With sites such as Etsy and Pinterest giving powerful platforms to creatives, the barriers to creatives selling their goods online are lower than ever. Whilst this is great news, it also makes it harder to stand out. Wedding stationery has become increasingly popular in recent years, but Ayla Pena of The AYLA View has worked hard to give her brand a point of difference. She tells us about how gift wrapping her bespoke wedding invitations in custom tissue paper completes her brand storytelling:
(In Ayla’s own words:)
“The Ayla View, a play on words for “I love you,” came from my name and how I view things creatively. I never really thought I would end up in the wedding industry, and yet I knew I wanted to make things that would inspire others and connect each other through design. My background is fine arts and advertising, which helped me pursue personal projects and side hustles that made me feel more fulfilled than any day job I’ve had in the past. After a little nudging from supportive friends, whom I’ve created handmade typography-focused greeting cards for, I started my calligraphy and design business. In today’s digital world, my goal is to create exciting, tangible, and memorable keepsakes that connect the sender to the receiver.”
“Before university, I didn’t know graphic design was a career path I could take until I came across a variety of graphic design books my dad owned, as he used to be a photography and typography professor! I just remember picking up books from his collection and reading them from cover to cover, always in awe with other designers’ styles and creativity. My wedding stationery work is mostly inspired by natural beauty, travel, and typography. I’m a sentimental person, so I think nostalgia also plays a part in my offerings especially since my hands do a lot of the work.”
Creating Sustainable Stationery
For stationery brands and creators, sustainability can sometimes feel at odds with the use of natural resources such as paper and cardboard. For Ayla, sustainability is all about mindfulness. By taking the time to create wedding stationery which couples want to treasure, this naturally extends the life of any product she makes:
“To be honest, sustainability can be challenging for me at times being in the stationery industry. Even though I’m creating something tangible, I also don’t like the idea of wasteful practices. Knowing the answer to “Why am I creating this?” makes me feel at ease to work on projects, offer better options to clients based on what they actually need, and also go with the right suppliers. Other than my services, I want to create products that will serve as keepsakes in people’s homes for a long time.”
Pro tip: If you want to make your operation as sustainable as possible, try sourcing FSC-certified products. The Forest Stewardship Council ensures that paper has been sourced and harvested in both an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. That’s why we use only FSC-certified sources for our packaging!
Using custom tissue paper to enhance the delivery experience
Custom tissue paper is a fantastic addition to give any brand a luxury feel. It shows care and attention to detail - the exact same emotions put in by the creator. By helping couples to commemorate such an important commitment, it was vital to Ayla that the experience of receiving their wedding stationery matched the gravity of the occasion:
“It’s important for me that when a client, a colleague, or a friend receives a package from me, they feel a familiar excitement, leaving them feeling inspired, satisfied, and/or blissful. It’s also important that my clients feel valued, especially as wedding planning can be stressful at times! Wrapping up and delivering their order in beautiful custom packaging is a great reminder that all our efforts are all worth it in the end. I’ve gotten positive feedback from clients how everything just came along perfectly together. They get really emotional when unboxing their wedding stationery as we’ve worked closely on keepsakes that they and their families would cherish.”
Ayla’s tissue design is the perfect match for the delicate style of her wedding stationery. Our 17gsm tissue paper has a lovely translucent finish, allowing the wrapped object to peek through and enhance the final reveal, whilst the handwritten calligraphy used for her brand name forges that all-important personal connection with the recipient. With a logo upload tool and several online templates to choose from, we make it easy for every business to bring their brand aesthetic into their custom tissue paper:
“I chose noissue for my custom tissue paper as I found the team to be customer-oriented with their communication, ensuring satisfaction in their clients like myself. The design part is totally up to me and they just make it so easy to create and place an order online. Knowing that it’s a sustainable company helps me as a small business owner in making my clients’ unboxing experience feel good while doing good!”