcoming events in one place, with countdown timers and reminders.
For the multilingual layer, we built a custom language router that handles Romanian, English, and Italian from day one — not as an afterthought, as a first-class navigation element.
All of it in-house. All of it maintained by us.
The Solution
Core product features
- Natural-language event parser — takes a free-form description ("baptism for my niece, April 20th, 11am, orthodox ceremony at St. Nicholas, lunch after at Grandma's") and extracts structured fields: event type, date, time, location, host, special notes, dress code, gift preferences
- AI text generation — produces invitation copy in the appropriate tone (formal, casual, playful, elegant) based on the event type, with full bilingual parity across supported languages
- AI image generation — produces the visual artwork for the invitation card, matched to the event mood and the text. Not stock templates — generated specifically for that event
- Invitation card builder — assembles the generated text and imagery into a shareable card with clean typography, auto-layout, and quality suitable for print or digital
- Multi-channel sharing — native share intents across WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram Story, Telegram, email, and direct link (with clipboard fallback)
- RSVP system — recipients respond via a dedicated link. Host sees a live dashboard: accepted, declined, pending, plus-ones, dietary notes, custom questions
- Event calendar — hosts see all their upcoming events in one place, with countdown timers, RSVP status at a glance, and quick access to share links
- Authentication — users have accounts to manage their events, save drafts, and track RSVPs over time
Product infrastructure
- Stripe payments — credit-based billing. Users buy credits, spend them on generation and sending, top up when they need more. No forced subscription, no auto-charge. Supports every major payment method Stripe offers.
- Multilingual routing — Romanian, English, and Italian, with URL-level language detection, custom
language-loader.jsandlanguage-router.jshandling the routing, and properhreflangsignals for SEO - Schema.org JSON-LD — SoftwareApplication markup for discoverability
- Performance-first asset delivery — click-to-load video embeds via Bunny CDN, self-hosted fonts, lean JavaScript, deferred loading
- Legal compliance — Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Refund policy, GDPR-compliant consent flow
Brand and visual identity
Invuna has its own brand, separate from Tangled Design. Bold orange #FF6200, black #1C1D1E, and yellow accent #FFCE2E. Custom "Calimate" 900-weight display typeface for headlines, Source Serif 4 italics for accents. Rounded buttons, gradient overlays, JS-driven slideshow, carefully crafted landing page. The visual language is deliberately different from Tangled Design — Invuna is a consumer product, and it should feel like one.
Why this matters
Invuna is the project we point to when someone asks whether we understand product engineering end-to-end — not just building a landing page and handing it off, but architecting authentication, running payment infrastructure, managing an AI generation pipeline, shipping features, fixing bugs, and staying responsible for it all over time.
The Stack
Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript (no framework)
Custom "Calimate" 900 display font
Source Serif 4 italics
Modular component architecture
Backend: Express (Node.js)
Authentication: Custom auth flow (email + session-based)
Payments: Stripe — credit-based billing on top of one-off payments
AI text generation: Natural-language event parsing + contextual copy generation
AI image generation: Visual pipeline producing event-matched artwork
RSVP system: Custom guest management with plus-ones, dietary notes, custom questions
Calendar: In-product event tracker with countdown timers
Hosting: DigitalOcean App Platform
CDN / Security: Cloudflare
Video delivery: Bunny CDN
Schema: JSON-LD SoftwareApplication
Languages: Romanian, English, Italian
The Result
Live at invuna.com. Users are creating real invitations for real events — weddings, baptisms, birthdays, graduations, corporate events — in three languages, paying through Stripe, tracking RSVPs, sharing across every major platform. We maintain the product continuously: new features ship regularly, bugs are fixed as they surface, and the AI generation layer is refined based on what users actually ask for.
If the rest of our portfolio shows how we build for clients, Invuna shows how we build for ourselves. The standards are the same. The level of care is the same. The difference is that we're accountable for every decision, forever.
