Penn & Paperie offers custom invitations, professional quality

When Margo Koch went to college, she knew her future was in the wedding industry. It took her some time, though, to find the perfect way to use her talents to make an impact.  

“I wanted to go into event planning, but I quickly realized I wanted my weekends,” said Koch. “I graduated with a graphic design degree and went into the graphic design field, but then I kind of figured out how I could use that in a wedding/event world.” 

The answer was to open her own company, Penn & Paperie, a Lewes-based business specializing in personalized invitations for weddings and special events. Koch uses her graphic design background to customize and tailor invitation suites to each client, creating a unique design each and every time.  

“The difference between going into a shop and picking out of a book is that I’m personally designing it and also sending it into production,” she said. “You can literally change anything about the design that you want.” 

Koch started Penn & Paperie while living in New Jersey. At the time, she was marketing her business nationwide. A newlywed, she moved to Lewes earlier this year with her husband Joe and dog Penn, and she now wants to focus on building her brand locally. 

“I want to be known as the go-to person for invitations,” she said.

It all started when she designed an invitation suite for her cousin’s beach-themed wedding in Long Island, N.Y.

“She couldn’t find any coral reef invitations, so I was like ‘I can design that,’” Koch said. “We also designed a fun custom map, and we carried the theme through all of the other pieces.” 

More recently, she designed a custom invitation for a couple getting married at a Brooklyn venue with unusual bamboo wallpaper. After finding the wallpaper on the venue’s website, Koch used her graphic design skills to mimic the wallpaper on the couple’s invitations. 

There are few limitations to what Koch can do, and she said she believes that’s part of what makes her stand out from other invitation retailers. 

“I’m offering boutique customized service, but professional quality product,” she said.

Koch said there are a lot of talented stationers online, but it’s always difficult to know if the product will look as good as the pictures. 

“I think the quality of the invitations is definitely superior to what most people are used to finding,” she said. “I’ve built great relationships with vendors, and I work with people who are experts in their field. What I design on screen ends up being more impressive when it’s finished.”

Whether it’s thicker invitations, custom laser-cut designs, metallic ink or other embellishments like ribbons, Koch said, she is willing to work with clients to make their vision a reality. 

Koch is available for both in-person and Skype consultations. For more information, go to www.pennandpaperie.com. For questions, call 302-827-7366 or email info@pennandpaperie.com.