Guide to Wedding Stationery

BEFORE THE DAY STATIONERY:

Save the date cards:

It is becoming more common for people to send a “save the date card” before sending the main wedding invitation. These are particularly useful if you are getting married abroad or during the busy holiday season. The cards are double-sided postcards so could include information on accommodation and flight information if desired.

It is recommended that you order one card per single person, couple or family that is invited to the wedding. These cards can be sent out as soon as the date and the venue have been booked; this can be up to a year in advance.

 

Wedding Day Invitations:

Wedding Invitations should be sent to all guests invited to the ceremony and evening reception. Try to select a design similar to your chosen colour scheme or theme of your wedding; if you can’t see anything similar please give us a call and we can design something to your exact specifications. The wording of the wedding invitation is a matter for personal choice but we do have a number of different sets of standard wording from which you can choose top make life a little easier.

It is recommended that you order one card per single person, couple or family that is invited to the wedding. Wedding Invitations are sent out 8-12 weeks prior to the wedding day to allow plenty of time for the guests to rely allowing you plenty of time to confirm numbers with your caterers.

 

Evening Invitations:

Our Evening Invitations are identical to the Wedding Day Invitations and are sent to guests that are invited to your evening reception only.

It is recommended that you order one card per single person, couple or family that is invited to the Evening reception. Evening Invitations are sent out 8-12 weeks prior to the wedding day to allow plenty of time for the guests to rely allowing you plenty of time to confirm numbers with your caterers.

When calculating how many invitations to order it is sensible to order a few extra invites to allow for errors when writing them out OR for extra guests that slipped your mind when you first wrote your guest list!

 

Reply cards:

Reply cards are sometimes included with wedding invitations to encourage a quick response, this in turn allows you to finalise numbers and costs. They are optional and some couples chose not to include reply cards with their invitations; it is a matter of personal taste.

It is recommended that you order one card per invitation sent; these cards are sent out with the invitations; they are supplied with envelopes and labels with your address on.

 

Guest Information Cards:

Guest Information Cards are becoming increasingly popular. They are sent with the invitations and can be used to provide your guests with additional information such as directions, accommodation and transport information, menu choices and your gift list. They are particularly helpful when organising your wedding abroad.

It is recommended that you order one card per invitation; these cards are sent out with the invitations.

 

ON THE DAY STATIONERY:

Order of Service / of Day

Order of Service cards detail the running order of the ceremony/day. They allow guests to join in with the hymns and readings and give details of the music and the wedding party etc. Order of the Day cards are used for civil ceremonies and detail timings for the wedding day such as speeches, wedding breakfast and start of reception etc.

It is not essential to have one card per person, many guests like to keep them as a reminder of your day so order one per guest if your budget allows and allow extra for the choir and the clergy. All Order of Service information should be checked by the vicar prior to ordering. They are given out to guests by the Ushers and Best Man when guests enter the ceremony venue.

 

Place cards:

Place cards are used to indicate where each guest is seated at the wedding breakfast. The cards have a small design on them with a blank space for you to write the name of your guest or, for a small additional fee, we can print the names for you.

It is recommended that you order one card per guest but to order a few extra to allow for mistakes when writing them out.

 

Menus:

Menu cards are used to let your guests know what is on the menu for the wedding breakfast.

 

AFTER THE DAY STATIONERY:

Thank you cards

Thank you cards are sent out after the wedding to thank all your guests for sharing your special day with you and to thank them for their kind wedding gifts. We can provide a selection of different wording options for your thank you cards although many couples prefer to leave them blank so they can include a personal hand written message in the card. The cards can also be used to notify friends and family of a change of address if you have moved to a new address after your marriage.

You will need a similar number of thank you cards as you do wedding invitations; remember to include those that could not attend the wedding.