more than a moment
a lifetimetogether
FROM ENGAGED, TO MARRIED, TO BUILDING TOGETHEr
WE’RE SO HONORED YOU CHOSE US TO BE A PART OF YOUR JOURNEY
HERE’S WHY, WE DO WHAT WE DO
IT’S our calling
Everything happens for a reason and you’ve landed on this page because it’s a sign! Here’s why we love celebrating weddings and advocating for marriages.
We NEVER knew how hard it would get.
You know that part in your vows that you promise to love each other through good and through bad? Well we never knew how bad that “bad” was going to be.
As high school sweethearts who quickly fell in love, we never questioned marriage. We were in the passionate fiery stage in our relationship where everything felt amazing! We were eager to start our lives together and got married in 2014!
Well after 20 years together and 11 years married, it is clear to us now that on our wedding day we had only planned for our wedding day and had failed to prepare for our marriage.
That’s why, when you book Deco Ink, we strive to create a opportunity for you and your fiancee to start planning together! We call on both of you for all stages of our booking process to get you two practicing the importance of communication in your union!
- Anton + Maria
MEET the deco ink
tEAM
Maria + Anton
Owners
Hi! I am Maria and this is my husband Anton.
I consider myself a lifelong learner and completely blessed to say the least! Had someone told me 10 years ago that I would be a business owner, I wouldn't have believed them.
I graduated from ASU with a degree in Mathematics and education in hopes to make a difference in the world one student at a time. Through the last seven years, God made it apparent that he wanted me to change the world in a different way.
Through postpartum depression and many trials and tribulations I started a hobby with calligraphy and somehow it turned into what we have now! A wedding decor company specializing in laser cut decor. I am extremely honored to be working with a kickass diverse team from different backgrounds and unique strengths! What I am most grateful for is our ability to combine our strengths and help couples bring their vision to life. It's rewarding and truly blissful!
My husband Anton has been a HUGE driving force with Deco Ink becoming what it is today! From financial support to encouragement and taking on parenting duties that are normally a “woman’s” job, together we are building a legacy for our children. Despite the roles that society may place on us, we’re innovative in our approach to our duties as husband and wife. We simply celebrate our strengths and allow eachother to make mistakes. Ultimately, God always wins and God is at the center of our lives so mistakes only make us stronger.
Our favorite signs to create?
Every couple is so unique and I love handing Anton the design deck and watching him build the seating chart! I tend to be a perfectionist so I may get bossy but Anton is used to my sass!
Our favorite hobby?
We love ourselves a little pickleball action! But my favoriet as of today, now that our kids are older, is being able to watch our family show every night with our kiddos. We’ve watched Blackish, Fresh Off the Boat and now we’re watching modern family!
Our BIGGEST passion?
Helping others with connect and build families through family and relationship coaching over at Coach One Love!
LOVE | CREATE | INSPIRE |
LOVE | CREATE | INSPIRE |
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MARIA BERNARD
FOUNDER
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ANTON BERNARD
GENERAL MANAGER
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SARAH DUEñAS
PRODUCTION MANAGER
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Kendall Krick
MARKETING DIRECTOR
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Gail Deal
FABRICATION SPECIALIST
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Abigail stoll
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
January 2016
Maria falls in love with calligraphy!
Maria picked up a calligraphy pen for the first time to soothe her postpartum depression.
She was in the darkest time of her life as her marriage was rocky and finances were tight. She was juggling being a wife and a mom of two under two. After a vent session with her best friend, she pointed her back to an old hobby of handlettering and Maria came across an Instagram account called @handletteredabcs where followers were encouraged to handletter one letter per day for a whole month!
Nap time and bed time were her favorite time of the day to practice calligraphy and re-center herself. All of her progress was posted on an instagram account she created called Creations by MB.
april 2016
Maria creates and crafts her first job!
Creations by MB turns is gaining followers on Instagram and Maria accepts her first ever paid job hand-lettering a seating chart!
Eventually word got around and the demand for hand-lettered calligraphy grew! Without knowledge of how to run a business, Maria turned to her sisters who encouraged her to start a business and create an Etsy account!
With ink being at the center of her new passion, she realizes that she is now creating decor with ink so Deco Ink Designs is born. She calls on Ashley from Lovely Limitless and Deco Ink officially has a logo.
july 2016
Maria discovers a laser to turn her calligraphy into a 3D object!!
Maria learns about lasers and The Chandler Techshop, now known as ASU Innovation Center after speaking to a coworker about her passion to create handlettered signs.
She saved up money for a membership and spends all her free time at the Techshop learning how to scan in her handlettered calligraphy and learning Adobe Illustrator to vectorize her scanned calligraphy.
Most times she didn’t have a baby sitter but that wouldn’t stop her from learning the Universal Laser System and fulfilling Etsy orders at the Chandler Techshop!
By the end of 2016 Maria had sold 27 laser cut signs with her scanned in laser cut lettering.
november 2017
Maria is working her corporate job and laser cutting Etsy orders on her free time!
By now, Maria had sold 89 laser cut signs for weddings and nursery rooms but suddenly the Chandler Techshop closes it’s doors.
Feeling defeated, her husband offers to help invest in a laser to help Maria’s Etsy shop stay open!
january 2018
Maria quits her corporate job to ensure her husbands investment becomes a success! She is still a stay at home mom of a 3 and 5 year old but now she added a whole business to her daily routine. As if mom duties weren’t enough. The hashtag #mompreneur becomes her new favorite hashtag!
She continues to selling laser cut signs on her Etsy store and starts her business from home.
She juggles a toddler at home while fulfilling orders in her home office.
March 2019
Deco Ink grows and inspires others to learn calligraphy so Maria adds several new products and services!
She steps away from Etsy and begins taking local Arizona wedding orders from wedding and event planners.
She creates her very own calligraphy course and starts a beginners calligraphy workbook to teach calligraphy inside of Studio 223 in Downtown Gilbert.
Community means everything to Maria so connecting with others through laser cutting and calligraphy inspired her to keep pushing through those long days and is grateful to continue teaching calligraphy!
Take her next class!
april 2022
Deco Ink continues creating signage for all kinds of events!
However, Maria realizes her biggest joy comes from working with couples and creating wedding signs.
With majority of orders being weddings, it’s time for a new logo that tells her story and embodies the brand it has become.
September 2024
Deco Ink is in a warehouse!
Maria’s dream to connect and create community within her very own curated space comes true!
Deco Ink team gets the opportunity to get creative without limitations!
With the new investment in the Saw Stop table saw, building and fabricating for our couples is achieved. We get to create with safety!
There is also a photo studio for rent, a laser studio to learn in and a special place to host workshops!
may 2025
Deco Ink wins Arizona’s Best for the Wedding Design!
Since 2019, when Maria shifted away from Etsy and into the Arizona wedding industry, she created designs that were handed to her!
With a new found appreciation for design, she always longed to design and create her very own wedding one day where she had full range to work with the couple one-on-one!
In 2020, she started designing her very own weddings and after lots of practice in the design world, Casey and Matt’s big day at Desert Mountain Golf Club caught the attention of the Arizona Bride Magazine Editors.
You can find it here Arizona Bride Magazine!
June 2025
Maria merges her two passions!
With her new found calling of working with couples, Maria wants to walk further with her couples as they journey into marriage!
So Anton continues to create with Maria at Deco Ink but ALSO, Maria becomes a certified coach over at Coach One Love.
If you know Maria, you know she values marriage and working with couples!
