Happy New Year!!!!

I can’t think of a better way to start 2011, than with another addition of 30 days of Vendors! For the next 30 days, we will be doing a blog post featuring a vendor in Oregon every day. Because a large part of our job is finding the right vendors for our clients, we do not have a preferred list, but a long list- that continues to grow, as we meet and work with new talented and professional vendors! With each vendor’s style and personality being different and the importance of you finding a vendor that matches not only your style, but personality, we find it crucial to meet new vendors and grow our list of people we know continuously! While we’ll be bringing you 30 vendors over the next 30 days, they are not in any particular order. It was really hard to pick just 30 vendors, but we will be bringing you many more vendor’s through out 2011!

Click here to view the posts from last year’s 30 days of vendors!

If you’re wanting to know more about a vendor we have posted about or you would like any vendor recommendations, feel free to contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)!

Enough rambling, and on to the good stuff! The first vendor is Paper Bloom Studio.  We hope you enjoy getting to know Lindsay as much as we have!

Champagne: How did Paper Bloom start?

Paper Bloom: Back in 2005 right as I got engaged, I was just beginning to work as a graphic designer and couldn’t wait to design my own wedding invitations.  I had so much fun flipping through wedding magazines and visiting local paper shops and wedding boutiques for ideas and inspiration.  I designed matching favor cards, a guestbook table sign, menus, a large seating chart, and even signs for the bathrooms for my wedding.  After it was all over, just as I started to feel the post-wedding blues, a friend of a friend called me about her own wedding invites.  She had seen my invitation and was curious if I could design hers.  YES please!  From there, her friends and their friends began calling, and without really planning it, I had started a wedding invitation design business.

Photo by Katchlight Photography

Champagne: What’s your inspiration?

Paper Bloom: It may sound cheesy, but I’m really inspired by love.  I adore working with couples who are head-over-heels, and hearing how they met, their proposal story, details of their wedding…  All these things fuel my passion and creativity, and I strive to create something truly special for each couple.  I still look at my own wedding invitation on a daily basis, and it brings me back to that feeling right before marrying the love of my life– excitement, wonder, anticipation…  Who knew a piece of paper could do that to someone?! It’s really important to me that my clients are reminded of those same things when they look at their invitation.

Champagne: What types of printing processes do you offer and which do you specialize in?

Paper Bloom: I work with a local print shop that offers offset and digital printing, which are the most popular among my clients (and my personal favorite!)  Thermography and letterpress are less popular options due to the higher costs, but are also available.

Photo by Honeysuckle Photography

Champagne: Do you offer matching table numbers, programs, place cards, thank you notes, etc?

Paper Bloom: YES! I love love love it when a couple “brands” their wedding.  I get so excited when I’m asked to design even the most simple thing– like a sign for the bathroom!– just so it matches. 

Champagne: What do you love to do when you’re not doing what you do?

Paper Bloom: I love spending time with my husband and our 1-year old son.  Those boys are my world and inspire me every day to do what I do, and to do it well.  I enjoy Portland and discovering new places to eat or drink coffee, and listen to live music by local artists.  I love spending time with our big, loud and amazing families, and my dearest friends.  I enjoy cooking, but am not that great at it (unless I’m following a recipe)...  I think I just like to have an excuse to wear my cute apron!

Photo by Yasmin Khajavi Photography

Champagne: Do you have a minimum order? Do the invitations come in increments of 25?

Paper Bloom: The minimum order is 50, and can be ordered in any increment.

Photo by Honeysuckle Photography

Champagne: Do you offer recycled paper invites?

Paper Bloom: Yes.  My printer is able to order almost any kind of paper you can imagine, including 100% recycled, FSC-certified stocks, and other eco-friendly papers (like those made with cotton, which is a renewable/sustainable resource). They also use soy-based inks (very environmentally friendly) in their offset presses.

Champagne: What’s the approximate turn around time?

Paper Bloom: Ideally, I love to have anywhere from 2-4 months to work on an invitation before it is sent out to guests (4-6 months before the actual wedding).  I’m definitely able to accommodate shorter timelines, but that sometimes includes rush charges from the variety of vendors I order supplies from.

Photo by Honeysuckle Photography

Champagne: Do you have invitations for parties and other events related and not related to weddings?

Paper Bloom: Yep! I have worked with the Mothers of the Groom and Maids of Honor to design rehearsal dinner and bridal shower invitations that compliment the couples’ wedding invitation.  I’ve also designed baby shower invitations, baby announcements, holiday cards and birthday party invites for past clients, as well! I love keeping in touch with my clients and being able to provide custom designs for ALL the big events in their lives.

Photo by Honeysuckle Photography

Champagne: Thank you, Lindsay [Paper Bloom Studio] for sharing more about your company and how you got started!! Make sure you stop by Paper Bloom Studio‘s website, become a fan on facebook and follow them on twitter!

Cheers,

Mandi, Rachelle & the Champagne team