Our mantra is that choosing a small wedding means you can go big on style – and beautiful wedding stationery is something we think you should seriously consider for your special day.
Kati from Scalet Paperie uses luxury paperstock, decadent metallic foiled edges and hand poured wax seals to create beautiful bespoke wedding stationery in her studio just a short drive from Treseren. We caught up with her to find out a little bit more about her business and get some expert advice on choosing your wedding stationery.
We absolutely love your beautiful calligraphy, where did you learn this traditional skill?
My first introduction into sign writing and calligraphy was during my graphic design apprenticeship at an advertising agency in Vienna many years ago. When I moved to Cornwall in 2012, I really got stuck into creating blackboards for takeaways and coffee shops. Fast forward to 2018, I discovered the modern calligraphy world online and I was absolutely mesmerised by the many talented people and their calligraphy writing tutorials. I was able to really practice and refine my own style of modern calligraphy using all the helpful tips they shared. Back then, when launching my own business, I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Alice Gabb who held a workshop in Cornwall. She taught me so much, especially how important the actual angle of your arms and posture is when writing. Another brilliant workshop I attended was held by Becky Thorns, who really helped me be brave with adding extra lines and flare.
What wedding stationery do I need is a question wedding couples frequently ask. Could you explain the different elements of wedding stationery?
Selecting the various elements of wedding stationery can be a little overwhelming. There definitely is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing, as your wedding stationery is as unique as you.
Basics such as your Save the Dates are always a good way to start off with as these give your guests a first glimpse into your big day and enough time to schedule in the date.
Moving on to the main wedding invitation sets, these can be made up from as little or as many parts as you like. Most sets include the main invitation (telling the recipients who, where and when), a detail card (giving guests further information on timings and accommodation), a map for directions and RSVP cards including an envelope and return postage stamp.
The ‘On the Day’ stationery is also a very flexible part of your wedding, which again should be totally tailored to you. Providing your guests with an ‘Order of the Day’ booklet or leaflet can help to give an idea of what happens when. This can also help make the day and any scheduled plans or events run smoothly. Signage, table plans and place cards help your guests find their way around the venue and seating arrangement. If you have a set menu, it’s a great idea to have this ready and included on your table set up to get everyone excited for the lovely food that is about to be dished up!
And lastly – Thank you cards. Although not absolutely necessary, they are such a thoughtful way of thanking all of your guests for celebrating the day with you and showing appreciation for any special gifts you received.
Do you have any advice for couples looking to choose their wedding stationery?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Everyone’s budget and visions are different and it’s easy to get carried away. Looking at inspiration online is a great way to get new ideas and finding the perfect suppliers but do avoid falling down social media rabbit holes. These can lead to you feeling pressure of delivering the most elaborate wedding day and stationery and this can actually hold you back from making decisions. My advice would be to really focus on the small but important details that reflect your personalities, keeping quality and sustainability in mind.
Can couples order individual components from you, or do they have to choose an entire set?
My wedding stationery is based on an entirely tailored approach. Whether you are after a handful of Save the Dates, or a whole range of stationery from invitations, to on the day stationary and thank you cards after the day. My couples can mix and match between styles and create a completely new wedding suite themselves. For small weddings, orders of the day and table plans are often not necessary, it is completely up to the couple which elements they would like to include. The wonderful thing about small weddings is that you can take a bespoke approach that can be really unique and beautiful. Individual place names and menus for guests can be a special touch at your wedding meal and in terms of budget, creating a maximum of 22 individual place settings for Treseren can be achieved on a much smaller budget compared to bigger weddings where there are 100 plus guests. They are also a beautiful keepsake for you and your guests.
You created some beautiful bespoke pieces for Maria and Neil’s September Treseren wedding, talk us through the different elements of their wedding stationery.
I had such a great time creating Maria and Neil’s ‘On the Day’ stationery, which really came together during a phone call one afternoon. We just brainstormed through various ideas and Maria mentioned that they were having beautiful dried flower confetti from the Cornish Gardens Confetti Company on each of the guests seat. They also required place cards for the ceremony itself, so I suggested combining the two, using smaller envelopes packed with the confetti with their guests names in calligraphy written on them.
Another very exciting detail on the envelope place cards were the bespoke wax seals. I used white eco-friendly sealing wax, a blank sealing stamp and embedded smaller pieces of the dried flower confetti in them. These wax seals were added to close the envelopes and give the guests a little preview as to what was inside.
For the table setting, Maria & Neil chose my Luxury Finish Suite with hand torn edges and rose gold foil details. The soft off-white tones in the luxurious textured card stock and the rose gold foil complimented the shades in the dried flower confetti perfectly, creating the most gorgeous late-summer colour palette.
We know you don’t just create beautiful wedding stationery, tell us about your Letterbox Gifts.
I just love exploring new ideas and finding ways of packing up thoughts and feelings to really make someone’s day! My gift boxes include carefully selected and meaningful items. Everything in them is something that I would personally love to receive and I really enjoy supporting fellow small business owners by including their beautiful creations in my Letterbox Gifts. I’m very big on sustainability and eco-friendly thinking, so one-off use products and plastics are completely banned from all of my products and wedding stationery.
After Kati created the menus and place cards for our Summer Wedding Menu Tasting Evening, we loved her work so much that we went on to commission her to create our breakfast menus as well as creating our very own Treseren wax seal. We’re currently working on an exciting new project with Kati that we can’t share with you quite yet, so watch this space!
If you’d like to discuss your bespoke wedding stationery ideas with Kati, then you can get in touch with her here.