This is the first interview in a new blog series we’re starting called “Creativity and Innovation in the Wedding Industry.” Last week we sat down with Vanessa Kreckel, creative director and owner of Two Paper Dolls. She is an artist and a leader in our industry.
Kathy: What advice can you give our brides when thinking about their invitation? What should they bring to their meeting with you and how far in advance (months ahead) of the wedding date should they meet?
Vanessa: Sometimes a bride will come in with a binder of everything she loves and wants and other times people come in with nothing and it’s through conversations with them about their wedding and personality where we can extract information that sparks ideas and gives us something to work with. When a client comes to us, we don’t require them to bring anything, we just meet with them.
Kathy: How do you balance the goal to share important details about the wedding day weekend with creativity and innovation?
Vanessa: It depends on the client and their level of comfort with giving us creative freedom. Our approach is to try to come up with something different that doesn’t look like the last three invitations that just went out the door. It’s the same way we design anything, its function and form are just as important as the aesthetic. We challenge ourselves to come up with unique ideas to end up with a piece that’s fun, different, and functional.
Kathy: How do the rules of etiquette guide the design process?
Vanessa: Tradition is important to some people, while others are looking to have their own aesthetic rather than copy what people have done for years.
Kathy: How often do you have a request for a traditional invitation?
Vanessa: A lot of our invitations are traditional in the sense that there’s an invitation and reply card and lined envelope and calligraphy, but we’re able to add more personality to them. The request to do a really standard engraved invitation, maybe 2 out of 100.
Kathy: How important is the save the date and wedding website?
Vanessa: I think it’s important. I think a website is all about convenience and a place to go when someone needs to know something. For a Save the Date, knowing something far enough in advance is helpful in most people’s busy lives.
Kathy: How far in advance do you need to start the design process for the save the date and invitation?
Vanessa: A typical client usually comes in 9-12 months before their wedding. Save the Dates are sent out 6-9 months in advance, and invites are sent 2-3 months in advance. We work simultaneously with a website and Save the Dates so the two things can be done in conjunction with one another.
Kathy: How far in advance do you need to design all of the day of stationary details:
Welcome Bags, Ceremony Programs, Placecards, Menu cards ect.
Vanessa: It really varies. When we work with a client from the very beginning, we plan out a timeline from their wedding day. We start on day of stationery once invitations are in production. But we’ve gotten requests where we’ve had to design 18 different things and produce them within a week. It’s nice to have 4-6 weeks to develop something and spend the time fine tuning it.
Posted Under: Vendors, Vendors We Love
