Most brides are excited about finding the right dress for their big day, but for Scottish paper obsessive Stacey, it was the wedding stationery that really piqued her passion. After hunting around for the ideal Save The Date cards, she decided to design her own. And so began Love Paper Co. – her stationery and paper goods company. We talked to Stacey about her design background, her love of typography and card stock, and her oh-so-pretty paper products…
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a creative, crafty girl with a love of pretty paper, type and all things wedding. I believe that life’s special celebrations deserve beautifully designed and printed stationery and papery things. You’ll find me tucked away in a small town, in a corner of north-east Scotland.
Wedding invitation suite – Athena range
How did you get into the business of wedding stationery?
Completely by chance. I got engaged in 2011 and was really excited about doing the stationery (more so than buying the dress!). I was looking around online for ideas and inspiration, and for save the date cards and stumbled across Folksy. I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t been on the site before. It hit me that I could open a shop myself.
Have you always been a designer?
For as long as I can remember I loved drawing. Art was my best subject at school and I always said I wanted to be an ‘artist’. After studying design and visual communication at art school, I got my first job as a graphic designer in 2002.
Table cards from Stacey’s own wedding. Bespoke designs available from her Folksy shop.
Love Paper Co feels like the perfect moniker for a shop selling wedding stationery. How did you come up with the name?
As a designer my biggest passion has always been paper. I love nothing better than working on a new print project and looking through paper swatches and samples for the perfect stock. So it seemed the perfect name for my shop!
Paper Pinwheels, £20 for a set of six
What your bestselling product or design?
Currently my most popular products are the heart-shaped fans and the straws with little flags. I only introduced the heart-shaped fans after using them at my own wedding and they have been a big hit!
Bespoke Wedding Programme Fans, £2 each with a ribbon
Do you ever work with couples on bespoke designs?
Yes. A lot of couples come to me with ideas of their own and elements of some of my designs that they like. and I can work with them to create something that’s unique to them and their big day.
Personalised wedding favour straws
What influences your style, and who are your inspirations?
I would say no one person or thing. I can spend literally hours on Pinterest, and I follow lots of stationery and graphic designers on Instagram and Twitter. A lot of my designs are typography based, and I’m forever scouring through font websites for new styles and trends.
Can you describe your workspace?
I have a little corner in one of our spare rooms with my desk and iMac, and some neatly organised shelves with all my supplies and tools. If I need more space I decamp to the dining room table :)
How do you organise your space?
That’s been a bit of learning process. I try to keep things I use a lot together and within easy reach. I have a lot of different paper stocks, so I try to keep all those separated out, and of course everything has to have a pretty label on it :)
Do you think there has been a move towards more individual / handmade weddings recently?
Definitely. With sites like Pinterest it’s much easier for people to get ideas and see things they want to use. I also think that brides especially want to inject their own touches and ideas into their day. Even the least creative minds can do this with simple touches such as stamps, kraft card and twine.
Programme fans at Stacey’s wedding
Can you describe your perfect wedding and where would it be?
For me there is nothing better than a Scottish wedding with kilts, bagpipes, ceilidh dancing and haggis. Something about all this makes you very proud to be Scottish and adds a sense of occasion at a wedding. To make it even more special, a beautiful castle setting would make it perfect.
