ADVICE on CHOOSING STATIONERY by Elaine at elfindesigns.co.uk It is often the first glimpse your guests will get of the big day. It will give them their first taster of your Wedding theme, colours and budget - so choose wisely.
The importance of choosing the correct Wedding Stationery should not be under estimated.
Not only are you giving guests the important details of where and when you will be married, your stationery sets the whole tone. The choices can seem daunting but consider a few things:
- Is your Wedding style contemporary or traditional?
- What is your colour scheme and is there a theme?
Often, one small item can be the inspiration for your stationery. E.g. the diamante buckle on the bridesmaids' dresses or a particular flower in your bouquet.
Options
There are many options available:
- You can buy good quality packs of stationery from a card shop or even the supermarket.
- Local printers will have a range of printed stationery and will provide a standard, printed insert.
- If you are feeling creative (and have lots of time) you could make your own.
- You could have luxury, handmade stationery or even have a bespoke design, created especially for you.
The options are daunting but like most other things will come down to budget. Handmade stationery is not just for celebrity Brides. A good designer should be prepared to work with you and, if necessary, adapting their designs to come up with something that you not only love, but is within your budget.
Time Scales
Invitations should be sent out around 8-10 weeks before the Wedding. When to order is dependent on the type of stationery. If you are buying ready made, 4 months before the date is fine. This gives you time to write and address the invites. For handmade or DIY stationery - IT'S NEVER TOO SOON. Give yourself at least 6 months to organise this. Some handmade stationery companies will get booked up fairly quickly and close their order books once they are full so don't leave it too late.
Gone are the days when the wording was formal and every invitation took the same format. With divorced/remarried parents etc it can get a bit complicated. There is loads of advice on the internet and your stationery designer should be happy to advise you on this.
Wording
Every invite should contain the same basic information:
- Who is hosting the Wedding (or to put it bluntly, who is paying for it)!
- The name of the bride and groom
- Date of the wedding
- Where the Ceremony will be held and at what time
- Reception venue (if different from the ceremony venue)
- RSVP address (not required if you are including RSVP card & addressed envelope)
- If you are having a gift list, it is a good idea to include this with your invite. You can also enclose directions, or any other useful information.
Once the invitation design is finalised, the other items should follow on naturally. Generally, the evening invites will be a smaller or simpler version of the daytime ones. You can then also coordinate your orders of service, menus, place cards, thank you cards etc.
One final word of advice, order a few more invites than you think you'll need. This not only allows for any mistakes you may make, but there will always be a few guests you forgot about!
Check out some Stationery & Wedding Favour Ranges on our Stationery & Favours Page