Vendor Spotlight: Champagne Press
From something as big as your wedding invitation suite to something as detailed as a map for your guests, Champagne Press has got you covered from start to finish. What started as a card shop on Etsy seven years ago has now blossomed into a booming stationery business with Julie Chaet and her husband leading the creative way. The beautiful designs and amazing customer service is apparent in their elegant invitation suites as she helps couples visions of their wedding stationery come to life. She was kind enough to answer some questions concerning their business, trends in the industry, and advice for couples looking to start creating their suite. Check it out below!
Tell us about you and your business.
Hi! I’m Julie Chaet the owner and Creative Director at Champagne Press a husband and wife team specializing in wedding stationery. We’re a print and design shop in historic Stillwater, Minnesota.
How did you become interested in stationery? How did you get your business started?
Our shop started on Etsy 7 years ago with handmade cards and eventually wedding invitations.
How did you get into wedding stationery specifically?
Pretty quickly we realized the joy of creating wedding invitations when a friend asked us to create invitations for her wedding and have been making wedding stationery almost exclusively since.
What is your favorite type of paper, material, program to work with and why?
I especially love letterpress printing or foil stamping on Crane’s Lettra cotton paper. To me this is the most traditional, classic and lovely way to create a wedding invitation suite. The cotton paper is so soft and fluffy and I love the texture and impression letterpress printing makes into the paper.
What was the most memorable set of wedding stationery you designed?
Last year we created a custom wedding invitation for our dear friend’s Spain wedding. Rachel and Brian chose to stamp gold foil into Crane’s Lettra paper and I worked closely with Sara Lustig, our go-to Illustrator, to create a custom map of the city they were married in and colorful floral motifs that we used throughout all of their cards. The suite was totally gorgeous and the fact it was for one of my favorite friends made it really special.
What do you feel sets you apart from others in the wedding industry?
This city is really unique that it’s filled with really great creative talent in all of the wedding industry and especially stationery. I think we’re unique in that we’re a small team, do a lot of our printing ourselves and are really flexible and friendly to bringing the couple’s vision to life on paper. Each couple we work with leaves with something totally unique especially for them.
Tell us about your packages and price points.
Our collection invitation suites are ready to order and range from $3 per - $10 per and include an invitation, RSVP card, response envelopes and guest envelope. Each of these suites are unique in style and design and are customizable from paper and ink colors, fonts, and more. For those couples looking for a Custom Design Julie works with a limited number of couples a year and requires a minimum order amount.
What are your favorite wedding paper/design trends right now?
I love that minimalism is big right now. I think there’s nothing more beautiful than a simple design on luxury paper with high quality printing. Illustrations, calligraphy, silk ribbon, wax seals, and acrylic signage, are a few other current faves if you want to have some fun and elevate your invitation/wedding design.
What advice do you have for couples about choosing stationery?
Stationery is one of those unique things in wedding planning that seems straightforward and simple but is actually really detailed and can be confusing. My advice is to hire a professional stationer to help you navigate all the etiquette and advise you on your needs for your particular event.
If you’re shopping for invitation suites and have the ability to shop for this in person rather than online I would say do it! Experiencing the invitation like your guests will that are receiving it I think is important for making the best decision for your wedding. Remember that often the invitation (or save the date) is the first thing your guests will see or experience about your wedding so this is really the opportunity to make a great first impression. Let the invitation’s style and wording choice give them a glimpse into your magical day.
How can we follow you and your business?
https://www.facebook.com/champagnepress
Instagram @champagnepress