Handmade, bespoke wedding stationery is something that can really personalise a wedding (we designed our own save the dates and invites for our wedding for that very reason – so bored of the standard invites) so I was over the moon to hear from Miss Emma Ruth, graphic designer turned wedding stationer. Those that know me, know that I love showcasing british talent- boutique, unique or just damn right gorgeous, yes those are the vendors that I like to feature!
I love finding out more about the people behind the products and because I run my own company, I am always intrigued to know other people’s story. Oh and By the way aren’t those little pugs just so cute!
*How long have you been doing this?
I’ve been doing bespoke invites for about 3 years alongside my ‘real’ jobs which have been in both graphic design and events management. I decided recently that I wanted to dedicate my time to making Miss Emma Ruth my full time job; and I was also very fortunate to be given the opportunity to spend 3 months in Australia where I could focus on designing my first ‘off the shelf’ range and my website. I’m headed back to the UK in June and hope to be very busy!
* What got you in to it?
I did my sister’s wedding in 2007 and really loved the process. I designed a whole range of stationery and we came up with some nice ideas (such as the badges which we pinned to the favours and a ‘wishing tree’ to which people tied messages, rather than using a guest book). I had lots of people tell me how much they loved the whole theme and look of the wedding, and even got some new clients from it, so I knew it was something I wanted to and should do, more of.

* Can you talk me through two of your favourite invites and what you loved about making them?
Well, my sister’s would have to be the first (Helen and Andrew) because it was a very special occasion and she trusted me to go with what ever I felt would work. I was living in Japan at the time (I came home for the wedding of course!) and had just started using a Gocco printer, which is a perfect tool for screen printing wedding invites without all the mess! I designed a few different themes and the bride and groom chose their favourite. After a few tweaks by them, and lots of traipsing around Tokyo to find the right paper, I printed them in 3 colours on the Gocco and sent them off to the UK. Because they were the first invites I did, it was a real learning curve (especially the printing) and I gained a lot from the experience which I was able to take on to my next projects.
My second favourites would be my most recent, for Matt and Tom, who are having a Civil Ceremony in Camden later this year. Again, I am on the other side of the world to my clients so everything has had to be done over skype and email, which worked fine. They didn’t want anything to ‘weddingy’ (which is what a lot of my clients seem to say!) and they have a great love of pug dogs, so we decided to use them as the main theme. I’d never done a heavily text based invite before and wanted to try it out with these. I really love how they have turned out, especially the big ‘Hooray!’. I hand drew all the text (traced from TImes New Roman) to give them a real handmade feel and because of this, thought that screen printing would give the best result, as when screen printed, each card takes on a very special unique quality that you don’t get with digital printing. They were expertly printed by my good friends at The Badger Press in navy blue. They were such fun to design, and working with such a creative and great couple made it all the better.
* Why should LMW readers choose someone like you to do their stationery?
I love working with couples to make sure I create something that accurately reflects their personalities and the feel of their day. I’m very hands on and enjoy searching out new printing techniques and other special materials to make each design truly unique. My bespoke process is clear and simple and I keep clients involved and up to date with every step from consultation to printing. It’s a job I love and am passionate about, and I hope this shows in my designs.











