In this great big whirlwind of dress shopping, venue hopping and menu planning you’ll have a checklist filled with dreams, themes and colour schemes. What could be more thrilling? Making big decisions can be daunting, so, take a deep breath, make yourself comfortable and let’s get excited about one of the most creative aspects of this exciting process: wedding stationery.
The joy of a gorgeous wedding invite popping through the letterbox can’t be beaten. It’s the promise of something special; the first hint of what’s to come. It’s the point where your guests start this journey with you: so it has to make an impact for the right reasons and hit the right tone of what they can expect from your wedding day.
There’s something about wedding stationery that brings out our creative side, and there are styles for even the most quirky tastes. Whatever your theme, there’ll be stunning stationery that’s within your budget and guaranteed to make an impression. Here’s your handy stationery checklist to help with your budgeting and planning.
Image Camilla J Hards Photography
Your Wedding Stationery Checklist
✔ Don’t leave it too late!
Among all of the intricate aspects of wedding planning, stationery seems like a fairly straightforward boxing-ticking exercise.
Don’t be too sure!
If you’re the crafty type, it might be tempting to take this challenge on yourself, or with a little help from a buddy who has a flair for calligraphy. If you’ve got bucket loads of imagination, can handle intricate work and have oodles of time to spare, then go for it! Creating bespoke wedding stationery is magical stuff and a huge achievement.
But, if you can’t face the thought of such a mammoth task, there are crafting geniuses ready to take up the mantle for you. Just make sure you give yourself, and your stationer of choice, plenty of time.
✔ Pick a style and a budget
Ideally, your stationery will blend in beautifully with your chosen theme, whether that’s a romantic, floral-filled summer party or a dramatic gothic affair. If you’re eco-conscious – and we all should be – source recycled materials where you can or create a special wedding website with all of the information your guests and wedding party will need.
Your choice of venue will also influence the style of stationery you plump for, so consider a set that will effortlessly complement the decor of the setting.
Commissioning a wedding stationer will make managing your budget a breeze. They will purchase materials, saving you a job scouring craft sites and shops. You can leave it all in their hands, with regular catch-ups, of course, and you’ll have a stunning set waiting for you at the other end. The DIY alternative might complicate your budgeting but with some savvy money management there’s nothing stopping you from creating the wedding stationery of your daydreams.
Finally, research, research, research! Don’t plump for the first stationer that pops up on your online search. Find one that vibes with your vision, has capacity to complete the work in good time and matches your budget.
✔ What should you order?
It’s very easy to miss a vital piece of stationery so we’ve done the hard work for you with this nifty wedding stationery checklist. The keyword is ‘optional’, as only you know what your wedding will need.
Are you ready? Let’s go.
1. What Stationery to send your guests…
- Wedding party proposals
- Save the date invite
- The wedding invite:
- Directions to the venue
- Gift list/details.
2. Ceremony Stationery…
- Order of service
- Signage/directions, if required.
3. Wedding day Stationery…
- Order of the day – this can take the shape of a large sign on an easel with key timings so guests are clued up on the proceedings
- Wedding breakfast menu (including wines) – for example, one per person on their place setting, in which case you could personalise it in lieu of a name card, or you could create one menu per table with a name card per person
- Name cards or escort cards
- Table plan with names/numbers
- Bar sign and a list of drinks on offer
- Tags for favours
- Welcome sign – ‘Welcome to our wedding. XX & XX’
- Toilet signs
- ‘Wedding this way’ sign – especially useful if the route from parking to the venue is not very obvious
- Parking signs backwards version of the above
- Evening food
- Cake flavours.
Image Fuller Photography
4. After the event…
- The all important thank-you cards!
One big thing to remember is to give yourself (and your stationer/printer) plenty of time. That way, you’ll avoid rushing into a decision you might later come to regret and end up under pressure to approve stationery that is below parr. After all, this is a journey to be savoured and enjoyed!
For a tailored, elegant celebration with impeccable attention to detail and a lifetime of memories, get in touch with us now for a friendly chat.