Tuesday Treasures: Paper Bride

After an entire summer of froufrou bridesmaid gowns and last minute bridal panics (not hers), "professional bridesmaid" Erica Goldstein saw a void and stepped up to fill it: specialized thank you cards for the newly-wedded bride. But not just any thank you cards, cute cards. Cards with panache. Cards that say "bling". And you can get them individually or in nifty boxed sets. These are no fancy schmancy, sappily-engraved cards here, no sir. Illustrated by Alexandra Fletcher and ably-captioned by the ever-single-but-never-bitter (and actually, now newly engaged) Ms. Goldstein, Paper Bride's cards are the sort of thing you give your best friend, little sister, mom, and caterer.

Yes, caterer. Or florist, venue, and seamstress, just to name a few.

For friends and family, there are cards for your girlpals, little sister, mom, fiance, family-to-be, and even an apologetic one for slipping into Bridezilla mode. All of them walk the line between humor and misty eyes that perfectly captures the insanity of planning a wedding, whether you're the bride or just got swept along on the Crazy Train with her.

There are cards to ask your friends to serve as bridesmaids...and cards to thank the entire wedding party, from the Best Man all the way down to the flower girl. There's even a card to address the Bachelorette Party.

For more informal newlyweds, Paper Bride offers postcard books of announcements and thank yous, from the aforementioned Bling to Save-the-Dates and the highly Yenta-like "Thank God...!" Jewish-themed engagement announcements.

But the crowning glory of Paper Bride is the Deluxe Bridal Thank You Box, containing 50 cards and envelopes from every other themed box - all properly indexed and tied up with ribbon in an adorable keepsake box, of course. It even makes a wonderful gift; you're practically assured a thank you card for your thoughtfulness!

The Paper Bride website is easy to navigate and offers a straightforward ordering process. The layout is all pink and feminine, without being cloying or overly girly, and is obviously all about the bride, but fun enough for couples to search through without making the groom-to-be feel out of place or like there's nothing there for him. If you're a fun-loving spirit and want to share your feelings without the overbearing sentimentality of most bridal cards, Paper Bride may be right up your aisl--er, alley.

Who knows? You might end up sending Ms. Goldstein a thank you card.