Your guide to Wedding Stationery

Setting the tone

“There’s no point spending money on invites and other stationery for guests to just throw them away”

This is the sentence I have heard many times between couples, family and other members of the bridal party; and every time I do hear those words, I wish I could share everything with them that I have learnt about detail and setting the tone for any wedding day.

It can be difficult to explain, that even at the first stages when the ‘Save the Date’ is sent to guests, they are already forming an image of what the wedding day will be like, and what to expect.  If they receive a flimsy piece of paper in the post, which has had little thought put into it, then this is the premise that is set out for the wedding day.

The rise in stationers over the past few years has been quite a dramatic one!  You can now type in wedding stationery on Google and receive hundreds of websites to look at. Of course, there is the option to continue the DIY theme and create your stationery yourself, but depending on your time/creativity, this is something that should definitely not be taken on lightly!

Basics of stationery

There are lots of aspects to consider when creating your stationery for your wedding.  From working closely with a stationer Lulabee, I’ve learnt lots of the ins and outs of what couples usually order for their wedding day.

You can get a range of stationery bundles, separate stationery items or just stationery for the day.  The most popular items that couples order are (in no particular order):

• Save the dates
• Invitations
• Details card
• RSVP card
• Name cards

Couples can then add on things like mini maps for the day, menus for the tables or table numbers/names.  Lots of stationers will also offer the service of creating your table plan too.

The key to tying all of these items in together is to run with the same theme.  Whether this be a detailed floral design, or a specific colour theme throughout.  Below are a couple of examples of where this has been executed perfectly; giving the vibe that the wedding is organised, detailed and classy.

 

Getting around the awkward restrictions

There are always going to be a couple of awkward points in your wedding stationery process; are kids allowed to the wedding? Do you want to accept gifts? Are partners you haven’t yet met invited?  There are lots of clever ways to get around this, without offending any guests!

Ideas for wording, do’s and don’ts’s, and other guidelines can be found all over the internet at websites like You and Your Wedding, The Knot, Hitched and Bustle.  They all offer amazing advice on how to cleverly word your invites to get your point across to your guests.

Making guests feel excited to be attending

One of the main things I think that is important about making your guests excited for your wedding day is to keep the finer details under wraps.  They will of course need to know timings, locations and food choices, but perhaps keeps colours of the bridesmaid dresses, band selections and bouquets a secret; you don’t want your guests to be fed up of your wedding before it’s even taken place! It’s very much a planning process for you and your partner, so guests/bridal parties should take this on board.  Giving subtle hints to the colour theme of your wedding, or the decoration style of your wedding can be perfectly set out in your invites and any little handcrafted additions to your wedding.  This will keep guests excited, and let them form an image in their mind of what it will be like, so you are sure to wow everyone!

 

Don’t forget to make sure that your stationery is personal, well thought out and hints at the style of your wedding.  Guests are forming an image and want to be excited to attend.  Likewise, you want them to make the effort when they attend your wedding, so setting the tone with elegant invites, will encourage elegant guests!