Being a part of your wedding is a position that we cherish here at South West Marquees. Our rental marquees are the ideal spot to say ‘I Do’ and embarking on a new life together. But it isn’t just the day itself where we want to offer a helping hand. All of the pre-planning and organisation is just as integral to your special day, helping to reinforce a theme and building excitement for the celebration itself. In today’s guide, we’re looking at planning your wedding stationery – what do you need to know and what tips can we give to make this stage of your wedding planning easy and enjoyable.
Why is wedding stationery important?
Your wedding stationery sets the stage for the celebrations to come. With the financial investment of a wedding being significant (approximately £17,000 in 2020), having every detail perfectly aligned is the dream of many grooms and brides. Your wedding stationery is one of the first things your guests will receive that points towards this special day. It gives a hint at the theme, provides key information and builds the excitement that your friends and family are sure to feel.
Your wedding stationery includes:
- Engagement party invitations
- Hen party invitations
- Save-The-Date cards
- Wedding invitations
- RSVP cards
- Reception invitations
- Order-Of-Service/Ceremony Booklet
- Seating plan/Table plan
- Place cards
- Table numbers
- Menu
- Thank you cards
For some couples, wedding stationery also includes decor items such as the wedding guest book, signs and buffet table tags. All of these items can be designed cohesively, styled to fit your wedding theme and helping to tie the entire event together.
How to plan your wedding stationery
As with any part of your wedding plans, your stationery is a consideration that should be based on both research and personal preference. Our advice is as follows.
Start by identifying your theme
Many couples choose to follow a theme for their wedding day. Some fall in love with whimsical, woodland themes with wildflowers and lace. Others opt for all-over glamour, with luxurious golds and shimmering details. And others throw caution to the wind and embrace multicoloured explosions where tradition is the furthest thing from their minds. Every single theme is perfect – especially if it brings joy to you and your partner and says something about your relationship.
Your wedding stationery should reflect this theme. Being consistent with colours, details and stylistic features – such as the font – will give clear indications to guests as to what they should expect. Focus on colour, font style and any smaller details, like foil embossing or calligraphy. These smaller details will create wedding stationery that ties together the pre-excitement, celebrations and post-wedding events together.
Tip: No matter what style you opt for, prioritise readability. There are certain styles (dark font on dark paper) that can be difficult for some people to read. Blues and purples are hard to read on colour backgrounds. The best options are a light paper and darker font.
Work with a designer
Sure, you can save a lot of money designing your own wedding stationery. And, there are a multitude of platforms you can use for this, including Canva. However, along with the rest of the decisions you need to make, investing in a designer will take the stress away from you and mean you’re left with a professional and unique look. Many graphic designers can adapt a look you’ve discovered on Pinterest or elsewhere and make it fit seamlessly within your theme.
Tip: Speak to your designers about fonts. Classic fonts, like Coneria Script, have an elegance that befits many styles. Simple fonts, like Jenna Sue, have a more contemporary look that fits modern weddings. And handwritten calligraphy is something even more precious, giving a handmade charm to your invites.
Consider wording
If you choose to work with an experienced wedding invitation designer, they’ll be able to help with the wording of your invites. However, it’s important to tailor the words you use in line with your wedding theme. If you’ve opted for a professional, church-wedding, you may use more formal language to put this across. Alternatively, more colloquial, slang language may suit the laid-back nature of your special day.
Tip: Choose the most important information and avoid overcrowding. This is particularly important if you’re using a ‘fussy’ font or calligraphy that may be harder to read if it’s smaller. Instead, consider additional items of wedding stationery in favour of cramming everything into an invite.
Printing options
The type of print that you use will have a significant impact on cost. Engraved printing is the most expensive option of them all and is usually used on thicker paper. The letters here are raised. For embossed letters, letterpress printing follows after in cost. And thermography has the look of engraved fonts at a lower price tag. And for the lowest cost option, choose digital printing.
Tip: Ask for samples from your printer. Having an invite in your hands is an entirely different experience from seeing it on a screen. Especially if you’re choosing a specific stock paper and embossed font detailing.
Think about postage costs
If you can fit your invite into a standard envelope, you’ll be able to post it to most people by Royal Mail or an equivalent. However, many couples fall in love with designs that are round or uniquely shaped and may not fit into a standard envelope. This will increase postage prices as well as the weight of your final invite. If you don’t use the right envelope for an invite, it will likely be delayed or help up in a posting office which can impact the speed with which guests can return them.
Tip: Consider your RSVP method. Will your guests need to physically return the invite to you? In this case, consider including a new envelope and stamp to take the costs out of this. Alternatively, have an online method where guests can let you know their availability in a few clicks.
Choosing your wedding stationery, like every area of wedding planning, should be an enjoyable experience. After all, this is the first view of the months of planning you and your loved one would have done. Take your time, do your research and work with professionals who can help you at every step of the way.