Q&A With Junie Poonie

Meet our UKWHA 2025 Stationery Queen and learn about her planning and styling expertise…

A SHORT INTRODUCTION…

I’m June, or Junie Poonie as my Momma used to call me, a multi- award-winning stylist, designer, planner and stationery designer working across the globe to create immersive, experiential and extraordinary weddings and events. I’m a proud ‘Hopeless Romantic’ with a sharp eye for detail, with a love of being unafraid to be extraordinary when planning, designing and styling along with being a creative and caring soul who puts her whole heart into each and every wedding, event or stationery suite I create, focussing on the luxurious and stylish touches that bring a little sense of ‘edge and elevation’ for ‘The Style Conscious Souls’ all across the globe.

My attention to detail can often see me floating from one table to the next – ensuring there’s not a wonky candle in sight! It’s also my understanding and experience of almost twenty years in the wedding and events industry that allows me to understand that it’s those little touches that do matter, along with having a genuine interest in the impact my work has on all my clients. Working from my heart and design-led creative studio, I love to bring the concept of the unimaginable to life.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE MORE OF THIS YEAR IN WEDDING STYLING?

Immersive and experiential experiences for both the couple and their guests, being a part of an experience rather than just being at something. Giving couples and their guests opportunities and touch points throughout the whole journey, not just on the wedding day itself.

HOW DO YOU COMBINE PLANNING, STYLING AND STATIONERY? HOW DO THEY COME TOGETHER?

Choosing to only work with style-conscious souls from across the globe has really allowed me to embrace a heart and design-led business, with all couples relinquishing all design autonomy, not only allowing me to take a creative lead, but they fully embrace it. Being hybrid, not only being a planner, but a stylist and stationery designer too, gives way to so many opportunities to really zone into every element, every tiny, infinite detail, for those details are what truly matter. Consistency is everything, and being that one port of call, knowing what’s happening with the stationery design, as I create it, visualising how it will work as a whole suite within the space and aesthetic, not having to worry about design elements not aligning, as it’s all taken care of in house.

HOW DO YOU START THE CREATIVE PROCESS, WHERE DO THE IDEAS COME FROM?

I love nothing more than a deep and meaningful conversation with my lovers and style-conscious souls, really digging deep, during our initial consultation, playing on my toddler era with lots of ‘why? but why? tell me why?’ questions to really burrow down to what makes their heart skip a beat, what sets their soul on fire, hearing unspoken words and seeing the light in their eyes when they reminisce over something, a place, a space, a country, a moment, a memory, a quote, film or song even and that, that is when the magic happens.

Their shoulders drop, their eyes connect and in that moment, I have found the magic, the starting point for their whole celebration. From that point on, we intertwine these elements throughout their whole celebration, maybe as a front cover on an invitation, as part of on-the-day stationery, colourways used within the aesthetic of the stationery, linen, florals etc, it can be seen and felt by all in attendance, but above all, it gives a true meaning to the couple and brings them back to their moment, their magic moment.

HOW DO YOU CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE FOR AN EVENT, WHERE DO YOU START?

The experience and expectations begin the moment guests receive their invitation, the envelope it’s in, the way it’s addressed, being printed in the same fonts within the stationery suite, the quality of card stock and design elements they meander through as part of the opening of the suite, embossed, debossed, the material, is it even cardstock? There are so many beautiful options available, high-end luxurious options that also play a sustainable part, and that’s just the invitations!

Textures have always played a huge part in how I bring a tablescape, venue setting and aesthetics together, I’m a firm believer that you can never have too much texture, more is most definitely more, add it on, layer it up and then add a little more! It adds tone, depth, and is all a little inviting to those tactile lovers. Be it linen or satin-drenched tables, puddles of materials with florals evoking through the seams or a grand aerial installation, or all of it. I’m here for the textures era, and always have been since 2006.

CAN YOU OUTLINE FOUR DIFFERENT AMBIENCES COUPLES CAN CREATE AND HOW TO ACHIEVE THESE TO A T?

I love that couples are becoming a little more switched on to who the wedding is for, ultimately, it’s about ‘two people who fell in love’ so embracing the things they love makes my heart skip a beat and is something I always recommend to all my couples, not worrying about ‘should do’s’ and concentrate on the ‘I dos’.

Create the unexpected, and make things memorable, if you are street food lovers, have street food, but put a twist on it, add luxurious twists and turns, let’s create a bespoke personalised grease paper placed on a beautiful wooden serving board and have the best burger of your life, served with fries and beautiful sharing sides, yet still having a sensationally styled tablescape and venue, ‘Burger & Bubbles’ I think it could be a thing! Add an immersive Ice Cream Station and I’m there in a heartbeat.

More and more I’m seeing couples wanting to embrace the togetherness and take the time to appreciate those special souls who are sharing their wedding celebration with them, whether it’s a ‘Mazi’ inspired Cretan wedding, a few days away in an exclusive villa in Ibiza, a long weekend in the Cotswolds, or a luxurious Scottish castle with loved ones, long walks, roaring fires, great food and simply just embracing being together.

I love the relaxed feel it can bring to a very luxurious place and space, having the time to spend with friends and family before their big day, also takes away so many elements of stress, worries and wedding woes, as everyone has met each other and won’t be pandering for the couple’s attention on the day itself, giving them the space to breathe and embrace it all. If they’ve chosen somewhere where the sunshine is part of the pleasure, a chilled pool party and BBQ or a wrapped up Lochside walk with loved ones the day after, not only allows you to relive the moments from the day before but also enhance their overall experience and lengthen out the whole wedding celebration.