Lora Murphy's Blog: Getting to Know

This post Getting to Know – Paper Veil Weddings first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

Interview With: Laura Vann

Company Name: Paper Veil Weddings

Website: www.paperveilweddings.co.uk

Location / Coverage: Long Eaton, Nottingham – cover all of the UK

What does Paper Veil Weddings do?

We make customised wedding stationery that is entirely illustrated by hand using traditional dip pen and inks.

How did Paper Veil Weddings come about and how long has the company been running?

I started Paper Veil in July 2014 because I was getting a lot of requests to create bespoke wedding illustrations when I was working freelance, so I decided to branch out and offer this service full-time. I have developed a portfolio of wedding invitations and wanted to create a service that offered something a little bit more unique to the UK wedding stationery market.

Who works at Paper Veil Weddings and what are your roles?

Laura Vann, Owner and Primary Illustrator
Theo Leeds, Business Administrator
Leon Vann, Commercial Photographer

Why is your company called Paper Veil Weddings?

We can thank Theo for this one! He generated business name ideas when we were just starting out. I wanted a name that would fit the market and also be memorable and unique. I liked Paper Veil because it has both a stationery and wedding based theme, but doesn’t sound too obvious and dull.

Describe your studio.

The Paper Veil studio is the converted loft space in my house. Last year it was plastered, painted and carpeted, and fully fitted with long worktops down each wall for our computers. There’s also a freestanding desk in the centre for the more messy paint and ink work, perfect for those projects where you need less distractions!

I am a very tidy worker and keep the workspace clean and organised, but there are plenty of clippings, postcards and other stationer items that I display as inspiration for when I’m creating mood boards and generating new ideas.

Have you always been creative?

Yes, right from primary school I have always loved art and design. Whenever possible I was creating illustrations for my homework and working harder on my art projects than any other subject. When I finished A-Levels I went straight on to do my Foundation Degree in Art and Design, which was the most enjoyable year of education for me. My experimentations through the foundation helped me decide to study illustration at University. I then went on to complete a Masters in Illustration immediately afterwards and have been drawing ever since.

What wedding stationery can Paper Veil Weddings make?

Our stationery is illustration based and is always drawn from scratch by hand. Only the text or any small adjustments happen digitally, and we always send the customer the original illustration to frame and keep.

How do you create bespoke stationery for each of your couples? What’s involved in the planning?

When a couple get in touch with us we provide a quote based on the basic information of their stationery needs, such as how many they’d like, what type (i.e. save the date or invitations etc) and if they require envelopes too etc. We talk this through with customers initially if they haven’t supplied the info already.

We then send out a quote based on their needs and also a digital booking form where they can supply any extra design information and the stationery text (if required).

If we need something to complete the order then we will get in touch with the couple anyway and provide proofs of the designs so that they know what to expect.

How long does the process take?

This depends on the amount of edits to the designs really. We always provide a proof when the design has been sketched out and again when the lines have been inked in. It’s at these points that couples can request amendments to the drawings, and after this the design is coloured and finished.

We aim to respond to all emails/messages within one working day and always aim to work on designs within one day of receiving information, but that can depend on how quickly the couple responds to a proof.

Once signed off, the design usually only takes three to four days to be printed, and then it can be sent on its way to the customer!

Each design is illustrated by hand using traditional dip pen and inks – what are the advantages of this over ‘printing’?

I suppose it’s just different really, and we do still use print to duplicate the original design, but we always recommend very similar textured gesso paper to our customers to try to replicate the original as closely as we can.

We are aiming to offer something really special, and think that having a hand-drawn illustration of you for your wedding stationery will ensure no one else will ever have exactly the same thing.

Does Paper Veil Weddings just make wedding stationery or do you offer products and services for other occasions?

Wedding stationery is our main collection, however I have been a freelance illustrator for several years and will happily take commissions for other design ideas. I have created a range of general greeting cards which are available in our Etsy store, and hope to expand the range of stationery in the future too.

Do you have a favourite stationery product that Paper Veil Weddings has made?

I love the couple illustrations best. Every one is different and it’s always the most exciting request to get because it means so much more to the couple than a standard design when it’s complete.

What are your top tips for choosing wedding stationery?

Have a good look around for ideas! I know it sounds obvious but you can gain lots of inspiration from sites like Pinterest, and then you can use wedding supplier directories to find someone perfect to work with what you’ve found.

Random question… How would you describe yourself in three words?

Friendly, creative, approachable.

Where can I find out more about Paper Veil Weddings?

Website: www.paperveilweddings.co.uk
Blog: www.paperveilweddings.co.uk/new-blog or paperveilweddings.tumblr.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/paperveilweddings
Twitter: @paper_veil
Etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PaperVeilWeddings

Visit the Paper Veil Weddings supplier page on The Wedding Community