Calluna Community | Cocktails with Jolie & Co.

Here at Calluna we are always looking for new ways to highlight and honor some of the amazing creative partners we get to work with. We feel incredibly fortunate to work with some seriously talented vendors in the industry, and we want to show them off to you in our new Calluna Community Series! We will sit down with some of the fabulous vendors of Colorado and get to know about them, their business and what life is like behind the scenes. Stay tuned for more!

This week for Calluna Community we caught up with Maria Meager of Jolie & Co.

Cheers! Xo, Calluna

Describe what you do!

I create. And run a business as a founder of Jolie & Co., a wedding stationery company. Luckily, I have a small team of top designers to help me out. What we do is custom design, including calligraphy, illustration, watercolor, you name it! What we don’t do is use any type of design temples, stock images, or pre-made calligraphy fonts. Everything is from scratch!

What is your idea of a dream project?

A dream project is working with a client who is not afraid to push design boundaries and who appreciates paper details as much I do. I love hearing out-of-the-box ideas, they get me all excited. Also, it is very important for me not to get stagnant, to constantly push myself towards a better design and execution.

What has been your favorite wedding that you have worked, or attended?

There is one that will always be special. The bride wanted everything I would want for my wedding. She had an amazing team of vendors which made it an inspiring project for me.

Her paper vision was impeccable – simple and elegant calligraphy, letterpress and foil printing, a custom map, vintage stamps, all the hallmarks of the top-tier design. But what really got me going was her idea of illustrating some memorable places her and her now husband have visited over the years to use instead of the table numbers. So adventurous! Her place cards indicated whether the guests were heading to New York, Florence, Big Sur, West Palm Beach, etc. They had to look for the illustration of that place to find the right table. You, at Calluna, may know which bride I am talking about…

What does your morning routine look like?

Well, the plan is to wake up at 7 AM and go for a quick workout before starting the work day. Unfortunately, not all things go as planned! Lots of days I end up lounging in bed for a bit and drinking multiple cups of coffee. Checking the email may spin me straight into work and push the workout to the afternoon.

What are some of your favorite trends that you are seeing?

I would say texture has been a huge one! I love seeing monochromatic designs, mostly in white and gray tones, made unique with subtle textures. This goes for both the stationery and fashion design. There are many ways to achieve this with paper, but one of my favorites has been blind debossing – a technique, similar to letterpress, in which a plate with the design leaves an impression in the paper, but without ink.

What advice would you give to a younger you?

Hmm, that’s a hard one… there are so many. I would say don’t be afraid to look for your true passion. Prior to starting Jolie & Co. a little under a year ago, I did a lot of things that were amazing experiences but didn’t feel quite like passion. I received a degree in Biology and an MBA which took me on a journey of cancer research and later healthcare administration. It was a tough decision to walk away from what was considered a promising career, but I have no regrets even if it took years. Now it feels like I found “it”.

What makes you excited to go to work in the morning?

Two things – creating fresh designs and growing my company. To achieve both, I must deliver great service to my clients and make them thrilled about their wedding stationery. I can’t wait to do just that on a daily basis!