Just starting your wedding planning? Then you need to sort your stationery! Here, Hayley from By Invitationly reveals everything you’ll need – stationery-wise – for your big day. Notebooks at the ready…
You’re newly engaged, you’ve set your date, booked your venue and your left hand has never been so interesting! It can, however, be a frustrating time because you want to know everything – what to do, what to book, when to pay for things.
Obviously setting your budget is the first thing you and your fiancé must agree on and once your date is set your wedding stationery is one of the first things you need to consider. The worst thing any couple can do is leave this to the last minute, as your stationery is the backbone to your big day. Here’s what you’ll need…
Save the Dates
These pretty much do what they say on the label, they advise your potential wedding guests what date you are getting married. They can be as simple as Save The Date followed by your date or include more information such as venue, or destination if you are getting married abroad.
They can go out anytime between six and 12 months before your wedding. I think that if you have the budget these are essential, especially if you are getting married overseas. I love our magnetic Save the Dates, they can go on a fridge and are a visual reminder of your wedding day to your guests. At this stage you might not have planned your wedding theme or colours and that’s fine as they don’t have to tie in with the rest of your stationery.
Invitations
These are the biggies – invitations are absolutely 100% essential, the first indicator of what your guests can expect on the day. They express who you are as a couple, they are the first inclination of a theme, I love invitations they say so much about your wedding.
Your day and night invitations need to go out 12 weeks before your wedding date, so you are best ordering these about four or five months prior. However it is always best to check with your venue what date they need definite numbers by.
Your day and night invitations should include all of the information about your wedding, date, time, venue and also the RSVP date. At By Invitationly, we provide a tear-off RSVP option. These are a great idea to include because if you don’t, you may have to chase people for your numbers. This is an additional stress you don’t need in the run up to your wedding.
Ideally you want everyone to RSVP by six weeks prior to your wedding at the latest. Check with your venue as they may want this information earlier. You also need to factor in that you can’t do your table plan until you know exactly who is coming.
A lot of couples now live together and have established homes by the time they come to marry, so they don’t need to have a registry. At By Invitationly we are finding a lot of couples choose to write a personalised poem asking if guests would like to contribute money as a gift, normally towards their honeymoon. This can be incorporated as part of your invitation or as a separate insert that your guests can have as a keepsake.
Table plans
The last six to eight weeks before your wedding you will order your table plan, you should always leave this as long as comfortably possible because you can plan for most things but unfortunately not other people.
Ideally don’t leave this any later that three weeks before, at this point you can also order your name cards, table number and orders of service. All of these things beautifully tie into your theme and add to the overall excellence of your careful planned day.
I personally love orders of service at weddings. I have loads of them, they are a great keepsake and let your guests know what to expect. Menus are also a lovely extra, my best friend had personalised menus and incorporated them as part of her favours – they were such a beautiful, well thought-out touch.
Thank you cards
Sorry to even go there but once your wedding is over you need to send out your thank you cards. You should have some wedding photos that you can choose from to use on your card. These should ideally be sent within three months of your wedding day. They are one of the lovely final touches that include your guests. Good luck and lots of love – and remember, failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Thank you Hayley for those top tips. For even more stationery ideas and inspiration, take a look at the latest collection from this feature’s sponsor printed.com or check out Wedding Ideas‘ Stationery section.
