Let's Face It
The History of Weddings Are sometimes Problematic.
The history of weddings is steeped in some really old-fashioned and frankly, misogynistic ideals.
White dresses used to symbolize virginity and purity, and rings were about ownership.
At Gates Paper Co, we don’t care about the conventions of a wedding. We don’t care about what you “should” do or what’s “proper.” We care about celebrating love. Your love, your way.
This is why we hate cut-and-paste wedding design.
Because our hot take is that anyone can get married, but few are lucky enough to fall madly in love, build a good relationship, and publicly declare that it’s forever.
We believe that the magic of a wedding is about making memories and celebrating a couple’s one-in-a-million love.
We know we’re not for everyone. But we believe that our modern philosophy about weddings is what drives us to prioritize creating truly unique art that means something.
our philosophy / hot take / our philosophy / hot take / our philosophy / hot take / our philosophy / hot take /
Born From Loathing.
It all started from Isabel’s dissatisfaction with receiving wedding invitation after wedding invitation that was basic, boring, and frankly, not worth the paper it was printed on. She knew every invite was just ending up trashed and forgotten.
That dissatisfaction turned into outright frustration when she searched for her own wedding invitations.
It seemed like there were about 3 aesthetics to pick from, no matter what price point, and so many stationers seemed to be making the same thing for all their clients.
Where were the designers who designed around the couple and their unique wedding?
our story / our story / our story / our story / our story / our story / our story / our story /
the couple should be able to
pick their invitations from a lineup
and know it’s theirs.
The way to avoid wedding regret
is to make it so “you”
that you’ll never be tired of it.
When we design, we are inspired by the couple’s relationship, their intentions for the wedding, and all those fun and unique little details about their event that will make their guests remember it.
1. We really connect with the couple.
2. When we design, our inspiration isn’t other wedding stationery. It’s the couple and their wedding.
3. We source materials based on their wedding vibe, so every piece is unique.
4. Our illustrations are all done custom for the client (unlike many stationers that get their illustrations from the internet!)
our design philosophy / our design philosophy / our design philosophy / our design philosophy /
How Do We Do This?
Our Slow Year
In 2023, the business grew to a team of 3 as well as some contractors, a marketing agency, and some partnering vendors (for certain printing methods, etc). We were so lucky to have a business that was growing so rapidly that Isabel could no longer do everything by herself.
However, in 2024, Isabel decided she wanted to slow things down for about a year. Though our small team LOVED working together and business was booming, her assistants found work elsewhere and Isabel brought the company back to a solo journey, where it all started.
This will just be temporary, likely until the end of 2025 until Isabel decides to start growing the company again. Until then, she is taking on very few weddings in 2025, but will have the support of various contractors and vendors like always.
our team / our team / our team / our team / our team / our team / our team / our team /
