Ah, the wedding day—the culmination of dreams, the celebration of love, the ‘Best Day Ever’. It’s a day filled with anticipation, excitement, and a desire for everything to be just right. At Gee Brothers, we understand the importance of perfection when it comes to your wedding stationery, but we also believe that true joy lies in embracing the journey and focusing on what truly matters.
Managing Expectations:
The pressure to create the perfect wedding day can be overwhelming. From envisioning flawless invitations to coordinating every detail, it’s easy to get caught up in the quest for perfection. But here’s the truth: perfection is attainable, but it’s also about embracing the journey and the unique touches that make your day truly special.
Here are a few tips to help you navigate the pressure:
1. Set Realistic Goals: Strive for perfection in your wedding invitations, but also understand that perfection doesn’t mean everything goes exactly as planned. Embrace the journey and the small imperfections that make your invitations uniquely yours.
2. Delegate and Prioritise: Trust in our expertise at Gee Brothers to deliver perfection in your wedding invitations. Delegate other tasks to trusted friends and family members, and prioritize what truly matters to you as a couple.
3. Celebrate Attention to Detail: At Gee Brothers, we understand the importance of attention to detail when it comes to your wedding invitations. Every font choice, colour selection, and paper quality is carefully curated to ensure perfection in every aspect of your stationery suite.
Focusing on What Matters:
Amidst the quest for perfection, it’s important to remember what truly matters: your love and commitment to each other. Instead of getting bogged down by the details, focus on celebrating your journey and the joy of starting a new chapter together.
Here’s how you can keep the focus on what truly matters:
1. Celebrate Your Love: Let your love be the guiding force behind every decision you make, including your choice of wedding invitations. Our team at Gee Brothers is dedicated to capturing the essence of your love story in every design.
2. Create Meaningful Moments: Infuse your wedding day with meaningful moments that reflect your relationship and values as a couple. From personalized vows to heartfelt toasts, focus on creating memories that will last a lifetime.
3. Stay Present: Amidst the excitement of the day, take moments to pause, breathe, and soak it all in. Be present with each other and with your guests, savouring every moment of this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
Crafting the Perfect Wedding Invitation: Dos and Don’ts
Your wedding invitation is more than just a piece of paper; it’s the first glimpse your guests will get of your special day. From setting the tone to conveying crucial information, here are some dos and don’ts to ensure your wedding invitations are both elegant and effective.
Do: Personalize Your Invitations
Your wedding is a celebration of your unique love story, so let your invitations reflect that! Consider incorporating personalised touches such as custom illustrations, monograms, or handwritten notes to make your invitations truly special.
Don’t: Forget to Include Essential Information
While personalization is key, don’t overlook the essential details. Make sure to include the date, time, and location of the wedding, as well as RSVP instructions and any additional event details, such as dress code or accommodation information.
Do: Pay Attention to Timing
Timing is crucial when it comes to sending out your invitations. Aim to send them out at least eight to twelve weeks – or longer, if your guests must travel – before the wedding date to give your guests plenty of time to RSVP and make arrangements to attend.
Don’t: Wait Until the Last Minute
Avoid the stress of last-minute invitation sending by planning ahead. Start designing and assembling your invitations well in advance to ensure they’re ready to go out on time.
Do: Consider Your Guest List
When compiling your guest list, be mindful of your budget and venue capacity. While it’s natural to want to invite everyone you know, remember that smaller, more intimate gatherings can often be the most memorable.
Don’t: Overlook List Etiquette
Be sure to address your invitations correctly, using appropriate titles and spellings for each guest. If you’re unsure about how to address a particular guest, err on the side of formality.
Do: Proofread Carefully
Before sending out your invitations, double and triple-check them for any errors or typos. It’s worth taking the extra time to ensure that everything is perfect before they go out in the mail.
Don’t: Sacrifice Quality for Cost
While it’s essential to stick to your budget, remember that your wedding invitations are an investment in your big day. Opt for quality materials and printing techniques that will impress your guests and stand the test of time.
At Gee Brothers, we understand that planning a wedding can be overwhelming, and we’re here to make the process as seamless as possible. Our dedicated staff is committed to guiding you through every step of the invitation design process, offering personalized advice and expertise to help you find the perfect style for your special day. With our bespoke service, we’ll work closely with you to create invitations that not only reflect your unique love story but also set the tone for an unforgettable celebration. Let us help bring your wedding vision to life – get in touch with us today to learn more about our services.
Fire-up your guests for your big day! Guest blog by Henryka Jewellery
An Invitation To Excite: How To Get Your Guests Fired-Up For Your Big Day
There’s a certain age range in which all of your friends seem to get engaged en masse – and here in the UK, this is generally once you head towards your 30s. It feels like one second you’re eagerly chatting with friends about their latest dates and love interests and the next you’re attending their baby showers, hen dos and weddings on a bi-weekly basis.
If you’ve suddenly found yourself planning your wedding and wondering how to reignite the excitement your friends felt the first time they attended the nuptials of their nearest and dearest, then you’re in luck – as today, our friends at Henryka are sharing their best advice.
Do what matters most to you
Image: Unsplash
It might sound cliché, but your wedding is about you and your loved one, so don’t follow the same path that other couples have taken in the past. Instead, consider your own values, personalities and interests as a couple and how you can share these with your loved ones on your special day – be that through a Marvel-themed wedding cake or a cherished wedding dress that’s been passed down the generations.
By avoiding the obvious and embracing those unique quirks that make you individual, you’ll have sidestepped one of the greatest hindrances to an exciting wedding: the dreaded copycat. If you think you recognise that specific flower arrangement, the playlist at the reception and 3-course meal menu, it’s probably because you’ve seen, heard and tasted it time and time before. There are so many fun ways you can make your wedding special, so why reuse overdone ideas from other people?
Keep some aspects under wraps
Listen, we get it: planning a wedding is both exciting and stressful, and so it’s only natural to want to text every friend with every idea every time one comes to mind. However, you might consider keeping planning updates to your inner circle of friends if you want to leave any morsel of mystery surrounding your wedding day. Whether it’s the dress, decorations, food or the song for your first dance, keeping certain aspects under wraps from most will keep your loved ones guessing and the excitement building.
Announce in style
Once you’ve confirmed the date and venue, making the announcement to your friends and family is next in line. There’s nothing more disappointing than hearing these details through the grapevine rather than directly from the soon-to-be-weds, so try and cover all angles when it comes to sharing the big news:
Wedding invitations: To physically hold an invitation is something special and certainly not something that can be matched by an e-invite alone. And choosing an invitation should be fun. You can browse Gee Brothers’ range of elegant invitations available to order online to find the right fit for your wedding. We personally love the timeless look of Grace invitations but there are dozens of other styles and variations, from contemporary to classic, so you’re guaranteed to find one to suit you. A Save The Date card is always a great way to ensure that your guests won’t miss your special day, especially if your wedding is abroad or the following year. The new Isobel Save the Date card is very on trend for 2019.
Grace Wedding Invitations
Isobel Wedding Invitations
Social media. For those friends or distant relatives who you only communicate with through likes and comments, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are likely the places they’ll check for the latest updates on your wedding. Make sure they don’t miss out by sharing your news on social media – even if that’s only a quickly snapped pic of your official invite.
Pick up the phone. We all have those older relatives who are averse to new technologies, including social media. If you’re not in contact with these relatives regularly but still feel they should know the news, give them a call – as this way, you can speak with them directly. Not doing so and them consequently finding out from one of your close relatives may lead to them feeling out of the loop, so try and keep them as involved as you can.
Give thoughtful gifts
You probably know your Maid of Honour or Best Man better than anyone else, which is why giving them a thoughtful gift can mean the world. Stay clear of what other couples have done in the past and embrace the memories that made you bond with them in the first place. Whether you give them a throwback vinyl record that reminds you both of a special road trip, a handcrafted piece of amber jewellery to represent your friendship or tickets to see their favourite West End show, going the extra mile to give them something they’ll truly cherish will see them put in the extra effort in return.
Encourage a hen or stag do that suits you
Image: Unsplash
Your hen or stag do doesn’t have to be a boozy affair – and, if it’s your bridesmaids or groomsmen organising it, relaying this to them could save you from a night of debauchery that you’d much rather have avoided. Instead, why not go against the tide with a trip that suits your particular friendship group?
A trip to the ski slopes, a movie marathon with a mammoth takeaway or an old-school game of mini golf or bowling can sometimes prove to be much more memorable than an alcohol-fuelled night on the town, so consider sticking to what interests you rather than following the crowd.
Keeping things fun in the run up to your big day can prove to be a bit of a juggling act. You don’t want to give too much away, but give too little away and you’ll not create any excitement at all.
We hope that, with this compact guide, you’ll be able to build your way towards an anticipated wedding that makes its own rules.
Author bio
Anna Emmett is the owner of Henryka Jewellery, specialising in hand-crafted, unique silver, gemstone and amber jewellery that’s inspired by the natural world.
Planning a wedding to remember
Wedding Planning! We get so many lovely couples through our doors, and online, deciding which of our wedding stationery designs will complement and enhance their wedding plans and themes. They all love to tell us what their wedding plans are, the issues are having and asking if we know and can recommended other wedding suppliers. We are obviously more than happy to help. We love learning about all those wonderful businesses out there creating beautiful products all with one aim: to ensure couples have the wedding of their dreams!
A gorgeous Save the Date card is a fantastic way to start the theme of your wedding.
So we thought we’d help with a few personal recommendations of suppliers from some of the different types of businesses you’ll need when planning a wedding. Obviously these are just a few of the many more our that couples have recommended to us and we have recommended to them.
Wedding Planning made easy
Searching suppliers via the internet is so easy compared to wedding planning 10 or more years ago. Now you can find so many different companies locally and nationally to choose from. They all give you so much information and fantastic images to ensure you make a considered decision. Almost too many suppliers sometimes, but that has created a competitive set of suppliers and consequently, incredible creativity. Just a quick search on Pinterest and you’re quickly faced with literally hundreds of options. Deciding between them is the hard part, but you’re probably already following amazing suppliers on Instagram and have long Pinterest boards!
A good place to start are wedding blogs: there are so many out there, some national and some local. It’s a case of searching out the ones that are most relevant to you and the style and theme of your wedding. So our first recommendation is a wedding blog and then from there we list some wonderful wedding suppliers across dresses, hair, venues etc.
This is a great blog-based website helping you plan your very own perfect day. It highlights real weddings with fabulous imagery and also has a great deal of advice and suppliers for all elements of wedding and really does help you create your own individual style for your very own big day.
Wedding List:
If you’re interested in collating a list of gifts from a huge range of suppliers, the wonderful team at Prezola will be delighted to help you. Their bespoke service is available at Platinum by Prezola, a beautifully curated selection of amazing wedding gifts for you to choose from!
Photographer:
WeddingsbyNicolaandGlen is a unique wedding photography duo. They have photographed some of our couples on their special day with truly wonderful results.
Ed Tyler has been photographing weddings for over 12 years in the UK and Europe. As his portfolio shows, he tells the story of a wedding by taking natural and informal photographs. He specializes in capturing all the emotions and spontaneity which make your day special. He also ensures he’s as unobtrusive as possible. Take a look at his website and you’ll see what we mean.
Wedding Planners:
There are a number of brilliant wedding planners who will be more than happy to help you plan your perfect day. Two that have stood out for us recently are:
Guides for Brides: a very comprehensive wedding planning website, especially good for searching out venues as well as all other wedding suppliers. They host fairs around the country and list other upcoming fairs you might like to attend with your friends or family.
Pearl and Pear is a wonderful source of inspiration and guidance. They launched earlier this year and their site is a curated list of exceptionally creative suppliers to help you create an unforgettable day!
Wedding Cake:
Again, we know this is such a personal choice and your caterer will probably be able to recommend cake suppliers, or offer to make it themselves. We can, however, recommend this amazing baker who is local to us in South West London:
Emma Bayfield Cakes: Emma’s creativity knows no bounds and the cakes taste amazing too!
Private Caterers:
If you want to provide your wedding guests with exquisite food, beautifully executed, look no further than by word of mouth. They will work with you to create the most memorable wedding day of your dreams! Their website is full of the incredible events they have produced and their originality is breathtaking! Take a look and be inspired.
Stationery!
We haven’t forgotten that your wedding stationery is pretty key to your wedding day! Not only will you need to invite your guests, but on the day itself, there are many items of stationery required to ensure the day runs smoothly. Items like an Order of Service, a table plan, table names, placements and perhaps menus too. We have many designs on our website to inspire you. If you’d like to browse our range of elegant designs available to order online, please click here. If you are looking for something more bespoke, please contact us.
Contrasting typefaces with a motif or entwined initials in gold foil
We hope you find this helpful and gets you excited about planning your very own wedding day to remember forever!
So it’s a yes!
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.
Save the Date cards are an excellent way to ensure your guests can attend your wedding as you can also hint at your theme.
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.
This is a gorgeous example of LETTERPRESS printing (Gee Style Ramsey)
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)?
Beautiful gold foil edging, text and initials – very popular and absolutely stunning!
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:
From traditional to contemporary, we have experience of printing a wide range of invitations.
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.
Just one example of the many reply cards we’ve printed for couples… great way to hasten replies!
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.
Including an Information Sheet with your wedding invitation is the perfect way to let your guests know about accommodation, plans for the wedding and maybe the following day.
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.
You can have so much fun creating a Save the Date card!
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)
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
