Choosing Your Wedding Stationery
 Stationery Information and Helpful Tips
When choosing your stationery you should think about the theme, style and colours of your wedding: the stationery will be the first point of contact you will have with your guests and so it can give them their first impression of what is to come...
There is such a wide choice of stationery nowadays, with many being handmade to your requirements. So, although you may find it hard to make a decision on where to purchase your stationery from, at least you'll know that if you're after something unusual or perfectly suited to your wedding day you're sure to find someone who can make your vision into a reality.
Things to look out for, if you are considering a bespoke design, is a stationer who is willing to create something from your own ideas or who is able to come up with some unique ideas for you, after having discussed your likes/dislikes, your wedding - style, theme, colours... The stationer should be able to provide you with a few samples before you commit to a design -bare in mind that you may be charged a fee for this.
If you are particularly looking for stationery which is eco-friendly (recycled or tree-free materials) or ethical (fair trade materials) there is a great choice of stationers to choose from - an ever growing number of companies are able to provide you with eco-friendly and/or ethical products - some of which you will find in Eco-Friendly Weddings stationery section.
Tips For Organising Your Wedding Stationery
Handmade stationery should be ordered at least 6 months before the wedding. Some stationers may need more time than this though, especially if you are having a large wedding and, if you are planning on a bespoke design, you should start shopping around well before this so that there is plenty of time to finalise a particular design.
Your invitations should be sent out around 8 - 12 weeks before the event. The more notice you can give your guests the better as some may be planning holidays round about the time of your wedding and you also need replies back in plenty of time.
You should plan to have an RSVP date of about a month before your wedding date - most venues require you to finalise the numbers with them 2 - 4 weeks beforehand. Your stationer will also require this time to complete any personalised place cards/menu cards for the wedding breakfast, so it will be helpful to have all the definite guest names to hand at least a month beforehand - although a few last minute changes or additions will usually be possible.
Some stationers will be able to print completely personalised inserts with the individual guest names included too - saving you the time of having to hand write them and they will also look good with all the text matching - make sure you have a list of all your guest names (as they are to appear on the invites) in plenty of time, preferably typed to avoid mistakes from misread handwriting.
Traditionally the invitations are sent from the bride's parents but in today's modern society the invitations can be worded from whoever you like, this could be the bride and groom or both sets of parents - most stationers will be able to help you word the invitations to suit your own circumstances.
You should allow for an extra ten or so invitations, over and above the number you require, in case of extra last-minute guests or mistakes if you're handwriting the guest names. If order of service cards are required, you will need one each for every guest, one each for any musicians and one for the celebrant. The ushers usually have the job of handing out the order of services to the guests as they arrive to be seated.
Unless you would like to have all your stationery matching, ask your venue organiser if place cards and menu cards are included in your package as many venues do offer this service.
Remember to order your thank you cards in plenty of time - if you are having them handmade it's a good idea to order them at the same time as you order any other stationery. The number of thank you cards needed will be roughly the same amount as the invitations but do account for a few more, for any extra gifts which are given from people who don't attend the wedding. You can have the inserts left blank for you to write out each one individually or most stationers can print a general thank you message on each insert and some will even personalise each one by including the individual guest names on them.
Ensure that you will receive insert proofs, which you should check over really carefully - you should be asked to note any errors and to sign the proof to give your indication that all is correct.
Helpful things to include when sending out your invitations are directions to the ceremony/reception venue, details of any transport you are organising - such as a coach, menu choices so that you can arrange how many require the vegetarian or special dietary options, your wedding gift list cards - don't be embarrassed about including these, most guests really appreciate them and find them very helpful and they then don't have to worry about what on earth to buy.
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