The Aerialist Press Llc

What The Aerialist Press Llc does

The Aerialist Press, LLC is a privately-held, bootstrapped boutique wedding stationery company based in Sacramento, California, with a second design office in Walnut Creek. Founded and operated by owners Alexandra (Creative Director) and Craig (Print Specialist), the company employs a four-person team and serves engaged couples and the wedding planners who refer them in the United States, with all revenue generated domestically through direct-to-consumer inquiries.

The company's core product is high-end letterpress and fine-art digital wedding invitation suites, produced in-house on two 10x15 Heidelberg Windmills (one with foil capability) and an 8x12 Chandler & Price antique press, using Crane's Lettra 100% cotton paper and Gmund Papier imported German stocks. The product line is structured in two tiers: a semi-custom House Collection of 22+ pre-designed suites (priced at roughly $465-$785 for 25-225 quantity invitation-plus-envelope sets, with extensive add-on menus for foil, embellishments, and assembly), and Full Custom Couture Suites designed from scratch starting at $3,500, capped at 10-15 per year.

The business model is deliberately capacity-constrained, with a maximum of eight semi-custom weddings per month and a non-refundable $300 retainer to book a date, plus a 20% design retainer on full custom work. Pricing is per-unit with quantity tiers and add-on revenue from foil stamping, edge painting, envelope liners, wax seals, ribbon/vellum, calligraphy (via an external calligrapher partner), and assembly services priced $75-$1,125. Distribution is exclusively direct: website inquiry forms, free phone consultations, and wedding-planner referrals, with no retail or third-party channels. The company markets through editorial features in wedding publications, an Instagram presence, and a deep portfolio of named wedding and event-designer collaborations.

Name

The Aerialist Press Llc

Legal name

The Aerialist Press, LLC

Website

https://theaerialistpress.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Aerialist Press is a Sacramento-based boutique wedding stationery company that designs and letterpress-prints custom and semi-custom wedding invitation suites in-house on antique Heidelberg and Chandler & Price presses, serving engaged couples and high-end wedding planners across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Semi-Custom Wedding Invitations: Pre-designed collection invitation sets with customizable font, color, and wording. Priced per card with quantity-based pricing (25-500+ quantities). Includes invitations, response cards, save the dates, reception cards, and day-of paper goods.
2. Full Custom Couture Suites: Completely original suites designed from ground up for individual couples. Starting at $3,500 minimum. Includes consultation, concept development, proofing, and production. Requires 20% design retainer.
3. Day-of Paper Goods: Digital printed items including menus, programs, place/escort cards, table numbers, signage, welcome letters. 2-week turnaround.
4. Embellishments and Upgrades: Additional revenue from foil stamping ($350 per color), metallic inks, custom color mixing ($75), envelope liners, colored envelopes, ribbon wraps, wax seals, edge painting ($50-450), die cutting ($300), embossing ($250).
5. Assembly Services: Standard assembly (stuffing + stamping) from $75-675 depending on quantity. Embellished assembly options with ribbon/wax seals from $125-1,125.
6. Sample Kits: $5 sample kits with invitation and reply card samples, paper and ink swatches, envelope printing and lining examples.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Aerialist Press is a custom wedding stationery studio that designs and letterpress-prints wedding invitations and related paper goods in-house. It sells two primary offerings: a semi-custom House Collection of 22+ pre-designed invitation suites (customizable in font, color, and wording) and Full Custom Couture Suites designed from scratch for individual couples (starting at $3,500). All letterpress printing is done in-house on antique Heidelberg Windmill and Chandler & Price presses using Crane's Lettra 100% cotton paper.

Product overview

The Aerialist Press LLC is a boutique wedding stationery company offering two primary product lines: a semi-custom House Collection of 22+ pre-designed letterpress and fine art digital wedding invitation suites, and Full Custom Couture Suites (starting at $3,500) for completely original, ground-up custom designs. Their core print technologies include letterpress printing using antique Heidelberg Windmill and Chandler & Price presses on Crane's 100% cotton Lettra paper, and fine art digital printing on Royal Sundance stock. The company offers extensive customization through ink colors (40+ options), foil stamping (5 colors), paper weights, envelope options, and embellishments including ribbon, vellum, wax seals, and pocketfolds. Add-on services encompass day-of paper goods (menus, programs, place cards, table numbers, signage), assembly services, calligraphy, and envelope addressing. The House Collection uses a template-based customization model while Full Custom involves a bespoke 4-step design process including consultation, booking with 20% retainer, proofing with 3 original concepts, and production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• House Collection (Semi-Custom Wedding Invitations) Pre-designed letterpress and fine art digital wedding invitation suites that couples can customize with font, color, and wording changes. Includes 22+ named designs such as Arden, Ives, Montecito, Rhodes, Solara, Verbena, Opaline, Lovely, Bradshaw, Linden, Aurelia, Brynn, Fiori, Brentwood, Alto, Cohen, Blakeley, Amador, Sonoma, Whittier, Estate, Jillian, and Exquisite. Priced by quantity tier from 25 to 500+ units.
• Full Custom Couture Suites Completely original, ground-up custom wedding invitation suites designed from scratch for individual couples. Includes consultation, concept development, three original concepts, proofing, and production. Starts at $3,500 minimum and requires a 20% design retainer at booking.
• Fine Art Digital Printing Flat digital printing for day-of paper goods and non-letterpressable items such as guest addressing on envelopes, printed on textured and smooth Royal Sundance stock and Gmund Impress imported German papers with a 2-week turnaround.
• Letterpress Printing Artisanal letterpress printing where design is pressed into paper leaving an impression, printed one color at a time using two 10x15 Heidelberg Windmills (one with factory foil capability) and an 8x12 Chandler and Price press on Crane's Lettra 100% cotton paper in 110lb/300gsm or 220lb/600gsm weights, with a 3-week standard turnaround.
• Foil Stamping Heat and pressure foil stamping using real copper plates, available in five foil colors (Copper, True Gold, Champagne Gold, Rose Gold, Silver) and combinable with letterpress inks; $350 per foil color upgrade.
• Wedding Day Paper Goods Day-of wedding stationery digitally printed on Royal Sundance or Gmund Impress stock, including menus, place cards, escort cards, table numbers, single page or booklet programs, welcome basket materials, and signage, with a 2-week turnaround.
• Assembly Services Final assembly of invitation suites including standard stuffing and stamping ($75–$675), embellished stuffing with vellum wrap or bellyband ($100–$900), and embellished stuffing with ribbon or wax seal ($125–$1,125) depending on quantity; requires an additional week of turnaround.
• Envelope Services Envelope customization with 30+ colored envelope options, customizable and standard envelope liners, digital guest addressing ($0.75 per envelope), and letterpress return address printing ($1.25 per envelope).
• Calligraphy Services Hand lettering of envelope guest addresses and place/escort cards by a partnered calligrapher, coordinated for clients who prefer hand-lettered addressing over digital printing; requires an extra week of turnaround beyond standard production.
• Sample Kit $5 physical sample kit including invitation and reply card examples in letterpress and/or fine art digital styles, paper swatches, ink color samples, and envelope printing and lining examples.
• Postage Collection USPS standard issue postage stamps in amounts from $0.50 to $71, plus custom Zazzle postage options for invitation mailing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-week standard turnaround for letterpress, 2-week for digital printing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Calligrapher PartnercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with an incredibly talented calligrapher for envelope addressing and place/escort card calligraphy services. Coordinates calligraphy services for clients who prefer hand-lettered addressing over digital printing.
• Bash Please EventsflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured event planning partner whose clients' custom invitation suites are prominently showcased. Regular collaboration on high-end wedding stationery projects.
• Downey Street EventscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured event planning partner. Multiple custom suite showcases from their client weddings including Ahsha+Dylan, Soo+Michael, Clare+Tim, and Karen+Jason weddings.
• Bustle EventscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured event planning partner for Whitney+Michael and Kat+Tim custom suites.
• Emily Coyne EventscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured event planning partner for Campovida editorial shoot.
• Crane's Lettra Paper MillcoreTechnology or IntegrationPaper supplier for standard letterpress paper stock. Crane's Lettra is 100% cotton, made at a solar-powered mill.
• Gmund Papier (German Mill)coreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of imported German papers for fine art digital printing. Historic small mill near Austrian border.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Minted: Minted is an online marketplace connecting independent designers to couples for wedding invitations, stationery, and paper goods. Directly comparable on target customer (engaged couples) and product category (custom wedding invitations) though it operates at much larger scale with a broader design community model.
• Bella Figura: Bella Figura is a custom letterpress wedding invitation studio offering both semi-custom house designs and fully bespoke suites. Closest direct peer to Aerialist Press given shared letterpress specialization, in-house production, couture tier, and similar premium positioning targeting engaged couples.
• Paperless Post: Paperless Post offers digital and physical invitations for weddings and events with design customization. Comparable on customer use case (wedding and event stationery) though focused on digital-first delivery rather than letterpress production.
• Wedding Paper Divas: Wedding Paper Divas (owned by Shutterfly) specializes in printed wedding invitations, save the dates, and stationery. Direct peer on product and target customer, though operates at higher volume and lower price point than Aerialist's boutique letterpress model.
• Basic Invite: Basic Invite is an online invitation printing service with customizable designs for weddings and events. Directly comparable on product category and customer base, though positioned at lower price points and faster turnaround than Aerialist's letterpress couture.

Broad incumbents

• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Vistaprint is a mass-market online printing platform offering business and personal stationery including wedding invitations. Comparable on printing capability and product category, though positioned at significantly lower price points and self-service volume rather than bespoke couture.
• Shutterfly: Shutterfly is a large-scale photo printing and personalized products platform that includes wedding invitations through its Wedding Paper Divas and other brands. Comparable on printed invitation category, though positioned at mass-market price points and consumer self-service model.
• Crane & Co. Crane & Co. is a heritage American stationery manufacturer producing premium cotton paper and wedding invitations. Comparable on premium materials and luxury wedding positioning, though it operates as a broader stationery brand with retail distribution rather than a custom couture studio.
• The Knot (by XO Group): The Knot is a comprehensive wedding planning marketplace that includes invitation and stationery services alongside vendor directories. Adjacent as an industry publication that also offers stationery products, competing for both editorial attention and direct invitation purchases.
• Zola: Zola is a wedding planning platform offering registry, websites, and invitation services. Comparable on wedding invitation product category but operates as a broader digital wedding platform rather than a custom letterpress studio, representing both a competitor and a potential partnership channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aerialistpress
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-aerialist-press

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Aerialist Press Llc