Get to Know Kenzie & Henry
Tell us a bit about you and your spouse.
Henry and I met in college. Now we live in Washington, D.C. I work in the pharmaceutical industry, and Henry is an investor with a private equity firm. We love to travel and we love wine.
What stands out about your experience with Bespoke?
Honestly, working with Bespoke Designs was one of my favorite parts of planning our wedding! My mom lives in the New York area, so she and I drove up to Westport to meet Shari in person. We had such a great experience. We pulled inspiration off the wall, shared ideas, and it became a special day. Shari helped me refine my vision and find my direction. To me, it felt like this is the way planning a wedding should feel!
I loved the style of everything in the store, so I decided to do my registry there. Tasmine was amazing. I explained what I was looking for, and she pulled everything together in a way that I never could. She helped me find pieces that we would have forever. Monica created invitations that were so beautiful. I appreciated the patience of everyone on the team. I am detail oriented and they were dedicated to getting everything just right.
The invitation combines barely blush letterpress and a low luster shimmer of matte gold foil to create a classic but fresh vibe.
What influenced your vision for your wedding stationery suite?
Shari helped me flesh out my vision. Our wedding was in the springtime, so I loved the idea of floral touches. My dress and my bridesmaids' dresses had florals. I wanted everything to tie together nicely, but I wanted a unique element too. What I love about Bespoke is they can customize everything. It’s easy for stationery suites to feel cookie cutter - but this did not feel that way at all. For example, for the rehearsal dinner, Henry didn’t want the invitation to feel as feminine as the wedding invitation, so we did the New York City skyline and we pulled through the block font from our save the date. You cannot get those nuances with off the shelf stationery.
What feedback did you receive, and how did your stationery fit into your overall wedding plans?
When our save the dates came out, we got such compliments on the quality of the paper. To be honest, I didn’t think the stationery was something I would care about. But then, working with Shari and Monica, I fell in love with paper. It’s tactile. It’s like your photos. It’s one of the tangible items that you can hold in your hands and keep forever. The invitation became so special to me.
The design vision carries through many aspects of the guests’ experience.
The save the date was designed first, and that was when I discovered how much I was going to love my stationery. I wanted the invitations to be classic. Having examples in the shop is so key. You can see everything, and your eye is drawn to certain things. I chose a motif in florals and Monica evolved it to be in my color palette. We did a lot of font mixing. That again made it feel really personal. This is another example of how the process was truly bespoke. Whatever was working for me visually, Shari said, “we can do it,” and they did!
How did you approach your registry? What worked well for you?
We registered for a set of everyday dinnerware and formal place settings. Tasmine curated all this with me and for me. She was super helpful and a pleasure to work with. She shared ideas for me to consider, and I never felt like I was annoying her, even when I was indecisive. The attention to detail was incredible. Living in D.C., I couldn’t pop over to the shop, but Tasmine FaceTimed me and sent me pictures, so the distance was never an issue.
Our wedding had a lot of gold touches, from the stationery to the decor of the event. I was thinking of white and gold for our dishes, but suddenly that seemed boring, and I wanted a little pop. Tasmine understood exactly. She found gorgeous hand-painted pieces, inspiring us to pivot to layers of champagne and blush. We went from super simple to something more modern with an expanded color palette…and I LOVE what we got.
Tasmine recommended pieces I never knew I needed, and we are using them all the time. She picked wine glasses that we are obsessed with. We’re not big entertainers, but this has made us want to find reasons to host. We are looking forward to bringing these pieces with us to our next home and as we start a family. These are things I know we will be able to grow into, and that’s exactly what I hoped for.
The gift registry was first based on classic gold and white, then evolved to include hand-painted pieces in layers of champagne and blush – a more modern expanded color palette.
Any tips related to stationery and registry that might help other couples?
Be aware that you’re making memories with your invitations and registry. Invest the time and energy and enjoy the process because it all ties together. I love looking at all our registry gifts. I remember choosing Old Fashioned glasses with my husband and carefully choosing our dinner plates. I chose these things at Bespoke, a shop I love, and then received them as gifts from people we care about. It’s been so fun to open everything. I’m a sentimental person, so the whole experience makes me love using everything we got. Try to see the connections you are creating. It will bring you so much joy.