Creative, classic, and totally unique, the paper goods from Sara Theisen Design offer the ultimate addition for your special day. Sara, the sweetheart behind the brand, seriously does it all – from wedding suites to business cards and everything in between. Since she offers such an incredibly wide variety of designs and products, Sara’s designs appeal to everyone and their grandmama! It was such a pleasure working with Sara at The Big Fake Wedding Greenville, and we can’t wait to see what she creates next.
“Sara created one of the most beautiful wedding maps we’ve ever seen! She found a way to make a mountain love story fit into an ocean theme. Her attention to detail showed in every aspect of her paper suite!”
The Big Fake Wedding Greenville Team
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Tell us a little bit about the story of Sara Theisen Design.
Being creative has always been a big part of my life, beginning as a young child and throughout college when I received an art degree from Michigan State University. It had always been a dream of mine to start my own business one day and to work for myself, especially after we had a family. After college, I started designing wedding invitations and other card designs for my friends and family as gifts and found that I really loved the uniqueness of each project and how endless the possibilities are with design and printing.
The story of Sara Theisen Design came to be about a year after my husband and I moved to the Greenville area in 2007. I was working as a designer at a small marketing company in Downtown Greenville and just felt like it wasn’t where I should be. It was then that I decided that I wanted to pursue my own venture by going out on my own. With the help and encouragement from my husband and my parents, I was able to go after my dream. I started the business in January of 2009 and have been going strong ever since.
Who or what inspires you?
Many things inspire me. It could be a really bold typeface that grabs my attention or a fantastic invitation design that I see and love – I am constantly being inspired creatively. I am always thinking about new designs and how to incorporate those creative ideas into my work.
Describe a highlight or pivotal moment in your career.
Probably one of the most pivotal moments was when my small home town in Michigan hired me to design their new Downtown Development logo rebrand. I know that I was up against another design firm that was much larger than my small business at the time and it was and still is really fun to see my work displayed on all of the banners and signage throughout the downtown area.
What advice would you give to aspiring small business owners?
That it takes hard work and dedication to start your own business. It takes a lot of time and effort. Don’t give up hope that if you work hard, it will come – think Field of Dreams, ‘if you build it, he will come.’ Customer service is of the upmost importance when working with clients. Your personality and how you work with your customers will leave a long lasting impression on them. Lastly: network, network, network! I have a couple very important people that really helped me get started and I wouldn’t have met them if I hadn’t gotten out there and started networking.
What is your favorite part of The Big Fake Wedding experience?
I thought it was amazing to see the creativity and collaboration based on our ‘High Tide’ inspiration board. The design and details all went incredibly well together. We have some super talented wedding professionals in our town and it made me really proud to call Greenville home. There were even some vendors that I instantly became friends with right after meeting them. I left the event feeling creative, motivated and excited to push my designs to the next level.
Photo Credits:
Emily Platt Photography (1 + 5) | Casto Photography + Cinema (2) | Southern Jewel Photography (3 + 4)
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