Meet A Vendor Monday: Lauren Rachel Designs

​Here at The Portland Masonic, we work with so many wonderful vendors! As you may know, the Maine Wedding Industry is HUGE! We are always meeting new people and creating new relationships. Because we love meeting new people and supporting fellow weddings industry peeps, we wanted to start Meet Vendors Monday (#mvm). We found some of our favorite vendors and asked them questions about their business, what motivates them, and what they do during the off-season. 

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR COMPANY!
My name is Lauren Myers, I’m the owner and creative designer
behind Lauren Rachel, custom invitation and day of material
design company. I pride myself on the ability to collaborate with
couples on unique designs that represent them and their love
story. Making one-of- kind designs using my skill sets in
illustration, painting and fondness of paper, brings me great joy
and pleasure. I believe the first impression for a wedding guest is
captured in their mailboxes. Each couple is special, so why would
they settle on their wedding stationary to be a template that
hundreds of other engaged couples have used?



WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS?
I decided to get into the business after having dabbled in wedding
invitation design for family and friends for over 3 years. Once I
started getting referrals from outside my circle I thought I would
give it a go professionally. I also had been laid off from an
Advertising Agency (50+ hours a week) which allowed me to
dedicate more time to creating a business plan and hitting the
ground running with research around local wedding businesses to
start networking with.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?
I love working with people and researching. I enjoy
collaborating with other vendors for styled shoots as well as
working with planners and couples to really personalize the
experience of a one-of- kind design. I’m constantly seeking out
new vendors for printing or new resources for paper so I can
offer the best quality and most unique options to my couples.
Plus PAPER is my jam!



 WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU LEARNED OVER THE YEARS YOU WOULD PASS ALONG TO OTHERS LOOKING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
For any small business it takes time and there are a lot of
ebbs and flows when you are a small team. It will always be
hard work. Try to stay connected on a personal level with your
network(folks within your industry), get to know the other
businesses and demographics well so you have an
understanding of where you fit into the puzzle.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR TIME AWAY FROM WORK?
I’m a new mom so I would have to say spending time with my
family. Away from my family I am in a “not so serious” book
club and I do yoga!



WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT IN YOUR BUSINESS?
My first client under my business name. The client came in via
my websites form, it had been the first one to use my form. I
felt an oversized amount of joy and pride since getting a
website up in 2 months was crazy for me. After working with
the couple, I learned a lot from them but still enjoyed the process as much as I remember before I had
all the kinks worked out.

WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS IN YOUR FIELD?
Every designer is unique, while my design style doesn’t follow
the same way as other designers, I specifically work with clients to create
something from scratch. My designs are individual and in the spirit and likeness of my couples
making the keepsake mementos for their special day.




ARE THERE ANY TRENDS THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE OR WOULD LOVE TO SEE LEFT BEHIND?
Trends… not my cup of tea but none the less I do still get a lot
of requests for the trendiest stuff from blush and gold
palettes to farm style burlap. I prefer to leave the trendy stuff
to the cookie cutter invitations online!



 
IF YOU COULD DO ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Travel all expenses paid with my family!




If you want to learn more about Lauren Rachel Custom Invitation Designs follow her on Instagram & Facebook. Don't forget to check out her awesome website!