Wedding stationery designer Rachel Heritage offers a bespoke service to truly make your wedding invitations stand out from the crowd.
Dublin native Rachel Heritage was inspired to start her own wedding stationery and design service just a few years ago during lockdown. Now The Ivory Feather is booming, with plenty of specially made orders pouring in during peak wedding season.
While the business was new to Rachel, the industry certainly wasn’t. She studied event management in university and worked as a wedding coordinator for a Meath venue for seven years before starting her own stationery design service.
“I’ve always had a love for styling and design, and that passion has been with me for as long as I can remember,” Rachel said. “While I enjoyed my previous roles, I always felt the drive to create. Weddings are the perfect canvas for creativity, and they allow you to bring beauty and joy to people’s lives during one of the most important moments. It was a natural fit for my love of styling and design.”
“Working in the wedding industry has given me the opportunity to combine my love for design with the satisfaction of helping couples bring their visions to life. It’s incredibly fulfilling to be a part of such a special and meaningful day for couples and their families.”
Here, Rachel shares more about her unique design business, as well as her top tips for planning out wedding invitations, from a guiding timeline to choosing the best invitation suite for your couple style.
What inspired you to start The Ivory Feather?
The Ivory Feather came to life quite organically. It all started at the beginning of the first lockdown in 2020. With weddings on hold, I had a little extra time on my hands. I had an interest in art and calligraphy from a young age and with my own wedding coming up, I wanted to create some of our stationery elements.
With college and work at the forefront, it had been years since I had sat down and created something artistic. I unearthed an old calligraphy pen and one evening took the notion to set up an Instagram page. I initially shared photos of calligraphy place names and table numbers. It was gaining interest and I started getting messages from other brides and grooms.
I couldn’t believe it at the time. From there I launched my first invite design and took the leap to full-time in May 2021. It has been amazing and I’ve learned so much over the last three years. There’s a lot that goes into it behind the scenes, but I really love it and haven’t looked back.
What is your business mantra?
This is tough to narrow down! Overall, it revolves around attention to detail, premium quality and exceptional service. There’s a lot going on in the lead into a wedding, so I’ve adapted systems to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for couples to create their wedding stationery.
I have spent time drawing illustrations myself by hand so that each design in the invite collection is original to The Ivory Feather. It takes time but it’s something I have been passionate about from the beginning. I also offer custom venue illustrations, each of which is initially created as a pencil sketch, to be used on invitations or other stationery elements.
The newest addition that I recently launched is personalised wedding websites. It’s a system that has been created in-house and is unique to The Ivory Feather. RSVPs are quickly moving more digital, so I wanted to create a system that would be personal to the couple while matching their printed wedding stationery. There’s been a huge interest in it since it launched, which is exciting!
How can couples choose invitation suites that best suit their style?
I created a Design Guide, which leads each couple through the collections and materials that are available to choose from. Every invitation suite is different, with a range of embellishments that can be added to suit every style.
Some couples will identify their preferences themselves and others prefer a little guidance. A lot of thought goes into the style of your wedding day. I’m always happy to offer guidance to ensure that your stationery sits in seamlessly with it. It’s often the smallest details that are the most memorable.
What’s the best timeline for booking and mailing invitations?
Save the dates can be sent any time from six to 18 months in advance of your wedding. The earlier the better if it’s a case that you have a large number of guests travelling from abroad to attend. It’s important to bear in mind that some people will need quite advanced notice if time off work is required.
For invites, I would suggest sending them no later than three to four months in advance and having an RSVP date of approximately five weeks before your wedding at the latest. It just means you can enjoy the final lead-in with everything organised ahead of time. Try to eliminate those last-minute tasks.
Is there a polite way to tell guests on the invitation that they can’t bring plus-ones or kids?
This is always a tricky one! It can be beneficial to personalise your invite with guests’ names, identifying exactly who is invited. I offer this digitally, with guests’ names printed on the invitation for a seamless finish. It also means that your invites are addressed to your guests when you receive them, ticking another job off your list.
Digital envelope addressing can also be added to match, so there’s no confusion about who is/isn’t invited. You can also add a short, friendly note to address it a little more directly if it’s necessary.
Any advice for couples who are in the process of wedding planning?
I am often asked what I would recommend, or if I think couples are missing anything from their day. Of course, every couple has elements that are important to them to include – it’s these things that personalise the day and make it unique to you.
Choose suppliers that are experienced in their area and that takes a lot of weight off. They will be able to guide you and give friendly reminders when details are needed, or decisions need to be made. There’s so much that can take your focus when it comes to wedding planning. It’s very easy to get drawn in by new styles that pop up during the months of planning. Narrow down your list of preferred venues and suppliers before reaching out. Once you’ve made a choice, do your best to keep to it and be authentic to yourselves in your choices.
Send your invitations no later than three to four months ahead of your wedding. Stationery takes time to create and you should confirm your supplier along with all others, at the early stages of your wedding planning. Details and quantities can be amended along the way, but it means your booking is secure and you have plenty of time to finalise your preferred design.
On the day itself, let your venue look after all the details and just take it all in. The day goes by so quickly once it arrives and it’s important to enjoy it together. It’s such a magical time!
Photo (to right) by Niall Scully Photography
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