Nashville Wedding Vendor Spotlight: Southall Eden Paperie
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Today I go one-on-one with Shannon O'Kelley of South Eden Paperie, whose work I have loved since the moment I met her several years ago. Her work only gets better and I really want every bride to know about her custom wedding invitations. Please take a moment today to learn more about Southall. I assure you - her work is one of a kind and is great for the bride who doesn't want to see her invitations anywhere else or a creative planner looking to wow your client with perfectly complementary invitation designs. First off, why the name change from myOWNvitations to Southall Eden Paperie? As our business has grown and evolved over the past couple of years, we have been able to start focusing more on our strength, which is designing creative custom stationary for brides who want invitations that are truly unique. In November of 2008 we moved our studio from Green Hills to Southall Eden, a farm near historic Leiper's Fork (just outside Franklin). From this came the name change, and a new website that is more user friendly and caters exclusively to brides. What are your strengths compared to others in your category? We are designer owned and operated, which allows us to create something unique for each bride we work with. Our design process ALWAYS begins with a consultation with the bride (and groom if he wants!) to find out more about her and her big day. If logistics prevent us from meeting in person we will do it via phone or email. We do not work from books like most invitation vendors and you will not find our designs anywhere else. We also believe that the couple should be able to see in-person an EXACT sample of what their invitations will look like before going to the production phase. Because we do our own printing, we can offer this service. Which current trends are you most excited about? OK I don't know if this is really a trend or I'm just trying to make it a trend, but my clients are loving photo thank you cards. It makes sense- you know you are going to want to send a thank you card, and you know your friends and family are going to want to see your wedding photos, so why not kill two birds with one stone?
Secondly, I LOVE the use of bold patterns. As this trend becomes more popular in fashion and interior design, naturally it translates over to the wedding industry. An eye- popping pattern on your invitations can be carried through into your event lighting, table linens, and even your wedding cake. It's a fun way to tie everything together and create a cohesive look.
Finally, I think the use of personalized envelope liners is really neat. Not everyone uses envelope liners and they are certainly not a necessity, but if you are looking for ways to add an extra personal touch to your invitations this is a great way.
With the state of the economy, it's no secret that everyone is looking for ways to cut back their wedding budget. What are some way couples can save money on their stationary and still have something fabulous? One of the best ways is to get organized before placing your order! Try to have a solid idea of how many invitation sets you will need. Most stationers recommend ordering 25 extra, but personally I think this is excessive. Of course you will want a couple as keepsakes and a couple for last minute guest list additions. But the more prepared you are the less you will end up spending, That being said, be careful not to under order. You absolutely don't want to have to more later because the cost of printing 15 invitations will be MUCH higher per piece than when you order 150. It may also save you money to think about any stationary you will want for the ceremony or reception and order everything at once, even though you will obviously not have all the last minute details hammered down at that time. If you have a wedding planner she can help you with this, and if not you can ask your stationer what services she/he offers. As a designer, if I am ordering metallic navy cardstock to make invitations but I know I will need the same paper for the couple's menus and program covers on down the road, I can order everything at once. This saves me money, which I can in turn pass on to my client. Finally, wedding website are a great way to relay details of the event and eliminate the need for multiple enclosure cards. It does look nice to send a hotel card, reception card, direction card, etc. with your invitation, but if this is not in your budget it is very acceptable to refer your guests to a website for all this information. P.S. I still hate RSVPing on a website, though. More brides than ever are thinking about the environment when planning their big day. What does Southall Eden Paperie have to offer brides who want eco-friendly invitations? We too are very environmentally conscious. Our standard invitation printing paper is tree free, made of 100% cotton that comes from textile by-products. We are also happy to seek out recycled specialty papers and envelopes for our clients. This doesn't have to mean an earthy look, either. There are a variety of options of elegant papers in bold colors that are made of post consumer waste. Final advice for brides? Don't be afraid to do what YOU want to do, regardless of what is dictated by tradition. This is YOUR day (oh, and, um, I guess your fiance's too?) so it should reflect your tastes and personality, no matter what that may be. Don't be afraid to do something different and to be bold. Both you and your guests really will appreciate the wedding experience more if it truly reflects you as a couple.
What can we expect from Southall Eden Paperie in the future? Well, first off, Southall Eden the farm will be available as an outdoor venue for weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners and engagement parties beginning in summer of 2009. We look forward to offering package deals to couples wanting both the venue and stationary. In early fall we hope to unveil our new ready-to-order line of wedding stationary. This line will have the same creative flair as our custom invitations, but will be a more affordable alternative for brides whose invitation budget does not allow for custom design.
About the Author:
Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Happy Planning.
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Posted on April 26, 2009 |
Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods, Wedding Resources
1 Response to This Post
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 10:22am