I first became aware of Soirée when I photographed Alison & Matt's wedding at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston back in October of last year. I ask all of my brides for a list of their vendors so I know whether or not to mention on my blog post. Alison couldn't speak highly enough of her experience at Soirée and her wedding stationery was just beautiful:
Such elegant invitations, escort cards, programs and menus :)
So a few weeks ago I found myself in Andover, MA after getting my eyebrows waxed. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was as I wandered into this cute looking storefront thinking it would be a good time to look into some new notecards.
As I looked through all of the amazing notecard options it dawned on me that I was in Soirée! Home of Alison's lovely wedding stationery. I ended up laughing about the coincidence with Trish and Rebecca and they kindly forgave my angry looking eyebrows ;) I made an appointment to come back and interview them for the blog and here's my discussion with Trish Martini the proud owner of Soirée:
Leah: So Trish, tell me all about Soirée!
Trish: Well, I'd actually worked for the previous owner for 5 years when I had the opportunity to buy the store 3 years ago. We then moved to Main Street in Andover. Soirée offers unique invitations, fine stationery, exquisite favors and accents. We specialize in custom work to fit all budgets.
We do a lot of weddings but we also do invitations and stationery for all milestone events including Bat/Bar Mitzvahs, bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays and anniversaries.
I'm also a certified etiquette consultant so as part of our service we offer free etiquette advice to clients - everything from how to address an envelope correctly and wording the dress code to helping them get through sticky situations!
Leah: What are some of the things that sets Soirée apart from others?
Trish: We're a full service stationer which is really great for the busy bride. They can literally come in and with just one consultation we can design and order the stationery, package and mail it so the RSVPs magically appear in their mailbox with the minimum work! We also work with a lot of venues and planners and understand the wedding process intimately. [Leah's comment - this is AWESOME - if you haven't yet sent out your invitations you probably don't realize how much work it is to assemble, stuff envelopes, get them addressed, mail them out etc etc]
Leah: What about timelines for invitations?
Trish: The earlier a bride comes to see us the better! As soon as you have a date and venue it's a great time to come in to visit as we can help you plan your budget for wedding stationery. There are so many beautiful items you can think about such as programs, seating charts, favor boxes, menus and much more. Generally save the date cards are sent out 6-12 months before the date (err on the longer side if you have a holiday weekend) and invitations go out 6-8 weeks before with an RSVP deadline of one month.
Leah: How should a bride prepare for a visit to Soirée? Do they need to bring anything?
Trish: We're used to working with all sorts of brides. From the ones that arrive with a clean slate, no ideas and looking for a lot of help to the others that come armed with fabric swatches, color palettes and fonts. We love both! You can choose an invitation to fit with the feel and style of your event or some brides will even design their wedding around the invitation!
Your invitation helps set the tone of your wedding for your guests for example a black tie affair will likely have a more formal invitation and will make your guests aware of the dress code.
Leah: So Trish, my favorite part of these vendor spotlights are getting all sorts of tips and tricks from experienced wedding professionals to help my blog readers. What would you like to share when it comes to wedding stationery?
Trish: Well, first of all, putting your invitations together is fairly easy, it's seating charts that are one of the hardest tasks! And often the one that the couple leave until the last moment. I always advise creating a seating vision board which will show where everyone will be seated if they all confirm they are coming. You can then remove people if they decline which is MUCH easier than trying to start a seating chart from scratch 2 weeks before your wedding.
Be specific on your invitations. We offer all sorts of etiquette advice about how to work invitations if you would like to have an adult-only reception and how to deal with uninvited guests on the RSVP cards.
Leah: What are some of the mistakes that couples make when ordering their wedding stationery?
Trish: We always encourage our couples to make sure they order enough invitations/favor boxes and programs. Some items will have a long lead time and if you decide to increase your numbers then there might not be time to order additional.
Leah: Very helpful information - especially about the seating chart. I remember pulling my hair out trying to do ours maybe 2 nights before our wedding party! What do you most enjoy about owning Soirée?
Trish: I just love getting to know our customers. We really form a relationship as they're here to choose their designs, they may come in for save the date cards, and then to pick up their invitations. We get really excited to hear how the wedding goes. We have a lot of customers who will come back for birth announcements after the wedding for example. We've worked with couples to design die plates which they can then use on their personal stationery for the rest of their married life which is lovely.
Leah: I love it when I get to see my wedding couples for newborn picture too! Anything else you'd like to mention?
Trish: Brides are often surprised at what a one-stop-shop we are, from the full stationery service to all sorts of other delights like personalized cake serving sets, champagne flutes, favor boxes! I always advise our customers to really think about the details and make it their own wedding through personalization. We love to collaborate with couples and make this a wonderful stress free experience!
Thank you to Trish for being so awesome and sharing such great information. If you're not familiar with Andover, MA it's a real hot bed of wedding activity with the new bridal center that recently opened. Christina's Bridal is there (awesome dress store, it's where I got my wedding dress) and you should also check out Les Fleurs for the most divine flowers. In fact make a day of it and have lunch in one of the many little restaurants there too!
Here's the cornucopia of products that greet you when you enter:
A plethora of wedding stationery options:
An example of a beautiful custom wedding invitation with a silk ribbon detail:
And the lovely team of (from left) Rebecca, Trish and Jenna:
Here's the information you'll need:
Address: 13 Main St, Andover, MA, 01810.
Web site: http://www.soireeandover.com/
Phone : 978-474-6400
Fax : 978-474-9339
Email : info@soireeandover.com
Phone : 978-474-6400
Fax : 978-474-9339
Email : info@soireeandover.com
Hours: Tue-Sat 10am - 5pm
And if you're new to the world of wedding planning then why not check out previous vendor spotlights:
And if you're new to the world of wedding planning then why not check out previous vendor spotlights:
The most stylish bridesmaid dresses for every shape and budget in every color under the rainbow at Flair Bridesmaid Boutique **here**
The wonders of professional make up and airbrushing with Joanne of Joya Beauty **here**
How lighting design can change the mood and feel of your wedding (plus make your pictures look even more awesome!) by Boston Uplights **here**
The wonders of professional make up and airbrushing with Joanne of Joya Beauty **here**
How lighting design can change the mood and feel of your wedding (plus make your pictures look even more awesome!) by Boston Uplights **here**
Eyelash extensions (seriously, the things I do for you guys!) at Interlocks Salon **here** (I so need to go and get these done again, although I've been using Latisse when I remember and it's making a difference, just a few more weeks and I'll look like Brooke Shields ;)
And if you'd like to be in the loop for new vendor spotlights and other fun stuff, why not hop on over to the Leah Haydock Photography page on facebook and hit "like"
