In this LCI Paper interview, we hear from the creative and talented Marit Hanson, owner of Marit Hanson Weddings (MHW) in San Francisco. Marit is a graphic designer and custom stationer who specializes in designing modern, stylish, and personalized wedding stationery for brides and grooms to be.

You can view examples of Marit’s custom designs on her website, as well as on several mainstream wedding blogs. Marit has been featured by Style Me Pretty, Ruffled, The Knotty Bride, Brenda’s Wedding Blog, and Engaged and Inspired. She has also been referenced by Junebug Weddings and Bride and Bloom.

Last week, Marit was kind enough to take the time to discuss MHW and her chic, stand-out designs with me.

You can read a transcription of Marit’s interview below.

- – - – -

Marit, please begin by telling me about yourself and your artistic background.

I grew up in Collierville, Tennessee (outside of Memphis), and went to school at Middle Tennessee University. I graduated in 2001 with a BS in Graphic Communication. In the last 10 years, I’ve lived in four states, worked for a large corporation, small design firms, and larger advertising agencies. I love the creative world and can not imagine working in any other industry!

I have a full-time job in addition to Marit Hanson Weddings, so my free time is few and far between. However, with the time I have I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, doing crafts, photography and spending time with my fiance and our Boston Terrier, Pete. We are currently planning our own wedding, so that has kept me really busy. When I’m not creating things for other brides, II find myself obsessing over the details of our big day–I’ve sewn napkins, made pinwheels, hand cut placecards, made tissue flowers and have sewn fabric flowers. I have been sharing my experiences on my blog in hopes of providing other brides with inspiration.

Please tell me about Marit Hanson Weddings. How and when did you start your business, and what services do you offer?

I started MHW in 2006, kind of by accident. One of my close friends was getting married and voiced her frustration to me one night over drinks, “I can’t find anything I like in those big books of invitations. They are all….so….blah.” I quickly reminded her that she was across the table from a graphic designer. Not to mention, I’d much rather make my gift to her be something more special than a toaster or a set of towels. I created her save the dates, invitations and all the paper for her reception. I did not expect anything to come of it. Then, I got a call from her maid of honor. I did her stationery as well. From there, it just snowballed.

When people ask me what I can do, my answer is always, “anything printed.” I’ve designed everything from save the dates and invitations to programs, place cards, escort cards, table numbers, menus, wine bottle labels, shower invitations and thank you cards. I love to work on all of the above with my brides, because it does wonders for the theme of the wedding when it all ties together. It’s an exciting time for them and I love to be a part of it.

Now, is each ensemble custom made to client specifications, or do you have a select inventory to choose from, as shown on your site?

All my jobs are customized for what the client needs. The designs shown serve as a starting point, and a lot of brides will keep them as is, with the exception of changing colors. However, from time to time I’ll get requests to personalize them. I’ve combined designs, turned a standard invitation into a pocketfold design, and added additional pieces. I work closely with my brides and tailor my invitation sets to fit their individual needs.

Your work is beautiful, and looking at your designs, your blog, your website, I get a feel for modern, stylish, and unique. Is this the overall tone you go for, or are inspired by?

Absolutely. If you are looking for a traditional invitation with all centered script type and an illustration of a boy and girl kissing – I am not your stationer. I want to provide invitations that set a tone for a wedding, one that you would get in the mail and say, “I can’t WAIT for this wedding!”

I noticed you have been featured in several high profile wedding blogs – Will you discuss some of your featured work?

My first big feature was my boarding pass save the dates on Junebug Weddings in 2008. I do quite a few of those and will customize them with a graphic relating to the wedding location, which makes them a popular choice for destination wedding.

Bride and Bloom featured my “Event Poster” save the date, which happens to be my first ever save the date. It also remains my most popular. That series has grown to contain Event Tickets and Postcards. I’ve also created invitation designs, concert ticket style place cards and backstage pass style programs. The event series is probably the most fun for me to work on, as they are all different. They truly make the couple feel like rock stars and I love that!

I’m a recommended vendor by Style Me Pretty, Ruffled, The Knotty Bride, Brenda’s Wedding Blog and Engaged and Inspired. I’m flattered to be a part of such great wedding blogs. Even more so, I am flattered to be a part of so many weddings!

The wedding industry is such a wonderful world to be a part of. I enjoy meeting other vendors and working with them to create all things paper. The wedding day is one of the happiest and most important events in a couple’s life other than having children, but no worries because I can do baby announcements too! Perhaps that is what lies in Chapter 2 of Marit Hanson Weddings.

- – - – -

LCI Paper would like to thank Marit Hanson for taking the time to share her beautiful, contemporary work.

Questions or comments about this interview? Post a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!