Image Credit: Katie Rogers Photography
Happy Friday Lovely People! We are almost there. The weekend is oh so very near and I for one can’t wait for Saturday to come!
We have some extra treats for you today before you all sign off for the weekend. The first is sharing with you the brilliant, lovely and incredibly talented wedding stationery designer Emily from Letters from Emily.
Emily joined our wedding supplier directory earlier in the year and we are so excited to have her onboard. Her stationery collections are beautiful and, as you can see from the examples below, couldn’t be more perfectly suited to our Festival Brides readers and followers. What’s more Emily has a huge focus on sustainability, exploring different ways she can make it possible for her couples to make sustainable choices that fit within their budget. Any supplier that is eco-conscious and goes the extra mile to help couples create a more eco-friendly wedding gets a huge tick from us. A lot of waste is created whilst planning a wedding (and on the day itself) so promoting suppliers that offer affordable sustainable options for couples is something we feel quite passionately about. We all need to be doing our part to look after this wonderful world we are lucky to be a part of and Emily shares that same ethos. We also love that she aims to supply affordable bespoke options for couples as well, as she explains below…
I have a strong ethos that bespoke options should be affordable. Weddings are very personal experiences and I want couples to be able to include stationery that is something more tailored to them and their day. “You do You” seems to be an ongoing wedding “trend” that is rightfully here to stay. Choosing a bespoke option can feel like it would be a more expensive option but there are many different avenues to add your personality to your stationery.
Emily shares with us more details on her gorgeous stationery business and what she can offer you for your wedding.
Letters From Emily…
First and foremost I love pretty paper; stationery, a beautifully designed book, creative info graphics. Even a pretty post it note makes me happy. I may be biased but wedding stationery is such an important part of your wedding day. It is the first glimpse your guests will get of the tone or feel of your wedding. It is the way they will gain all the information needed and it is one of the only things they will keep as a memory of your day. So as a lover of beautifully designed paper goods, I have a huge passion for creating wedding stationery.
ECO CONCIOUS…
Being as sustainable as possible, and exploring how I can make it possible for my couples to make sustainable choices that fit within their budget, is a high priority for me. That is why I don’t mark up eco friendly options. Some eco options are surprisingly affordable, others like seeded paper, due to the process, are more costly. I will always endeavour to explore options if making sustainable choices are important to a couple. I try to remove as many obstacles to make it possible for eco options to be available within most budgets. Planning a sustainable wedding does not have to be more challenging or costly.
However, I know even contemplating an eco wedding can be daunting. After spending time sourcing eco suppliers and options I am here to help you navigate making these choices. The majority of my “off the peg” collections are printed on recycled card stock. Two in particular I find very suitable are Cairn Straw and Loop Antique. Loop is a premium quality paper with exceptional print performance. The majority of the range is made from 100% post consumer waste fibre and the entire range is FSC certified, carbon neutral and made with wind power. It has a fibrous, tactile finish so does have flecks which depending on your style of invitations can work beautifully. Cairn is 100% recycled characterised by a distinctive, tactile quality. These are just two of my favourite card stocks and they work particularly well with my ready made collections, Meadow Rose and Botanical Blush. These options are both very affordable and actually don’t cost much more than my standard designs which are printed on premium card stock. I am always happy to source the best card stock for your style, finish requirements and budget.
Seeded paper is a popular option and I have designed a number of styles on plantable paper. This particular option is more costly due to the production process and although I love seeded paper, it also works much better with some designs than others. The seeded paper I use works particularly well with large floral designs as it has a bumpy surface and is a mixture of wildflowers which can be planted to grow into wildflowers. Each sheet is unique and may have slight colour variations, due to the handmade nature. I have also recently sourced a coloured card stock which has been made from recycled coffee cups. The process is focused on zero waste and uses 5 coffee cups in a standard sheet of card stock. The finish has a lovely texture and comes in 10 colours including Shell, which is a beautiful oink shade. I find this works really well with botanical illustrations and typography and can be a perfect addition to make an RSVP stand out, for example.
There are further options for seeded paper and recycled paper (elephant dung paper anyone?) that may suit particular designs better. It may seem overwhelming to have so much choice but part of my job that I love particularly, is helping to provide the best options for a couple’s particular requirements.
YOU DO YOU…
I also have a strong ethos that bespoke options should also be affordable. Weddings are very personal experiences and I want couples to be able to include stationery that is something more tailored to them and their day. “You do You” seems to be an ongoing wedding “trend” that is rightfully here to stay. Choosing a bespoke option can feel like it would be the pricer option but there are many different avenues to add your personality to your stationery. Bespoke design gives you the opportunity to really put a special stamp on your wedding. Your finished invitation will be one that is a complete one off and is all about you. Bespoke stationery could include elements such as your own wedding flowers, an illustration of your wedding venue or even just a few key illustrations of things you and your partner love. All of my collections can be used as a base design with added elements. For example I worked with a couple who really wanted to include their cat and their chicken! So they were added to an existing base design. You can also see how versatile and unique it can be depending on the colour and paper choices you make. I feel that there isn’t a standard issue approach when exploring options for your wedding invitations and a smaller budget should not mean having to sacrifice quality or what is important to you. I can work with you to help you stay within your budget whilst giving you wedding stationery, which you will love and treasure.
RELATIONSHIP…
Image Credit: Katie Rogers Photography
My service is very collaborative. I appreciate that whilst some couples know exactly what they want, others may only have a small idea, or in some cases be very overwhelmed and have no idea at all. I am on hand to guide my couples through the process with care, sensitivity and also a bit of fun. Taking away the stressful elements of wedding planning is something I take into consideration when working with a couple, so I always encourage my couples to ask as many questions as possible so that they feel at ease going forward. I can help with wording and etiquette if that is of concern and advise on the best way to display all of that important information. Wording can be as formal or informal as you like but sometimes just a small nudge in the right direction can really help you have the confidence to not only have your stationery reflect you as a couple but to also display your information concisely. There are so many options when choosing what you need for your stationery. I can help you decide if you need a full stationery suite – save the dates, invites, rsvp cards, particulars cards, menus, table plans, name places – or I can explore other options, which can include alternative formats, like concertina style invitations.
Having worked in the design industry I know how important it is to work closely with my clients to get the best results and I absolutely transfer this knowledge when working with my wedding clients. I believe that having a good relationship with all of your wedding suppliers is key and I absolutely make sure that a good relationship is set up from the start.
For more information on Letters From Emily, and to see examples of her beautiful designs, please visit her listing in our wedding supplier directory: Letters From Emily | Wedding Stationery.
You can also learn more by visiting her website: Letters From Emily and social media accounts: Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
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