Our Story!

_(a rare photo of Gabrielle and I together, where one of us isn’t wearing a wedding dress.) _

Gabrielle and I met back in 2010. Our boyfriends were roommates, and it took us a while to actually become friends. Gabrielle lived in Boone, and the rest of us were in Raleigh. Obviously when she would come back to Raleigh, she’d want to hang out with her boyfriend Ryan, not her boyfriend’s roommate David’s girlfriend who had seemingly taken up permanent residence on their couch, watching a lot of House Hunters. That’s right, I was using their apartment for the sweet cable setup.

Lucky for me, after she moved back to Raleigh, and the boys went their separate ways, Ryan instituted a craft and game night for everyone to keep in touch, and the girls to get to know each other. It was such a fun weekly tradition, and it got even more fun after Ryan and Gabrielle got engaged!

Once wedding planning commenced, I knew this wedding was going to be amazing. Gabrielle had a million DIY ideas, and did some pretty amazing stuff, like teaching herself calligraphy, hand making basically all of the paper products for her wedding, and creating some beautiful, unique decor. The craft group got to experience this all first hand, and working together to bring Gabrielle and Ryan’s ideas to life was such a fun bonding experience - by the time the wedding rolled around, we were all pretty close.  

(just a couple of the gorgeous handmade details at the Hardin wedding. Photo by Becci Ames)

The wedding itself was of course, incredible. The whole event felt like such an extension of Ryan and Gabrielle, their love for each other, and their love for their family and friends. I actually gasped when I walked into the courtyard where they had their reception - it felt like this secret space that they had transformed into a wonderland. It was a truly magical evening.

(Look how cute they are! Keep an eye out for a post on my top ten tips on how to deal with spending every day with someone who should be a model.)

During the time of their engagement, Gabrielle and I spent a lot of time talking with our other friends about our careers, hopes and dreams. Gabrielle and I both wanted to pursue creative careers, but we were both having trouble finding our niche. At the time, Gabrielle was working as a paralegal, and I was working as a freelance web designer. For me, the problems really began after Ryan and Gabrielle moved away for a year to San Francisco. I felt like I wasn’t getting any closer to my goals, or even enjoying my job. I considered a lot of different careers, but ultimately decided that becoming a stationer felt like the best fit. I could use my experience as a graphic designer, exploring print felt really exciting to me, in a world that was less and less about print design, and a career that celebrated creativity and helping couple express their unique story felt like a perfect fit.

_(me the day I decided to ask Gabie if she wanted to work together. Feeling great about the future! This photo was taken for unrelated reasons.)  _

I also knew I did not want to do this alone - freelancing felt very lonely and isolating for me. Knowing how talented Gabrielle was, and that she too was interested in a career change led me to ask her if she’d be interested in partnering with me. She said yes, and that was the official beginning of One + Only Paper!

There is nothing like being in business with a friend. When you have someone by your side who shares your values, but brings a unique outlook and skill set to the table, it changes everything. We’ve gone from working on ideas on opposite sides of the country to working every day serving our clients out of her home. I can’t wait to see where we’ll be in another year.

We decided to start this project because we felt that after two years officially in business, we had more and more great information to share with our clients, and no good platform to do so. We hope to build this as a resource for brides and grooms perplexed by the custom stationery design process. We also hope to get a little personal, sharing from our lives as creative entrepreneurs, from craft projects to the challenges and victories of running our own business. As our story continues, we will share it with you here. Thank you for reading!

<3

Alison