Nothing beats a good stationer. period.
A good stationer wears many, many hats. S/he is a designer. S/he is a printer. S/he is a stylist. S/he is a graphic artist. S/he is a vision-communicator. S/he is a dream-realizer. Because seriously, you can have a vision of what you want your wedding to look and feel like, and a stationer can take your jumbled, dis-jointed thoughts and ideas and translate them into a coherent piece of design that is then displayed on paper and other forms.
However, I know that many brides feel that they do not have the budget for a stationer. Don't fret! There are actually some ways you can still reasonably commission a talented stationer on a budget, and I will get to that soon. First, I wanted to mention the different ways you can print your paper goods from home - if you decide to brave the design process yourself.
Eddie (the hubs) is a designer and we have access to all types of programs, fonts, and printers that made it an easy option to design and print out paper good ourselves. I love that we did this, but have to admit that it was probably one of the most difficult periods of our wedding planning process. We had a super happy and fun engagement period where we didn't really argue about anything and came to decisions and compromises fairly easily. However, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I nearly went crazy a few times during the month or so of designing and screen printing all of our own invitations, programs, and other paper goods. So, while you know I am an avid supporter of DIY, a word of caution, DIYing your paper goods is not for the faint of heart.
I have already posted about how we printed our own invitation suite, but here is a reminder of what our paper goods looked like. They were seriously a labor of LOVE.



While teaching myself how to use the gocco, I found that this video on etsy was really helpful. Another tip that came in handy is if your mat becomes kind of dusty and your paper does not seem to be sticking to it very well, use a lint roller on the mat and it will make it sticky again! This saved my life many times!
If we had the budget, I would have LOVED to letterpress everything paper-ly possible. If you have seen my business cards (which I will be posting about soon), you know I love letterpress and will invest in some quality prints and papers. Lucky for brides today, there is a letterpress-at-home machine now available at stores - the L Letterpress.
Finally, an option that I simply cannot get over, is the amazing "Print Yourself" package offered by the ever-talented and gorgeous Megan of MaeMae Paperie. Megan offers a great bridal line as well as customized work. Two of my favorites from her recent collection are The Gilly Suite and Walter (named after her grandfather - how cute is she?!), pictured below.

6 comments:
Wow that truly is a labor of love and a lot of work but it truly paid off! I love how personal your stationery is and I bet it was a great bonding experience with your fiance (at the time)! I had no idea MaeMae Paperie offered a "Print Yourself" package.. and they are soo gorgeous that they look totally custom! My fave set of hers is the last grey one... I just love all the little details on it!
love this post!
loved your invites too.
and you're right...how can one not LOVE megan's work?!
LOVE this post!
What beautiful paper goods you had!! Everything looks just lovely!
I included a photo of you in your *stunning* wedding dress on my blog today! You looked SO gorgeous! xo
oh my. totally brought me back to the good times slaving over those invites. but i gotta say, hard work definitely pays off.
I love your wedding stationery especially the design of the petals. :)It's so fresh and whimsical.
I agree with your sentiments about stationers. They are also the most patient people on the planet.
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