10 Tips On How To Choose Your Wedding Stationery

Laura Graham from GG Print currently runs her business and is enjoying watching it go from strength to strength.  Laura studied Classics at Oxford University and is determined to make sure that letter-writing is not lost in a world of emails. Here are Laura’s Top 10 tips on how to choose your wedding stationery.

1.   Make sure to budget for all your stationery in advance.  Things that you might need:

  • Save the date cards
  • Engagement invitations
  • The invitations themselves with various inserts: reply cards, reception invitations and information sheets (including directions to the church or venue, accommodation and taxi details, and gift list information)
  • Order of service
  • Menus
  • Placement cards
  • Escort cards or a table plan
  • Thank you cards

2.  Theme: if you have a theme, tie your stationery into this.  If not, think about what impression you want to get across to your guests, whether it be formal, traditional, simplistic or modern.

Luxury Wedding Stationery By GG Print
Luxury Wedding Stationery By GG Print

3.  There are so many different things that can affect the cost of printing, such as stock (card/paper), printing techniques, or quantities, so it’s always best to look at a quote in detail so that you can get exactly what you are after within your budget.

4.  Quantities: make sure to check your numbers carefully before you order – always make sure you have a few spares in case of last minute additions or calligraphy mistakes.  Also, remember that some of your friends will be in couples thereby only needing 1 invitation.

5.  Timings: to avoid a last minute rush think about timings in advance.  We usually advise sending out invitations 2 months before, and if the venue is abroad or a lot of the guests are coming from abroad, then 3 months before.  It generally takes 2 weeks to print.  The design process takes a little longer, so leave a few weeks for that.

6.  Order of service: we usually advise using a small size (A6 or a little larger) so that your guests can take away it easily and keep as a small memento of your special day.

7.  Your order of service will be in sets of 4 pages; so if you need to fill up a page, a quotation or poem is a nice idea.

8.  Thank you cards: a fun idea is to have a photo of the happy couple on the front.  This can then be used for Christmas cards as well.

9.  Directions: most people nowadays rely on satellite navigation, so don’t forget to write clearly a postcode of the venue or church.

10.  Calligraphy: if you would like to use a calligrapher, allow enough time for this.  As a guideline, to inscribe names and addresses on 100 invitations and envelopes, would take around 7-10 working days.  If you are not using a calligrapher, then think about ordering enough spares in case of any handwriting mistakes.

Big thanks to Laura for sharing her top tips with our readers.

Copyright 2011 5 Star Weddings