Choosing Your Perfect Wedding Stationery.
As your guests eagerly open their wedding invitations,
this will be the first hint of the fabulous day that you have in store for them. So, read through my tips and you’ll be ready to send out your perfect invite, how exciting!
Make sure that your invitations reflect your wedding style!
The invitation is the first idea your guests’ will have of the overall style of your wedding, so if you're planning a traditional ‘do’ your invitations should also be traditional. There are so many different styles of invitations available these days, so make sure that once you’ve chosen your favourites you have samples sent to you. This way you can check the quality and make sure that if it’s handmade bits don’t drop off in the post! Lastly, even in this day and age an emailed wedding invitation is not considered polite…don't go there!
Invitation wording.
Don't lose sight of the fact that your invite has a job to do. Your guests need to know exactly when and where to go, so make sure the text is clear and legible and has all the important stuff on it - your names, the hosts, the venue, time, date and any RSVP details required. You’d be amazed how many people forget to include the time!
You may also like to give a rough timetable of the day, especially if you have lots of guests bringing children. You can then get on with the fun bit of picking ribbons, patterns and any other decorations. Any good stationery companies
should have example wording on their website to help you.
How many invitations should we order?
You will need one invite per couple; one per single guest; one for each member of the bridal party and your parents; one for the officiant ( vicar/registrar) and I would then recommend ordering about 20 (depending on the size of you wedding) extra invitations for additional guests (your ‘B’ list) and to keep as mementos.
What's your budget?
You can buy your wedding stationery from many different sources at very different prices, so make sure you are getting great value for money. Whether you choose to buy from a department store or an internet based company you should always be given a sample to take home, so that you can check and compare to get the best product and value. Although I believe these should be free (and so Mandalay still sends out samples to you totally free of charge), most stationery companies do charge between £5 and £10, so these costs can quickly add up and before you know it you’ve spent £50 and still not had any of your actual stationery
printed yet!
If you are competent on a computer some stationers supply professional designs which you then assemble at home, which can save you an awful lot of money. Don't under estimate how long creating even a simple invitation design can take
if you start from scratch…..many a helpful bridesmaid has regretted offering to make their friends stationery, discovering that by the time they’ve bought the card, envelopes, feathers and ribbon and sat gluing, folding and tying for evening after
evening, that a DIY kit seems really rather appealing!
When should you send out your invites?
You should try and choose your stationery about six months before the big day giving you plenty of time to organise quantities, sort out your guest lists, have your stationery delivered and then write out the envelopes. Peoples diaries fill up quickly, so make sure you send your invites out about 12 weeks before your wedding.
If you are planning your wedding in the summer holidays, Christmas or abroad maybe think about sending out ‘save the date’ cards which simply list the date of the wedding with all the details to follow later in the invite. This way you can send them up to a year in advance and make sure all your favourite people can attend!
|  Jill Hembling Jill is Managing Director of award winning wedding stationery company Mandalay. She has been in the business for 10 years and really knows her stuff, so whether you’re having a formal black and white affair or a crazy candy theme, take her advice and you won’t go wrong
What other stationery do you need?
Obviously if you can afford it, it is fantastic to have a totally co-ordinated wedding, from save the dates and RSVP’s all the way through to menus, tableplans and thank you cards, but there are ways of cutting costs if you need to.
 Your invitation can incorporate your RSVP details and as long as you make sure you post your invites out in plenty of time, a save the date is not necessary. An order of the day card might seem like a luxury, but for your guests it is a real
help to know exactly when things are happening. If they know they have twenty minutes while you have your photos taken with immediate family it gives them a
chance to nip off and change their baby's nappy or grab something from the car, without worrying that everyone will have gone when they get back. If you are on
a tight budget this could be added as additional information within your invite along with accommodation details and gift list info.
Table Plans
Compiling a table plan may sound easy, but it can cause couples a great deal of work and sleepless nights to come up with the final arrangement. It is generally a difficult juggling act to keep everyone happy, but once finalised it is a beautiful artwork to have at the entrance to the dining area and can then be kept as a memento and hung on your wall at home. A great alternative which can be changed
right up to the last minute are pretty escort cards to show every guest just where they need to go.
Whatever you do, it is essential to provide some kind of guide that is clearly visable so that you can relax knowing that every guest will find there way to their place
setting without any stress.
You will need to finalise numbers 1 or 2 weeks before the wedding and supply this to your stationery company for them to create your table plan layout, but also to your
caterers and venue, so that the room can be arranged.
Reception decorations.
Less is usually more, so don't get carried away covering every surface with (expensive) flowers, balloons and petals. This is true of the colour scheme too, accent colours look stylish - pink table clothes with pink napkins and pink favours don't!! An eye catching centre piece with one or two menus per table, favours if you want them and co-ordinating place cards and napkins will do the trick.
If you have any questions about this or anything else to do with wedding stationery, please feel free to contact Jill on 020 8691 6100 or visit mandalaybride.co.uk for more tips and ideas for your stationery.
To find a wedding stationer in your area check out the ANT AND DICK top ten here
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