I’m a sucker for stationery, I mean who isn’t. Every time I walk into the likes of Paper Chase and WH Smith I am like a kid in a sweet shop, surely 17 notebooks isn’t too many?! I can always find use for a new pen … it’s like an addiction.
So when I chat to a wedding stationer it fills me with all sorts of joy, I love to see new creations and when I chatted to Sarah from Paper Cafe last month she was kind enough to indulge my love of invites and send me some of her latest designs to share with you. She was also kind enough to sort out a last minute order of event invites for me so I’m doubly happy to share her work with you and support her creative genius within this lovely industry.
You can’t go wrong with clean, crisp lines. These look so simple yet so very classy, I love the font too.
Lovely watercolours here give this invite a waterside feel, almost like a crashing wave! Oh get me being all poetic!
Some common questions I am asked as a wedding planner is whether to send save the dates and when exactly to send invites, my advice here would be to send a save the date if you can, especially if your wedding falls on a school holiday or popular month such as May or September.
When thinking of when to send invites, you don’t want to send these too early or people will forget and their rsvp might not hold much priority if they know they have months to reply. However sending them out too late might result in more regrets than you’d like due to other plans being made by friends and family. If you have sent a save the date notice then I’d suggest sending your invites out at around 3-4 months to go, if you haven’t sent save the dates then I’d suggest sending your invites out at around 5-6 months, so a little earlier.
Stationery is an area that you can really get creative with, bring your own style and flair to the invite or chose a supplier that suits your requirements. Talk to someone who’s work you admire and get their advice, take your time and enjoy the process. Or talk to us for recommendation for the perfect stationery supplier for you.
I love Sarah’s work and below she has been kind enough to hold a short interview with us so you can understand a little more about her, take a read below.
Hello! I’m Sarah from Paper Cafe, I design wedding invitations and stationery for lovely couples who are getting married. I’m trained in graphic design and based in Southampton, and I love designing wedding invitations with beautiful typography and gorgeous paper.
What made you want to work in the wedding industry Sarah?
I’ve always known that I wanted to design pretty things for people, and when I was planning my own wedding I suddenly realised what a wonderful opportunity weddings are to design things that are fun, pretty, special and unique – and from that moment I was hooked!
What do your clients love about you and your work?
My clients really appreciate the time that I spend getting to know them and finding out exactly what their vision is for their special day. Your wedding invitations are a guest’s first look into what the wedding day will be like, and I love being able to design something beautiful that really reflects the couple and what they’re like.
What do you think makes a good wedding?
I really do love all weddings – a good wedding for me is simply when a couple get to celebrate marrying the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with, in the presence of their nearest and dearest. I love it when weddings reflect the couple’s personalities and when you go home thinking ‘That was SO like them!’
What’s been your favourite wedding so far?
My favourite wedding would have to be my own! 🙂 I don’t think I stopped smiling all day, I was just so excited that I was marrying my best friend! The moments when we said our vows to each other and became husband and wife are ones that I will treasure forever.
What is your top tip for couples?
My advice for couples would be to do what YOU want to do at your wedding, and relax and don’t stress about everything going to plan. While traditions can be really nice, if it’s not ‘you’ then don’t feel like you have to include things for the sake of it. The most important thing is that you’re getting married to the love of your life, so don’t worry if all of your carefully hand-made bunting falls down half way through your vows. (Yes, this happened to me!) 🙂
If you want to work with Sarah or see more of her work then visit her website or social media accounts below …..
Website: www.papercafe.co.uk
Email: sarah@papercafe.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/papercafeuk
Twitter: @_SarahJFisher
Instagram: @sarahjoannefisher
Etsy: papercafeuk.etsy.com
See you soon guys!
Love Marie x
The Wedding Expert - 