FROM SAVE THE DATES TO CHRISTMAS CRACKERS, HERE'S DEABILL & QUINCES DEFINITIVE (but not exhaustive) LIST OF BEAUTIFUL PAPERY GOODNESS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR WEDDING PLANNING JOURNEY.
I love a list, and when planning my own wedding I had lists EVERYWHERE! Spreadsheets, moodboards, bits of paper pinned up, emails, drawings, Pinterest boards, honestly they were everywhere, and one list you need to compile is what items of wedding stationery you will require.
Now some of these listed below you will need, some you may not, and some are nice to have's.. every wedding is different. But the following items are those which are the most popular with my couples right now, and hopefully this will help with your planning too.
SAVE THE DATE
{ Send up to a year in advance of your wedding date }
I recommend sending a save the date to my couples who's wedding is over a year away. It helps guests when planning future holidays, booking time off work and rsvp'ing to other events which they may get invited to or want to plan.
A save the date is often the first insight into your day and can give as much or as little information as you want. 'Traditionally' it would simply note the date and the couples names, but it can include venue details or travel details if this will help your guests in advance of the invitations.
If your wedding is less than 6 months away then I would probably recommend heading straight in with invitations.
INVITATIONS
{ Send between 4 - 8 months in advance of your wedding date - up to a year if getting married abroad }
Your invitations are the main event, the showdown, and your opportunity to give your guests a comprehensive guide to your day and tell them your story. There is no other item from your wedding (apart from your favours maybe) which each guest will receive personally and display in their homes.
Your invitations MUST include the key information, dates, times, locations, but it can also contain additional information for making your guests lead up to the day a stress free and exciting one. Include a dress code so they feel comfortable when arriving knowing they are dressed appropriately and not in the same colours as the bridesmaids! Give them accommodation details, your gift list code or donations details, travel information, parking information, special details to your day like spa details or other facilities available to guests, details for breakfast, your planners details etc..
You may also need a variant for guests who may only be invited to part of the day, the ceremony, or just the evening celebrations. Your supplier will be able to accommodate this easily.
Don't forget you will also need to cover postage costs for your invitations which may not be included in your stationers breakdown.
RSVP
{ Alongside your invitations }
You need to know who's coming (and who's not) so an RSVP or contact details so guests can let you know their attendance is crucial.
Aside from the 'yes or no' make sure the rsvp details who it is coming from, either pre printed, or with a space to fill out and make sure your guests know whether children are invited or not.
Other options include a 'song request' and its usually a good idea to request if guests have any specific dietary requirements (allergies, vegetarian, vegan etc..) as your caterers will need this information for menu planning.
If you have meal options then you can include these too so guests can fill in their choices and send it back.
ADDITIONAL INVITATION DETAILS
{ Alongside your invitations }
Within your invitations you have the opportunity to make the experience of your day as memorable as you can for your guests. If you work with a professional stationer they should be able to give you options for customising your design to include personalised content for sections of your wedding party. Some may be able to stay at your venue, some may be able to use the onsite spa or games facilities, let them know if there is a lovely pub for lunch the following day with a walk nearby to blow away the cobwebs, include wifi codes and check-in times. All these things help your guests have an incredible stress-free time and also prevents you getting a hundred questions all asking when they can checkin or what the local taxi numbers are.
Anything that makes the day run smoother right?
WEDDING MAP
{ Within your invitations, or available in guests rooms}
Now, I have a history with maps, so I like to include these in my invitation suites. They are not a must have, however they can be REALLY USEFUL.
They can give guests a visual guide to the venue, show them where parking is, or where their accommodation is. It can also give them directions if the venue is a bit tricky to find or give them a bit of information about the surrounding area if there are local hotels, walks, areas to visit if they are making a weekend of it.
So I say go for it.
ORDER OF SERVICE
{ On the day}
Whether you are having a church service, a humanist ceremony or are getting married in your back yard guests may need to know song words, they may like to read your vows and readings and need to know when to cheer and clap.
Your order of service can do all these things, but it can also give guests a little insight into your day. Your ceremony is usually the first 'event' for guests and where they will receive their order of service, they are usually also waiting around before the ceremony starts and giving them a bit of content to read can help calm the nerves.
We like to include a little note here asking guests to refrain from taking photos during the ceremony, and give a little shout out to your photographer / videographer.
Give them an intro into the bridal party, tell them whats happening throughout the rest of the day, where the photos will be, what time the first dance is.. and maybe include those all important taxi numbers for the end of the night. The more information you can give the more relaxed your guests will be. Don't over-do it, they don't need the life story of your second uncle twice removed, but a bit of context for the day will all help in the smooth running of your day. You may be surprised to hear that its not uncommon for your guests to keep your Order of Services as a momento of the day so you may as well make it utterly gorgeous.
RESERVED SEATING SIGNAGE
{ On the day}
You may wish to reserve some seating in your ceremony room for certain guests, and although its not the norm to have 'sides' anymore, it is customary for close family members to sit near the front, and those who need to get up to deliver a reading to have seats which are at the side of the room.
Remember to leave reserved seating for bridesmaids, and the flower girls, and if there are partners of people who are involved in the day its nice to make sure they are accommodated for too..
We also reserved special places for those in wheelchairs or who may not be as mobile.
TABLE PLAN
{ On the day}
Table plans can take on many design formats, the most traditional being a framed print, but it is becoming more popular to have an escort style plan or a curated display, where there is an individual card / item for each guest, displayed in a beautiful manner. Do a little research, have an hour on Pinterest, your table plan is a perfect way to inject a bit of interest and a talking point for your day so why not go wild...?
I would like to stress one thing though, it does need to be clear and concise. Ultimately your table plan is there to do a job and that is to get { most likely } over a hundred guests sitting in the right place as quickly as possible. It can be beautiful, innovative and as dynamic as you like, but please make sure it is big enough and clear enough for people to quickly and easily find their names and table.
TABLE NAMES / NUMBERS
{ On the day}
To compliment the table plan you will need a set of table names, numbers or indicators to let guests know which table is which.
If you are struggling with ideas simply use numbers but other ideas we have seen over the years include: Special dates important to the couple (1998 - the year we met), places they have visited and photos of them at each place, favourite drinks, sports, hobbies, venues, football teams, colours...
Try to think of something relevant to you.
My husband and I used to grow chillies, so our tables were all named after our favourite chilli peppers.
PLACE NAMES / MENUS
{ On the day}
I personally like combining these two items together. It not only reduces clutter but with so many people having different dietary requirements or if you have offered a choice of dishes with your invitations this is a perfect opportunity to remind guests of their choice and to make the details of your day even more personal.
Include a personal message thanking them for being there, tell them what wine will be matched to each course, pop the order of speeches on the back... yet again another touch point engaging with your guests on a personal and beautiful level.
SIGNAGE
{ On the day}
I could have added photos all day, there as so many options for wedding signage. Bar signs, dancing shoes, cloak rooms, room signs, do not disturb signs, directional signs, hashtag notes, the list is endless... and not only do they serve a purpose they help reinforce the style and design of your day through our making your guests journey with you consistent and enjoyable.
SMALL SCALE SIGNAGE & MESSAGING
{ On the day}
There are lots of other little places where some gorgeous matching details can enhance your day, tags on a cocktail bar, selfie sticks, place name messages, don't leave any detail to chance
SPECIAL TOUCHES
{ On the day}
Due to the bespoke nature of how we work we can accommodate the design of most requests in your wedding stationery package. We have created artwork for photo booths, bespoke playing cards, bespoke wedding Christmas crackers with bespoke and personalised contents, how we met cards, sweet shop signage, hang your hat signage, letterheads, do not disturb signs for guests rooms, bespoke beer labels, drinks tokens, party popper wrappers, and cinema tickets to name a few!
THANK YOU CARDS
{ After your day }
Of course you will need to thank all your wonderful guests for celebrating with you and for their wonderful gifts / donations etc..
Its traditional to use a photograph from your day, or we can design one in keeping with your stationery ( or both ). Sometimes you might find this is something your photographer may include in their proposal, so check with them too.
Also, a lovely way to make this even more personal is if there are any nice pictures of your guests in your wedding photos is to get them printed and pop a copy in the thank you card for your guests :) such a nice touch.
ROUND-UP
This list is not exhaustive or definitive but it gives a great example of what most of my packages include. it should give you a great starting point to building your own list of wedding stationery. Take a journey through your day and see when you may need to give people information and whether you can do that with beautiful stationery. Simple. Good luck and most importantly... ENJOY!!
{ FREE DOWNLOAD LIST } WHAT ITEMS OF WEDDING STATIONERY DO I NEED...
All imagery is work by Deabill and Quince,
you can click through any of them to see full REAL case studies and their wider stationery designs.
Over and out lovely people... see you next time.
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