Austin Invitation Designer Spotlight Series – Averi with an Eye

A common name misspelling and a passion for all things lettering turned into a dream business for Averi Stene of Averi with an Eye – an Austin invitation designer who loves pairing modern designs with gorgeous hand lettering! “Growing up, my name was rarely spelled correctly, so I was always saying ‘It’s Averi with an I!’ (Usually it’s spelled with a Y). So when I started a blog-turned-calligraphy/design-business, I came up with Averi with an Eye: an eye for calligraphy and design! I became interested in the wedding business when my sister got married in 2012 and was opened up to so many fun things I didn’t even know existed, but mostly I was fascinated with the art of invitation design and began teaching myself calligraphy. I had been a freelance designer before and loved transitioning to doing only wedding-related design,” Averi explains. 

Today, Averi with an Eye offers a variety of bold, modern and romantic suites, calligraphy and signage for Austin brides. Scroll through the photos below to see examples of Averi’s work, captured at Trinity Hall by Elizabeth Denny Photography! We’ll be chatting with a few more Austin invitation designers in the coming days, so check back soon!

Photos // Elizabeth Denny Photography

Describe the design you created for this shoot: “I wanted to create a fun, colorful modern look with a tropical touch and a hand calligraphed address. I love the the geometric modern feel with the pinks and greens that made it easy to tie in a fun tropical envelope liner and giving it a fun pop with gold laser cut accent.”

What inspires your designs in general: “I love using color but still having a simple, unique design with a fun or elegant calligraphy element. I always try to tie in the script fonts or my own calligraphy, digitized, but still love doing the super modern designs that stand out from everything else.”

What sets you apart in your industry? “I love to try things out of the box and trying to pick up on a trend before it really blows up throughout the wedding world. I also love to incorporate laser cut accents or pieces that really give an invitation suite or wedding table setting that extra punch. Hand lettering signage or place cards on basically any surface you can dream up is also something I love to figure out how to do. I have done live cactus, acrylic, rocks, leaves and many other fun non-paper items.”

What do you enjoy most about working with couples to create their wedding invitation details? “I love getting to hear someone’s vision and getting to turn that vision into reality; playing with all the different ideas they have brought to me and cohesively making it into one invitation suite. The rewarding experience of giving a couple the final result that they had hoped for is something special, and knowing that you forever had a small part in their important day is a great feeling.”

If you’ll notice, Averi had to include a few baked goods along with her invitations in this styled shoot. Her passion for baking runs almost as strong as her passion for lettering! From her bold font choices to dainty hand-drawn letters, we can’t get enough of these designs! To inquire with Averi with an Eye, visit her Brides of Austin vendor profile!