Wedding Stationery Checklist; What Do I Need?

Congratulations on your upcoming fabulous wedding day! If you are here, then you are just starting to work through your list of Big Day To Do’s and if you are feeling a little over whelmed you are not alone.

Planning a wedding is a whole lot of work, we get it. So let’s take away some of that stress and break it all down with our Wedding Stationery Checklist- What do I Need for my 2022 Wedding?

Remember this is your big day, so while we cover the go-to Wedding Stationary popular here in the UK you should feel empowered to shake things up if your style is more modern or non-traditional. Your Wedding Stationery is beautiful way to show your style and personality, so let’s dig in;

Save-the-Date Card

Typically sent out around 6-10 months before your big day, Save the Date Cards are the first items to appear on your stationery checklist.

A Save the Date card gives your guest early confirmation that a formal invite is coming their way and provides them with a date and location for the celebrations.

Save the Date Cards are useful when:
• You are planning a destination wedding and travelling out of town or abroad.
• Your wedding will take place at a busy time of year such as Christmas Day or during the Summer Holidays
• Or simply if your friends and family live overseas and will need to save money, book flights and accommodation and request time off work.

Your guests will appreciate the heads up so that they can make plans early and you can worry a little less, knowing your favourite people have every chance to be part of your big day.

The Invitation

Your wedding invitation should contain the key details about your celebrations while offering a sneak peek into your style for the wedding.

If you skipped the Save-the-Date card then this is the first impression your guests will receive, so take your time to make the design shine and send your invitations out 3-4 months before the wedding.

All essential wedding info should be included; who is getting married, if parents are hosting and where and when the ceremony and reception will take place.

Before you start planning your invitations, you should have an idea of the style you want for your big day; boho and quirky, classic or elegant; this will help you narrow down your invitation style to hit the same note.

Another tip is to let the time of year for your wedding help guide your colour scheme and style. A relaxed rustic design lends well to an Autumn wedding, a botanical floral design is perfect for Spring Summer. Simple black and white or metallic foil add classic all year favourites and add sophistication and glamour.

Have fun with it, checkout websites like Pinterest for inspiration that speaks to you but don’t get swept up in the trends. Your wedding style should reflect you and your partner, so feel free to share your personality in your design plans.

The RSVP Card

An RSVP card is the traditional way people respond to your mailed wedding invitation.

Typically simple in design, an RSVP will display checkboxes for “accept” or “decline” along with a space for guests to write the names of who is attending and any dietary requirements they have.

Traditionally RSVP cards also include a self-addressed and stamped envelope to allow your guest to easily pop their reply in the mail. However many brides and grooms are including an RSVP email on their card as an alternate reply option.

People are busy so make it as easy as possible for them. Consider if your guest list is full of tech savvy relatives and provide suitable ways for them to respond to your invitation in a timely and organised way that won’t cause you a headache later.

Directions Card / Map

Directions Cards simply include a written list the easiest routes for your guests to take travelling to your ceremony, finding their way from a rural ceremony to a reception venue or to provide parking info.
A beautifully illustrated custom map allows you to get more creative, and share favourite locations relevant to your wedding. Especially great for out-of-towners travelling in, a map can help give them an idea of where they are going and other places to visit nearby.

If your ceremony and reception take place at the same location, you can simply skip this card. Instead, your main invitation should include the ceremony location and then should say “reception to follow”.

Information Card

The three-day wedding trend is on the rise, and if you are planning any pre or post wedding events this is a great opportunity to share and provide any necessary info.
Have a wedding website or Gift Registry- Provide the details on your information card.

Your wedding invitation suite includes your Wedding Invitation, RSVP. Additional invitation inserts can be added to your suite and are a great idea when you have lots of information to share with your guests but you don’t want to clutter your main invitation.

Remember you may want to frame their invitation as a memento of your Wedding Day. So keep the main invitation focused to the key details and a beautiful design and leave the extra info to the additional insert cards.

 

What stationery do I need for my wedding venue?

Order of Service Booklet

If you are having a wedding ceremony or church service then you may want to create an Order of Service.

A wedding order of service is a small booklet containing your wedding ceremony details and is handed out to guests as they arrive and take their seats. Acting as a running order for guests an Order of Service is helpful for your friends and family to follow the ceremony and know if and when to get involved.

You can keep it really simple with just a few lines about each stage of the ceremony or you can go to town with the wording of the readings, prayers and hymns, some info about the bridal party and the names of readers etc.

While orders of service are not necessary, they can be a lovely addition to your stationery and a special keepsake for your guests after the big day.

Welcome Sign

A Welcome Sign is a beautiful touch to place at your venue entryway and greet your guests to the celebrations.

This can take the form of a pop-up style banner or a large rigid poster depending on how big the space is and how you would like to display your greeting. Remember you can get double use from your Welcome Sign by displaying at your ceremony and then asking a trusted friend to take this to your reception venue to be displayed at the doors to your sit-down meal.

What stationery do I need for my wedding dinner?

If you are planning a sit-down or formal dinner then assigned seating for your guests is strongly recommended. In fact, many wedding reception venues actually require assigned seating to ensure dinner service runs without a hitch.

By assigning seats you allow your guest to quickly and easily locate their seats and settle in for the festivities ahead; no bottlenecks, no squabbling and no dithering.

Assigned seats ensure your VIP people get the best viewing in the house and feel central to the celebrations, not lost in the corner.

Last but not least assigned seating allows you to separate or group guests as needed. Group the kid’s together, help guests mingle and get to know each other and keep the trouble makers at bay. (We all have them, don’t worry).

To make assigned seating work you will need to organise stationary to guide your guests to their designated tables and seats. Some venues offer their own stationery for you to use, however many couples opt to coordinate their venue stationery to match their wedding invitations; this ensures their styling is cohesive throughout the day.

Table Plan or Seating Chart

A Table Plan or Seating Chart can either display a room layout with tables and their assigned label or it can list guests and their table name or number.

Table Number Cards

Table numbers help guests know which perfectly decorated table is theirs to sit at. As well as helping guests find their table and they also help venue staff with food service orders, special dietary meals and drinks orders.

Menu Card

The typical UK wedding is an all-day affair and if there is one guarantee it’s that your guests will be eagerly looking forward to tucking into your wedding feast.

Menu cards are not only practical for letting guests know the particulars of the meal, they help guests choose their main course option quickly to speed and smooth the process for wait staff and get your sit-down meal off to a flying start.

After your careful pre-selection and tasting of your wedding menu, your guest will enjoy seeing what you have chosen for them so plan to print a at least 1-2 to share at each table and extras for the top table

When should I send my Wedding Thank You Cards?

Thank you Cards

It’s recommended that you send out your Wedding Thank you Cards no later than two months after your wedding!

Believe me after the wedding and honeymoon; the time will fly in, so consider ordering your Thank You cards at the same time as your wedding stationery to save yourself the work later. Thank You Cards really should be handwritten, and it’s wise to keep track of gifts as you receive them so that you know exactly who to thank when the time comes!

A tip from us? Keep a list as you receive and open any gifts or have your bridal party help you. Then work through your thank you notes in batches soon after the wedding.

Ready to get started?

Here at Kaizen our professional staff know exactly what to ask you to make sure you have everything under control. We may even have items you didn’t know about, that will make everything so much easier to plan your special day.

It might be your first wedding, but it isn’t ours. You spend a lot of time picking a theme, planning every last detail, shouldn’t your stationery get the same treatment?

Please feel free to contact us today with any questions, ideas you might have or to set up an appointment. We strive to make your day as special as you are.