Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Salmon.
Hi Grace, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My husband and I got engaged in August of 2022. We’d dated through our last year of high school and through college, so this moment had been a long time coming and we were very excited to finally be planning our dream wedding. I’ve always considered myself to be aesthetically-inclined (if that’s even a real term), and really wanted my wedding to feel unique to us, but also beautiful, classic, and cohesive. I realized that a lot of that would come from the stationery and signage. Save the Dates are the first impression of your wedding, and invitations build upon that excitement. The signage and day-of elements bring it all together to create a cohesive experience for you and your guests that is meaningful and memorable. This was what I wanted for our wedding!
I spent a lot of time perfecting my wedding Pinterest board and started scrolling through invitation ideas and templates. However, I struggled to find anything that really felt like the aesthetic I was going for. I didn’t want to settle for a template, especially one that would force me to have different designs for each of my stationery pieces. I wanted everything to have the same look and feel throughout. When all the stationery details came together for those iconic layflat photos on the day-of, I wanted the elements to complement each other, be cohesive and beautiful.
I had been working in the graphic design world for almost three years at that point, so I decided to give it a go myself. I created a mood board, and chose specific fonts and colors that I would stick to. As I worked on our Save the Date designs, I found myself realizing I was actually really enjoying this. I created signage designs, a ceremony program, thank you cards to send out after the wedding, and was so pleased with how everything came together on our special day.
Shortly after we were married, I found myself wondering if other brides ever feel the same way…Desiring a cohesive look across all their wedding stationery and signage pieces, and also wanting designs that feel unique to their wedding aesthetic and story as a couple. It was from that thought that Grace Riley Design was born.
I started by designing wedding invitations for friends to gain experience. It was an honor to be a part of their special day in this small way, and exciting when they were thrilled to have designs that matched what they had been envisioning in their head. The feedback I received was so positive, so many of my clients were very pleased with the results I was able to provide them. Turns out there were brides out there that wanted cohesive beauty in their wedding stationery and signage!
Fast forward to today, Grace Riley Design now serves both brides and small businesses in their graphic design needs. We create beautiful, 100% custom wedding stationery pieces that embody our client’s unique wedding aesthetic in paper form. We’ve also begun to serve small businesses in creating professional, custom branding that captures the personality of the business and is effective in reaching their target audience. In an effort to make the process even more stress-free for our brides, we’ve added printing services to our offerings, partnering with an incredible printer, Pressed Paperie, based in Fort Worth.
I am so grateful for how the Lord has brought Grace Riley Design to where we are today! It is such a blessing to work with brides and businesses all across the nation in bringing their design dreams to life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think imposter syndrome has been one of the biggest struggles for me along the way. It’s easy to feel like I’m not doing enough, my business isn’t “real” enough, or I’m not as talented as I want to be. For a while, being ghosted after sending an inquiry follow-up email (which I now realize is an inevitable part of the process), would cause me to second guess myself. If I’m honest, sometimes it still does. Many a time, I’ve found myself comparing Grace Riley Design to other stationery designers or wedding vendors. We always feel that others are doing it better, are more equipped, have more clients, etc., instead of finding contentment with where we are in our business journey.
My husband has been a constant source of encouragement in these moments, reminding me of the gifts God has given me, and that the Lord will bring the perfect clients my way, in His perfect timing. God has been faithful to do just that. I’m so blessed by the clients that have chosen to entrust their wedding stationery and branding design to me. Every booking feels like a gift!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At Grace Riley Design, we specialize in wedding and branding designs that strive to capture the unique aesthetic vision of each client. Our client’s inspiration and ideas plus our creative eye and expertise makes for incredible results!
Currently, we are most known for wedding invitations that embody our bride’s wedding aesthetic in paper form. We offer custom sketch designs of wedding venues, pets, floral crests, etc., for brides who are wanting an even more customized feel. Our process is low-stress, enjoyable, and we do our best to support each bride throughout their wedding planning process.
One thing that really sets us apart from other stationery designers is that we offer unlimited edits on our wedding design packages. Most stationers include a limited amount of revisions in their services based on the time commitment editing requires. However, we strive to ensure that our brides are 100% happy with the final product and feel that it is a genuine reflection of what they’ve been envisioning. Because of that, the potential hassle of extra edits is worth it to us! Edits are welcomed throughout the process as we create the perfect design for our client.
Image Credits
Fitz Photo & Film
Madison Grace Photography
Mackenzie Kate Photo
Carlee Mae Photo
Tallie Autumn Photo
