Find Yourself Stumped For Wedding Stationery Ideas?
Bringing a touch of character to the world of wedding stationery is Wedding Forest, a company where creativity sits at its heart. For those who see stationery as only ink on paper, Wedding Forest is here to test the norm and our expectations. Join Melbourne Wedding & Bride’s Alice O’Brien as she discovers how Marcus Thompson, founder and owner of Wedding Forest, uses timber in the most magically innovative ways.
Written by Alice O’Brien
They say first impressions matter, and when it comes to weddings, that first impression is made long before guests step into the venue or see the bride or eat the cake. It begins the moment an invitation lands in guests’ hands. More than simply sharing details, wedding stationery offers couples that first opportunity to set up their wedding day tone. It’s a detail that Thompson noticed early on, so much so, he changed his business name partly because of it. Wedding Forest, originally operating as an Esty store called Stringybark Supplies, sold natural wood slices for all types of crafts and events. However, after realising the majority of his orders were for weddings, Thompson rebranded and became Wedding Forest; a dedicated wedding brand.
“I think couples were drawn to the fact that the products were made from real timber and felt more personal and distinctive than standard paper stationery … couples found lots of creative ways to use the wood slices for example as save the dates, invitations, place cards and guest favours,” Thompson explains.
As every wood slice has its own unique grain and bark, “every piece is slightly different, even when the same design is printed across,” Thompson notes, meaning the invites leave a distinct first impression on each guest. Beyond invitations, Wedding Forest encourages couples to “carry the same natural material through stationery, favours, table decor and signage,” creating wedding cohesion from the very first invite sent.
You Woodn’t Believe the Range
Much like its name suggests, Wedding Forest offers exactly that: a forest of choice. From trees and shrubs to flowers, the company draws inspiration from nature to create multi-purpose wooden wedding stationery and decor. Take the popular wood slice coasters: “They can be printed with each guest’s name and used as a place card, they are a practical coaster during the reception, and guests can take them home afterwards as a keepsake, and we can also add a magnet recessed into the back so they can sit on the fridge when not in use,” Thompson explains. This versatility extends across the collection of products, including “welcoming signs and seating charts … and a wooden guest book alternative which is a large round timber piece printed with the couples personalised design, which guests can write messages directly onto during the wedding.”
The range is also perfectly suited to the ever-popular rustic wedding aesthetic. As Thompson puts it simply, “real timber naturally suits a rustic wedding because the grain, bark and small variations are already part of the look rather than being an imitation of it.” Whether celebrating in a barn, winery, garden or outdoor venues, the products blend seamlessly into their surroundings. However, Thompson notes they are equally at home alongside “elegant floral or minimalist designs,” making timber stationery products a surprisingly versatile option for all wedding styles.
A TREE-MENDOUS PROCESS
When asked about the journey from tree to finished product, Thomspon explains that the timber is sourced independently from introduced species of pine that are removed for native revegetation purposes. Each wood product is created sustainably, and proudly so. Back at the Yarra Valley workshop, logs are cut into slices and carefully dried to stabilises the timber before being meticulous sanded and sorted, “with unsuitable pieces removed and the best faces selected for printing.” These chosen slices are then printed directly with the couples’ approved design using special UV printers. Before leaving the workshop, Thompson and the team “check, count and carefully pack each order,” to ensure it arrives in perfect condition.
Alongside its established collection, with eucalyptus and protea designs remaining most popular, the team at Wedding Forest also loves collaborating with couples to create something uniquely theirs. In fact, Thompson notes, “a lot of our new designs once began as customer requests … as when a particular design works especially well, we will often experiment with it further and develop a finished version that prints clearly and looks good on the natural timber.” Throughout the process, couples remain central to every decision, approving both a digital proof and a test print before production officially begins.
One trend Thompson has particularly enjoyed creating is “western-style designs featuring things such as cowboy boots, hats and wildflowers” as they “are always fun to put together because they have a lot of personality.” The theme can also be “carried through [to] save the dates, invitations, coasters, place cards, table numbers, signs and other decor,” as Thompson knows the importance of wedding cohesion from first invite to final detail.
CARVING A BESPOKE CREATION
Having run Wedding Forest for more than ten years now, Thompson and his team are, and have always been, completely local to the Yarra Valley area. The team of three, plus Thompson, take pride in creating both sustainable and personal wedding products. Dedicated to his craft, Thompson values bespoke design “because each piece of timber is unique; it also feels like an individual keepsake rather than one from hundreds of identical factory-made items.”
Images courtesy of Wedding Forest