WEDDING STATIONERY CAN be fun, creative, mind-boggling and a complete time-bandit, depending on how you tackle it. Read on for our tips to achieving stationery success!
Set the tone
Whatever information you want to get across with your invitations, make sure you think about how to phrase things with diplomacy and tact - especially if it concerns possibly contentious areas such as who exactly you're inviting or your gift list requirements. Read through your first draft a few times and ask others for comments; even if it doesn't sound controversial to you, when things are written down in black and white they can come across as harsher than intended. There's also a potential issue with style and consistency; there's no point sending out a very formal invitation in an elegant fashion and then lowering the tone with a joke-laced information sheet printed on a scrappy piece of A4.
Word up
The wording on your invitations is one of those things that should be quite simple but often isn't! The main decision you'll need to make is how formal you want it to sound - for example will you be asking for 'the honour of your presence' or the more usual 'pleasure of your company'? Many people still use the traditional idea of the bride's parents as 'hosts' but this isn't necessary if you are organising and hosting the wedding yourself. If you're doing your own wording, don't forget to include the obvious things, like an address to RSVP to. As well as basic information, you might like to give an idea about what kind of meal will be served, when it will finish and any transport you're laying on.
When to send
The usual 'rule' is to send out invitations six-eight weeks before the wedding, but many couples post them out much earlier so that people can get organised. Some people post a second batch depending on the numbers who come back and accept the first lot - so you might be thinking that the sooner you send them, the sooner you can ask for a response and therefore the sooner you can post the second batch! Lots of people do this, just bear in mind that people are likely to ask each other, 'Did you get an invite from Jo and Jonny?' Others like to know how many day guests will be coming before sending out the evening invitations, in which case you'll need to be quite organised too. Usually you can expect to have around 10% of the people you invite unable to make it, though this will vary depending on the time of year and how much notice you give.
Save our date
Lots of couples now send 'Save The Date' cards well before the invitations are ready. The idea is to let people know the wedding date as soon as possible so that they keep it free; this is an especially good idea if you're getting married abroad or having a weekend-long wedding for which people will need to book flights and get time off work. In fact, anyone marrying in the summer might decide to send them, to help avoid potential clashes with annual holidays or festivals. Save The Date cards are informal notices of an impending wedding and are usually posted 12 to six months beforehand. Or save some trees by sending e-cards instead. But remember that once a 'Save The Date' card is out there, that's it - it may not be an official invitation but you can't un-invite people afterwards! Also remember to be very clear about exactly who you're inviting, especially if you don't intend kids or 'plus one' guests to turn up.
Dear guest...
As superficial as it may sound, receiving gifts is one of the nicest things about getting married, and for guests it's lovely to receive a hand-written note showing your appreciation. Thank you notes can often be overlooked while you're in the throes of wedding chaos, but if you're organised you can ensure they fit your theme beautifully. Writing the notes out by hand takes much longer but is also nicer to receive than a typed thank you. To make it more meaningful (and fun to write) try to include some personal elements on each card, specific to the guest you're writing to, rather than simply copying out 100 generic messages. To be courteous, thank people for taking the time and effort to be a part of your day by attending, as well as thanking them for the gift itself. While strictly speaking you should have your notes delivered around one-two months after the wedding, people will let you off if you take a bit longer!
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