Meet Laney! A Denver-based Wedding invitation designer and entrepreneur. Her designs are timeless, elegant and a ton of fun! Read her full interview below:

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I'm Laney, and I create wedding invitations based out of Denver, Colorado. My goal is to tell your story, even if that means breaking a few "etiquette rules" along the way! 

How did you get into designing wedding invitations?

 I started as a calligrapher, and that grew into invitations. I wanted to have a larger impact on the stationery as a whole, and especially enjoyed playing with new colors, graphics, and materials to help translate my clients' vision into the invitations. 

What are some sources of inspiration for you when designing an invitation?

My number one source of inspiration is your love story - if you have special nicknames you call each other, places that are important to you, or cultural traditions, I love to work those into your invitations even if it's in a subtle way!

How would you describe your style/aesthetic? 

I personally like bright colors, and to play with unique shapes and layouts. I think I'm a little bit whimsical and fresh, but with a hint of romance (you gotta have a little romance at a wedding, right?)

What is the best thing about being an entrepreneur?

 Oh everything. I love having authority over everything in my life - my time, my schedule, my success. If I need to take a little break, I can work that in, but other times I work my butt off for a couple months at a time and that's great too. 

What is unique about Design by Laney?

Something that sets DbyL apart is that I'm a business-person first and an artist second. This means that you'll always get a really professional experience, attention to detail and great customer relations when you work with me. I started out working with multi-million-dollar corporations at a Fortune 10 company, and I apply those same skills and expertise to my invitation clients, which is something you don't always get with creative entrepreneurs. 

What is your favorite invitation that you have created? What do you love about it? 

One thing I always pay attention to is what I call "The Stack" and that means how the invitation comes out of the envelope. This can involve wrapping up all the pieces with a ribbon or belly band, for instance, but you don't always need that to make a gorgeous Stack. I love how this one came together with the various colors and  shapes - it's basically like unwrapping Spring in an envelope! I can't imagine any of the guests didn't smile when they opened this one. It feels like cheating a little, but I also recently designed my own invites (blue and yellow envelopes) and those were a favorite as well. 

Do you have any design tips/tricks you can share with us?

My biggest "trick" is to do what feels right to you and your partner. There are so many etiquette "rules" but those were created in a different time. Now that weddings are becoming more unique and personalized, you should never do something that doesn't feel right. On invitations, this means using creative wording, introducing personalized elements, and not being afraid to try new things. In your wedding in general - I love people who do unique desserts instead of cake if that doesn't work for them, or bring in dances with step-parents, or do mingling stations instead of a sit-down dinner. Whatever makes sense with your family - for my wedding, we had planned (before Covid, of course) to do a ceremony with only 20 people before our larger reception, and were going to have everyone sitting on couches and comfy chairs in the living room of the historic house we'd booked. It just felt right for us. 

What draws you to the Mestiza brand? 

 The patterns and colors! I am a big believer that you can have multiple statement pieces in the same outfit, so I was especially drawn to all the yellows and the Chinoiserie-inspired prints. You don't always find that in high-end, more formal clothing, and it's easy to get bored with what's out there, so I love that you're breaking the mold a little bit! 

What are some of your favorite Mestiza NY pieces for brides and wedding guests?

The Flamenco Ruffle Midi is one of my favorites and one I'd wear personally. Green always stands out and the Giulia Wrap Dress would flatter anyone (plus, how beautiful would this one look when dancing?). And for the formal, classic wedding, you can't go wrong with this black Pericon Midi beauty! 

What’s next for you?! What are you working on?

2021 is going to be so crazy with all of the postponed weddings finally being able to happy - crazy in the best way! I predict that smaller weddings are going to be more popular, even with the same budget, and those are my favorite to design for! You can go a little more extravagant and personalized for each guest without totally breaking the bank. I also have been focused on education for other entrepreneurs during this time since so many are starting home businesses - if you're a wedding industry creative definitely check out some of our resources on Instagram/YouTube!