The Stationers Guild

As a stationer, I am privileged to meet with many creative designers, fine printing companies and, most importantly, fellow stationers who share my passion for fine papers and beautiful designs.    For me, paper has never lost its relevancy and I still get goose-pimples when I visit the Morgan Library in NYC to see the stunning illustrated manuscripts from the Medieval age or royal crests engraved on handmade cotton paper.    While some will argue that digital media has made fine paper printing largely obsolete, I suspect that the tangible and unique quality of a paper wedding invitation is far more personally relevant than a template invitation from Facebook.   

Owner and Creative Director Sugandha Rosenhaft of Arabella Papers continues to raise the bar in the invitation industry for her dazzling colors and rich designs since her debut in 2007.   If you haven’t had a chance to see Arabella Papers, schedule your appointment now with a stationer in your neighborhood.

Who is Arabella Papers?

Atlanta based Arabella Papers made its debut in the American stationery industry in the winter of 2007.   Their custom holiday line quickly made its mark as a source for top-quality, sophisticated cards and invitations.  With elaborate patterning, vibrant imported papers and their trademark Bellpress™ print process, stationers nationwide begged the question, “When can you do wedding?” Six fine custom stationery albums later, Arabella Papers continues to push boundaries with exciting, new concepts for wedding and bar/bat mitzvah.

Arabella’s signature Bellpress™ printing, is a hand-printed process that uses soft, synthetic dies to layer inks for a raised affect, without bruising the paper. Unlike other raised print processes on the market, this trademarked printing method allows for greater design flexibility by allowing two-sided printing, ink layering, multiple colors, and has proven to be a favorite among fine stationers. Their signature “tessuto” (tone on tone) fabric-like patterning, burnished golds and metallic inks, elaborate folders and elegant but bold global designs are unlike any other product on the market.  The invitations themselves are all hand-cut and hand-assembled, the envelopes hand-converted and the papers hand-dyed. Each order is meticulously created to be the perfect introduction for the client’s event and the same detail and craftsmanship that goes into creating a custom couture gown is the approach that Arabella Papers takes for every invitation. Arabella’s turn-around time is only 2-4 weeks from proof approval, which is astonishing considering the precision and care that goes into every hand-made custom creation.

 In the Fall of 2010, Arabella launched into the mid-range stationery market with their first offering in the affordable luxury collection, Bella Weddings. “We had to get creative and change with the economy.” Owner and Creative Director Sugandha Rosenhaft explains, “There was an incredible demand from clients who loved the look of our sophisticated luxury invitations but couldn’t necessarily afford the lavish pieces. Every bride deserves luxury, and we set out to do just that.” Bella Weddings offers the same quality and craftsmanship that sets Arabella apart, but showcases more exclusively layered cards and simple folders. Also, Arabella established base pricing to let brides go as simple or as custom as they like, allowing clients to customize according to their need and save on cost.

 Arabella Papers is featured regularly in top bridal magazines and has an impressive portfolio of well-known clientele such as Trump Towers in New York City, actress Julie Andrews, makeup superstore Sephora, and the Prime Minister of Belize, to name a few. But regardless of whomever the client might be, customer service and complete client satisfaction continues to be of top priority at Arabella. Sugandha sums up the Arabella Papers approach to customer satisfaction like this: “I never want someone to feel that they are talking to just an answering service or they are another number in the day. Our environment is that of a family and all of us strive to deliver the same for our clients.”

Arabella’s newest launch is Custom Wedding: Volume II, the second album in their sophisticated luxury wedding collection.  It showcases 13 complete design suites with each displaying a full range of wedding stationery: save the date sets, invitation sets with inserts and response cards, as well as full reception accessories such as menus, programs, place cards, and table numbers.  Arabella is also launching the second album in its affordable luxury collection, Bella Classic Weddings, in April of 2011.  A new Bar/Bat Mitzvah album is also planned for late 2011, a relief to the diligent retailers who have been on the waiting list for that album for nearly a year and a half.  With all of the exciting changes and growth happening for Arabella Papers and its dedicated group of employees and clients, Sugandha says, “Sometimes, juggling being a business owner, a designer, mother of a 13 month old and a wife can become overwhelming, but I can truly say that I am where I dreamed I would be in life.”

 Arabella’s custom lines are available in fine stationery stores all over the US, such as Thérèse Saint Clair in Greenwich, Hyegraph in San Francisco, Francis-Orr in Corona Del Mar, Tabula Rasa in Salt Lake City, and Arabesque in Naples to name a few. Please visit www.arabellapapers.com for a complete list of retailers and be sure to visit them at booth 1237 at NSS in May!

Richard W. May
Founding Member Stationers Guild

At the National Stationery Show in May, I had the opportunity to chat with Sugandha  Rosenhaft, the President and Creative Director for Arabella Papers.  The occasion of the meeting was to introduce Arabella’s new Custom Bar and Bat Mitzvah Invitation Album, scheduled to be released later in the summer.

Sugandha Rosenhaft of Arabella Papers

Sugandha, shown above with sample Bar/Bat Mitzvah invitations in the background, was justifiably excited about these substantial and attractively designed invitations.  For a stationer, there are few events more rewarding than working with a family to craft an invitation for their daughter’s or son’s Mitzvah.  The paper stock is substantial - often layered in an array of bold colors - and each invitation incorporates motifs, monograms or font styles that complement the color scheme of the invitation.

Sample Arabella Bat Mitzvah with Die-cut Flower

Arabella Papers, with its patented Bellpress printing method, truly outdid themselves with this stunning new album that we recevied last week.   I was most impressed with the contemporary and sharp new invitation designs as well as the large array of customization options. 

Sample Bar/Bat Mitzvah Invitations from Arabella Papers

While some of the customization features may seem overwhelming, Arabella Papers has greatly simplified the process with a clear and articulate explanation at the beginning of the Custom Bar and Bat Mitzvah album.  For instance, they show 6 basic invitation paper styles – including one circular invitation - that range in price from $5 to $16 (including envelope).   To the basic paper style can be added “upgrades,” such as a wallpapered back to the invitation, or “additions,” that range from liners to direction cards.  For those working on a budget (and who isn’t these days), this upfront explanation saves much time and anguish in sorting through the cost of specific customization options.

While Arabella Papers is rather new, they have left a strong imprint on the industry with their fresh new designs, bellpress printing process and a very responsive staff from their Atlanta facility.  If you are not familiar with Arabella Papers, I strongly suggest that you schedule an appointment with a Guild Member stationer that carries Arabella Papers. 

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair

At the National Stationery Show this May, I had the opportunity to meet the talented President and Creative Director of Arabella Papers, Sugandha Rosenhaft.  At an off site meeting to introduce Arabella’s new Bar Mitzvah album (the subject of an upcoming news Blog), I was pleased to see two elaborately decorated tables incorporating Arabella’s impeccable taste in menu cards, place cards, seating cards and table cards.

Arabella Papers Table Cards, Menu Cards

While many bridal couples focus on save-the-date invitations and their wedding invitation, there are many other “paper” moments at the rehearsal dinner to tie in color themes and/or reinforce design motifs that characterize the occasion.   The Stationers Guild website refers bridal couples to the “paper trail” and “timeline” to help organize your event.

If color, design and stunning presentation is your cup of tea, Arabella Papers using their innovative bellpress printing technique might be the right choice for you.

Arabella Papers is one of the new and exciting fine paper designers and printers of custom invitations to hit the industry in recent years.  With its unique bellpress printing process, Arabella simulates engraving without the bruising on the back.

Arabella Peony Invitation

Now through April 30, 2009, Arabella is offering $300 off any RSVP set which accompanies an Arabella invitation order of $850 or more.  This is an exceptional promotion for buyers looking for a special wedding invitation, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah invitation or a special birthday or anniversary invitation.

Arabella is sold through a rather ristricted group of stationers.  Consult the Arabella website for a list of their dealers in your neighborhood.

There is a huge difference between designing a custom wedding invitation with an experienced stationer and populating a website template supplied by an Internet dealer.  While you may have some initial ideas in terms of colors, time of the season or, perhaps, you have seen a sample invitation in a bridal magazine, most young couples will use a search engine.

“Custom wedding invitations” must be a very popular search term as evidenced by the fact that there were more than 2 million pages listed on Google when I entered that phrase into the search bar today.  While there are many websites competing for your eyes, the question is whether they are useful.  I guess it depends on what you are searching for and whether you wish to play a meaningful role in designing your wedding invitation.

Based on the sheer number of websites that appear in the top listings for organic search (not paid), it appears as if the vast majority of these websites represent online printers or online resellers.  Customization to an online printer or reseller means selecting from a number of sample images on their website and then filling-in an online template for the wording, font style, inks colors and quite possibly the printing process.  While some of these websites are very sophisticated, the process is similar to painting by the numbers.  I have written previously about the pitfalls of selecting wedding invitations online, but this approach may work for some people.

For those seeking a truly “custom” wedding invitation, I strongly recommend that you consult an experienced stationer in your neighborhood.  You may find one of these stationers by entering your zip code or city and state in the search bar on the StationersGuild website.  These stationers carry a number of samples provided by leading designers and fine paper companies in the industry.  Many of these companies such as Arabella, Smock, Page, Mr. Boddington, Oblation, Lallie, Prentiss Douthit, Encore and Julie Holcomb do not sell online and instead rely on their authorized dealers to act as an interface between the client and the printing company.  Seeing invitation samples from a variety of designers and paper companies is essential to help refine your customization options.  While at first it may seem a bit overwhelming, when your work with a leading stationer you will be able to narrow down your options and discuss ways to add your own customization ideas to create a truly personalized invitation.

While leading companies such as Crane & Co. and William Arthur have a large network of qualified dealers, they also allow you to create your wedding invitation online.  While some people may find this more convenient, all of their online customization options and many more can be obtained by working with one of their qualified dealers.  As Sheila May of Therese Saint Clair points out, “99% of my wedding invitations contain one or more customization features that are simply not available in the samples provided by my fine paper companies or online.  Most brides want to stamp their personality on the event with something meaningful or of special significance to the bridal couple and their families.”