Supplier Love Blog Series - Part Three - Anna Jayne Designs
Part Three- Anna Jayne Designs
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Bespoke Wedding Stationery Design
A blog series introducing you to some of my favourite suppliers in the wedding industry. They will be telling you a little bit about themselves and offering some pearls of wisdom for planning your wedding day.
Anna is an exceptionally talented artist based in Buckinghamshire. She creates stunning, unique wedding stationery.
Over to you Anna…..
My name is Anna and I own Anna Jayne Designs. I create stationery, floral fabrics, and lots of watercolour illustrations. I am pretty content with a paintbrush in one hand and a fresh cuppa in the other. If you follow me on social media, you will see I am obsessed with my boxer dog Kizzy. She keeps me company whilst I work at home and pesters each morning until we go on our morning walk.
Experience In The Wedding Industry
My path into the wedding industry started a few years ago when I was a bridesmaid for my lovely friend Hannah. I was one of 6 bridesmaids and we had an issue with matching the shoes. I decided then to create a bespoke fabric to cover up a pair of flats so we could all match. From that moment the idea of my business developed. With that fabric, I was able to incorporate into the bunting, the jam jar tops as well as the groomsmen bow ties. Having little touches of the fabric pulled all the artwork of the table pieces together creating a decorative theme throughout. This has then led to combining my love for prints and florals into stationery and bespoke illustrations. I decided to take the plunge running Anna Jayne full time in 2017 after 5 years working for a screen printing company. The main thing was, I really missed drawing & experimenting with art like my days at Brighton University. 3 years down the line and 60 weddings later, I am so pleased I made the jump of running my own business.
Top Tip
Enjoy your engagement! You have plenty of time to plan a wedding :)
Where did you get married?
Tell us about your day and why you choose the suppliers you did.: I actually just got married last April at Steeple Claydon Church, then we had our reception over at Stratton Court Barn. I honestly feel like I can now see it from a bride's point of view, as well as a supplier. My business was very early days in the wedding industry so as I was trying to grow as Anna Jayne, I was trying to plan our wedding. It helped because I could go to wedding fairs as market research as well as finding a supplier! I found my suppliers in different ways... I knew I wanted to have Emma (from Signature Flowers) as our florist. I have always been a fan of her work and I wanted someone I could 100% trust - flowers were a massive deal for me! The thing I dreaded the most was finding a wedding dress. I decided to talk to bridal shops at wedding fairs/open days before booking an appointment. I am so pleased that I did because the 3 boutiques I visited I felt so comfortable and at ease. I actually found my wedding dress quite quickly after that. This is something I actually say to a lot of my brides, feeling the same thing.
I could go on and on about all the suppliers I used... everyone was perfect and just right for our wedding.
Top Tip
Guest List. Invite who you want to invite your wedding, not everyone else.
When did you know you definitely wanted to be an artist?
To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do as a business apart from earning money from my artwork. I had no business plan, customer base, or any direction. Just a very supportive family and a passion for drawing. I actually spent the first year attending craft fairs pushing my printed textiles. I found it really hard for people to understand that I created the design and the whole process involved. The 2nd year I attended every wedding fair I could and haven't looked back since then! I really love how individual every wedding is and I really enjoy creating such a special day for my couples.
Top Tip
When ordering invites, remember that the quantity will be around half of your guest list. Not every guest needs an individual invite.
What part of your work makes you all toastie inside?
My favourite thing is actually having a chat with my couples about their big day. If in the area, I try and arrange a meeting over a cuppa to discuss stationery ideas as well as the plans for the rest of the day. I really love hearing about all the different weddings, and what each couple plan to do to make it totally bespoke for them. I actually feel honoured that they want me to be part of that day, and help bring all of their beautiful ideas to life. I always seem to drive away thinking 'what a gorgeous couple'!
What is your favourite wedding theme?
I honestly like it when they are wanting something outside the box... I really get excited about ideas, thinking about how to make it a reality. All the artwork I create is my own and the main focus is floral, but I love it when someone throws in something a little bit different. I recently painted two pugs to add to a wedding invite which I absolutely loved doing! If I could do my wedding invites again, I would have definitely added my boxer Kizzy!
Top Tip
When it comes to stationery, it is totally up to you how much or how little you decide to do. It is your choice, and there is no wrong or right way.
image by Hannah Barnes Photography
Do You Have A Favourite Wedding Venue?
Image by Mark Lord Photography