After scooping a Special Recognition prize at the Wedding Ideas Awards in January, wedding stationery designer Lucy Ledger has been busier than ever! We caught up with one of the biggest names in weddings to discover her plans for 2015…
What’s happened since you won your Special Recognition Award?
Winning the Special Recognition award in January was so unexpected and, without a doubt, the highlight of my career so far. I can’t thank the team at Wedding Ideas enough – they have always been so supportive but this surpassed all my expectations! Since winning the award the studio has been inundated and we have enjoyed our busiest season to date – we are working with a great variety of wonderfully creative couples on their big day preparations.
The best thing about my couples is how amazingly supportive they all are when it comes to voting for awards and fantastic feedback. I’m so lucky to have worked and be working with such great people and being a small part of their special day.
What are your stationery plans for 2015? New trends?
I’m keeping my best sellers in the collection and adding three or four new ranges this year to make up the Lucy Ledger 2015 wedding collection. The natural rustic homespun trend is still popular and evolving. I’m loving the whole focus on bringing the inside out by making up living areas outdoors and the other way around, bringing the outside in with natural florals and lovingly put-together tablescapes. Industrial chic is another big trend and lighting in unusual forms is a huge part of it including lanterns and hanging bulbs – I have incorporated these into another one of my forthcoming designs.
What’s happening with the Paper Girls?
The Papergirls has surpassed all our expectations this year as we now have over 500 designers as part of our community. Add to that being invited to collaborate with the V&A and hosting product launches for Revlon and we have had a truly amazing year! Abigail Warner and myself set up Papergirls in 2011 in order to help new stationery designers and encourage a supportive community in the paper goods industry.
We host workshops and each year we run Paperfest, which is a celebration of Dreaming Big – we invite the people we admire to tell their stories of success to motivate and inspire. This year we went from 30 attendees to 125. We hosted the event in the amazing One Marylebone and had wonderful speakers such as Anna Bond from the Rifle Paper Company, Kate Halfpenny, Peggy Porschen, Rock my Wedding, Mollie Makes and many more. The day was just fabulous!
What are your favourite websites?
On the run up to my wedding the blogs were just emerging and I have always loved Rock my Wedding. Charlotte featured our wedding and was also first to launch my business. I also love Rock n Roll Bride, Love my Dress, London Bride and Boho Weddings.
‘Before I got married, I wish someone had told me…’
To expect things to go wrong and when they do, it’s all part of the memory! We had a Christmas wedding and got our dream of a snowy day. Unfortunately along with magic of snow were the downsides – my mum slipped on the ice the day before the wedding and ended up in A&E, all our guests were stranded trying to make over the Pennines and, on the day itself, I had to be carried to the church by the chauffeur because the cars got stuck!
If someone had told me that before the wedding I would have been horrified but looking back it really does make a wonderful story – the happy ending was that everyone made it and were so overjoyed to finally to be there it made for a really festive, magical atmosphere!
Which celebrity couple would you like to create stationery for?
I know if Zooey Deschanel ever got married again, I’d definitely love to do her stationery – she has a wonderfully quirky nature that would fit perfectly with my designs!
What’s your favourite design from the new year collection?
I really love the Rustic Meadow collection – I think it’s going to be a best seller in the coming year because of its laid-back gathered pretty florals and vines against the natural craft background.
You’re at your happiest when…
I’m spending time with my two-year-old son, my husband and my wider family. My family have always been so supportive of my business and they really make me appreciate everything I’ve worked for. I also love being in my studio creating new designs and the next big goals for the business! Above all I feel so very lucky to have achieved my dream and I’m grateful every day.
Chosen your perfect wedding invitations but not sure what to write in them? We reveal all here. Did you miss Lucy picking up her award? Watch all the action from the night now.
