Today's spotlight and feature is sure to inspire and please! We are so happy to bring you the creative mind behind the exquisite custom invitation line, Atelier Isabey.
The beautiful creator and owner of Atelier Isabey is the elegant Margot Moussempes. Margot was kind enough to give us insight into her company, advice on working with custom invitation designers and sharing images of her beautiful work...
{rb} Tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to start Atelier Isabey?
MM: I come from a pretty multi-ethnic family heritage..it's kind of wild. My dad is French, my mom is from the Philippines and I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Growing up there was great and it's a really fantastic city to live in. I moved to New York to pursue my studies as a designer and enrolled in the graphic design program at Parsons School of Design. After graduating, I worked in commercial design (branding and packaging design) with several large firms in New York. I was first introduced to invitation design when a friend asked me to design her invitation set. I saw the huge potential for creativity and really thinking out of the box to create beautiful and unique designs for people who really would like to make a statement with something special. I was attracted to the wedding industry in particular because, unlike corporate design, there's a more intimate interaction with your clients and you get to push the envelope, creatively, in ways that you couldn't designing a box of cereal for example. I really love what I do and each and every project I take on is precious to me.
{rb} Your work is so unique & exquisite, where do you find your inspiration to come up with new designs?
MM: 99% of the creative inspiration usually comes from the client in some form or others. Some of my clients have a very clear vision of what they are looking to achieve with their invitations while others may be a little less decided about it. Generally, people know what they do or don't like and it's my job to figure out what it is they absolutely love. I get so inspired by some of the wedding themes my couples choose and it's very easy to visualize something that would complement that theme beautifully. If a client doesn't have a theme or don't really know where to begin with choosing a style or creative direction, I usually do a little digging around and ask them what their favorite fashion designer is, what music they listen to or what their favorite restaurant is. Other sources of inspiration I always tend to go to are wedding magazine (my favorites are Martha Stewart Weddings and Bride & Bloom), blogs (Style Me Pretty, Snippet & Ink, {ritzy bee}) as well as things a bit unrelated to weddings such as cosmetics and fragrance package design. I once got inspired to create color palette based on a a new line of MAC eye shadows.
{rb} What advice to you have for brides-to-be from a time & process perspective when working with a custom invitation designer on wedding invitations?
MM: If you are opting for a custom designed invitation piece, it's always recommended to start shopping around much earlier than if you wanted something "off the rack". Generally most of my clients come to me between 5 and 6 months before their wedding. Timing is different for every designer but I find that the whole process from beginning to completed piece usually takes between 3 or 4 months to complete. With that said, the more time you have the better! When looking for a custom designer, take your time and shop around. See if the designer usually sticks to one particular style or is very versatile with different styles, if they have anything in their portfolio that matches your style and if by 'custom' they mean more than just changing fonts and colors around. Last but not least, price is always important. A custom invitation set will cost more than something out of the stationery books but it should not be so expensive that it forces you to cut back dramatically on something else in your wedding. At the end of the day, planning a wedding is all about budget and priorities and if stationery is one of your priorities, then go for the best!
{rb} What trends are you seeing in wedding invitations in regards to design & colors?
MM: Generally, I'm seeing an increase of art deco styled weddings which has usually been inspired by the venue. The Art Deco style is especially appropriate for Locations like New York or Miami where there's an obvious art deco influence in the city. I also get a lot of requests for romantic vintage meets garden invitations with inspiration from elements such as chandeliers, crystals, lanterns and delicate overgrown vines and flowers. As far as colors are concerned, I rarely see bright colors such as orange, lime green or bright pinks and couples tend to stick to more muted colors. I'm seeing alot of chocolate browns paired with a lighter accent color such as lavender or a pale blush pink. I don't have a particular style of my own when I design my invitations so they are always driven by my clients.
{rb} What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
MM: I love dining out in New York and discovering new restaurants and places. My fiancé and I love to eat so we're both hooked to the food network and love looking for great up and coming restaurants (or just going back to our favorite neighborhood restaurants). Another thing I love to do when I get time to take a vacation is to go back home to Asia to visit my parents and my family there. It's always a joy to go back and there's so much inspiration I bring back from the markets and streets of Hong Kong. Last time I went back I bought a Vintage Chinese Gramophone which is sitting in a corner of my studio.
Thank you so much Margot...we look forward to you stopping by again soon! Be sure to visit the Atelier Isabey website for more invitation inspiration!
