In the past 9 years since we have moved to beautiful North Devon we have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know lots of wonderful people – both clients and suppliers to the wedding and hospitality industry. There are so many talented people out there, many whom we have had the pleasure to work with.
We are delighted to launch a series of blogs to showcase some of these companies who are some of North Devon’s finest artists, crafts people and suppliers.
Step 1. ‘Save the Date’….
Choosing wedding stationery is a big decision as it is the first thing your guests will see about your wedding whether it’s a Save the Date card or the invitation itself! It is so exciting to begin your wedding journey and your stationery should not only reflect your personality but also your theme, colours, key information and with the option for bespoke deigns from the invitations to place names, menus and even wedding favours…it makes choosing stationery a very special element of your wedding.We are delighted to introduce Emma Louise Castle. Emma is a very talented designer who creates the most beautiful bespoke stationery for all occasions and, of course, weddings! We love her work and not only are Emma’s illustrations an integral part of our website design, every year she designs a gorgeous Christmas card for us which we send to all our couples past and present.
So you can get to know her a bit better, we asked her some questions;
Historical Building With a Modern Touch
My very first wedding stationery design was done for one of my oldest friends, she was having a beautiful summer wedding in the country and asked me if I would illustrate some invitations for her. I was working as a surface pattern and embroidery designer at the time and was so excited to be painting for something different, it was a lovely project with lots of wildflowers and a beautiful church to illustrate and I just loved working with her on it. She had loads of personal touches she wanted to bring into the invitations, and I loved being able to bring her ideas to life. Things spiralled from there and I started working on more and more wedding invitations, then I started creating venue paintings and now I have been designing stationery for 4 years. My very first wedding fair was at beautiful Tawstock, it was so lovely to showcase my portfolio in such a lovely venue!
What gives you your inspiration
When it comes to wedding invitations my biggest inspiration is hearings people’s love stories. One of my favourite parts of working on a bespoke invitation suite is getting to know about the couple, how they met, what they are dreaming about for their big day and finding out all the little personal touches that will feature in their day, these then make their way into the invitation design. I think it is really lovely to create an invitation that is not just beautiful for the recipients but also a really special keep’s sake for the couple, I’ve painted pet dogs and bunnies, people’s favourite birds and even used old family paintings alongside my own artwork, every single design is so unique, and it is a pleasure tell their story.
@kirstylouisephoto
@kirstylouisephoto
For my personal projects and custom suites my inspiration always comes from nature, I absolutely love living in the country and am a big fan of all things floral so you will notice a lot of beautiful blooms and wildlife appearing in my work. Flowers bring me so much joy and painting them is a close second!
Do you have a favourite design?
It is so hard to have a favourite design as each invitation is so different and so personal. Although my favourite style of invitation to work on is probably the concertina invitations, there are beautiful little A6 invites which fold out into a long double-sided invite, I think they have so much charm and here is always a lot of room for plenty of decorative detail so you can include lovely little maps, venue paintings, flowers and illustrated timeline as well as lots of written information. Concertina’s have become a bit of a favourite with my clients too, it is really nice to have all your information in one piece, and you can perforate the final page which makes it super easy and fun for your guests to use an RSVP!
@kirstylouisephoto
What types of stationery can you provide for a wedding or event?
I provide all sorts of stationery, from the bits you might need before the day such as save the dates, invitations, envelope liners and printed envelopes, along with little extra’s like bespoke wax seal stamps, will you be my bridesmaids cards, wraps and ties for finishing things off, pretty much anything you might want to include, I’ll do it!
I also design the stationery you would use on the day, like order of services’, place cards, table numbers and signage. I have even designed some little badges for groomsmen, writing paper for the bride to send her groom a letter on the of the morning of the wedding and I once folded a lot of little origami boats for all the children’s place cards. I am always happy to lend my hand to something new, nothing is really off limits and I love developing little seeds of thought into something great, original and fun for your wedding day.
Do you have any top tips for couples wanting to order stationery?
My top tips for ordering wedding stationery would probably be…
- Shop around! There are lots of lovely wedding stationers with their own individual style, keep an eye out for someone who’s style is right up your street and get in touch with them, or recommendations are always great, the wedding industry is super friendly, and your other suppliers will no doubt have pointers for you!
- Always drop an email if you’re interested in a supplier but want to see more, I have a lot more work available to view than just the things you can see on my website and Instagram. I always love to chat and show couples through previous work, consultations are always welcome with no obligation.
- Get planning!!! It is always worth getting some basic information together which will help your stationer to understand what you are looking for creatively as well as putting a cost estimate together for you. For example, how many invites do you need to send? What date would you like to send them out? Will you be needing printed envelopes? Do you have any stationery you would like on the day? Any information you know up front is really helpful.
Do you provide other products?
Yes, as well as my wedding work, I take commissions for paintings such as Wedding Venue’s, Floral Bouquets, Houses and Pet Portraits. I also have a selection of illustrated greetings cards and art prints which I sell through my website and also on Etsy.
Take the next step
Now you have got to know Emma a bit more, it is definitely worth taking a look at her website and social media pages. With so many beautiful designs to choose from, or indeed if you have your own bespoke ideas in mind for your special event then please contact her and have a chat. We look forward to working with Emma again in the future!
