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So it’s a yes!
14th February 2017
Planning your wedding includes planning your wedding stationery. We are really excited to share over 40 years’ experience of creating and printing gorgeous wedding stationery with you!
So you’ve said yes (huge congratulations!) and now the fun really begins! This is your special day, and you have probably been planning the way you want it to look for a long time. However, you will be happy to know there are no set rules and even traditional etiquette guides will advise you to choose an invitation that reflects your wedding and sets the tone for the day.
So the first decision is whether to be traditional, contemporary or truly individual with a personalised design. The planning starts with the Save the Date card and the theme that will run through every part of your stationery to the Thank You card. Consequently, your wedding stationery is part of that whole image, and you will want it to reflect your own personality. Traditional wedding stationery used to be hand-engraved, however the new forms of printing, such as thermography which give a raised feel, has taken over as it is half the cost. With this new freedom and endless choices, let us help you create a design that feels truly personal.
Wedding Stationery List
Firstly you have to decide what invitations and other stationery you will need. Do you want to send out Save the Date cards? Are there guests you want to come to the reception or evening only? Then you may need to have reception or evening invitations separate from the wedding invitations. There are also information leaflets and reply cards with reply envelopes which can go out with your wedding invitation. For the wedding day itself there are the service sheets, table plans, placements and menus to consider. Some people like to have an Order for the Day card too. It is good to plan ahead for each part of your stationery so that you can follow the theme through. Obviously it is important to have a budget in mind for this part of your wedding costs.
Choosing the style
Once you have decided on the theme you will have to make some choices.
For all wedding stationery there are some simple choices to start with:
1. Is the wedding invitation to be folded or flat?
2. Which size of invitation appeals most – standard envelope sizes limit the options?
3. What card colour, thickness and texture do you like?
4. Which printing process do you prefer? (These are described on our website)
5. Which colour of ink or foil would look best with your theme?
6. And finally, which typeface/s you would like (you can have more than one)?
Embellishments
Once you have chosen these, there are some other embellishments to consider.
The finishes that can be added to make the invitation more individual are bows, gilded edges, borders, panel sinking or blind embossing.
A recent trend is to add your initials entwined at the top of the flat invitations or on the front of folded invitations. A popular choice this year has been tissue lined envelopes with the colour reflecting the ink of the invitation.
So where to start?
With the most important invitation for the day:
Day Invitations & Envelopes
Day invitations are the essential stationery item for every wedding. You send these to the guests you are inviting to your whole wedding, i.e. the ceremony, reception and evening celebration. The envelopes are also important because receiving a good quality envelope will enhance the whole experience of opening your beautiful invitation. These should be sent out around 8 weeks before. However the more time you give your guests the more likely they will be available to come.
Top Tip 1: Your invitation is the first formal impression your guests will have of your wedding so choose your design carefully and try and tie it in with your colour scheme, theme or “look”.
Top Tip 2: Remember you will only need one invitation per couple or family, but do allow some spares for mistakes when addressing them or for people you might decide to ask later.
Evening Invitations & Envelopes
These are for guests you want to invite to your evening celebration only. These can be less formal than the main wedding invitation and here is the chance to have a fun style invitation from the couple themselves. You may want to add this invitation into your main wedding invitation envelope so you will not need envelopes for those guests coming to the wedding service. Remember you will only need one invitation per couple or family.
Reply Cards
These are a popular way of hastening responses so you can finalize numbers early and be able to plan catering, table placements etc. It also makes it easier for your guests to reply. They’re a great way to ask your guests specific questions such as dietary requirements, if they would like a space on any transport you are organising, or whether they will be bringing children. You can also put a ‘please reply by’ date on them to help ensure replies arrive well before your wedding date. Reply cards are often postcard size with your reply address on the other side and they fit neatly inside your invitation envelope. Some people prefer to have a separate printed envelope for the reply card. Either way, it is easy for your guests to let you know if they are coming or not, by just popping them in the post. It is also much easier to keep track of reply cards coming in, than replies coming in by email, telephone or letter. Plus it’s very exciting when they arrive through your letterbox!
Top Tip: Plan to send out your invitations in good time to give your guests about 4 weeks to reply by the reply date.
Information Cards
Information cards are a great way to provide your guests with additional information about your wedding. This can include details about the day, travel and transport, maps, accommodation, present lists, children, and any other information you want to include. They’re particularly handy if your guests are travelling from far away, especially if your wedding is abroad.
Top Tip: Use information cards to address any tricky issues, for example, if you would like money or vouchers instead of gifts, or if you are unable to accommodate children. A carefully worded note on an information card will let your guests know and won’t offend anyone.
Save-the-Date Cards & Envelopes
These are a great way to ensure all your guests can make your wedding, by asking them to save the date up to a year in advance. They’re particularly handy if your wedding is during a holiday season, or if your guests will be travelling far.
Top Tip: If your wedding is abroad you can send them an information leaflet with flight and accommodation information so your guests can book early.
More top tips coming soon…
(If you can’t wait until then, it’s all available on our Free Wedding Stationery Guide, which you can download now from our website)