The Ultimate Wedding Stationery Checklist
Your stationery is often a crucial part of your wedding day and budget, so it’s an important element to plan ahead with and get right. Below we’ve listed all the stationery items couples usually choose to do, with a few optional extras that you might like to have, such as engagement party and hen party invitations.
Before the wedding
Engagement Party Invitations
If you’re planning on hosting a more formal engagement party, you might want to send out invites, be they physical or digital. It’s best to send these out 2 to 3 months in advance and they should list the location, date, time and whether there is a dress code required. Unless you know the style of wedding stationery you’re going to have, these in no way need to match them really, so get creative and have some fun with what you choose.
Save the Date Card
Save the Date cards are usually small and around A6 in size and usually contain simple details just so your guests know to save the date in their calendars. Ideally they should be sent 6-8 months in advance (or up to a year in advance if it’s a destination wedding) and should detail the general location and date, along with the venue if you’ve booked one by this point. Typically you don’t send Save the Dates to evening only guests to avoid any confusion or upset and they are sent purely to those who will be attending for the full day.
Again, these don’t necessarily need to match the rest of your wedding stationery if you’re yet to decide on a style, so just be led on choosing something that speaks to you both as a couple.
Source: Shine Wedding Invitations
Source: Not on the High Street
Hen/Stag Do Invites
Most people keep this informal, but some Maid of Honours or organisers of the hen like to send digital invites to those invited so they can get the date in their diary, and perhaps a nice itinerary of events closer to the hen itself.
The Wedding Invitation
When it comes to the wedding invitation itself, it’s the perfect opportunity to give your guests a hint of what the wedding will be like in terms of style. Ideally by the time of sending invites, you want to know what the general look of your full wedding stationery suite will be for on the day, to really help set the tone.
For the contents of the invitation, you can either do the more formal approach of an invitation card, information card, RSVP card and return envelope within a sleeve or belly band, or do a simple invitation with a link to your website for further information and the opportunity to RSVP. A lot of couples often go for something somewhere between the two, so have a think about what might suit you and your wedding best.
Source: Paige and Co.
Source: Wide Eyes Paper Co.
On the Day
Order of Service
The Order of Service is usually a folded A4 booklet that shows the running order of the ceremony, details any hymns that might be sung and the members of the bridal party. A lot of guests like to keep these as a keepsake, so it’s nice to invest a fair bit of time in creating them. You can either get one printed per guest, or save a bit of money by printing enough for one between two or three.
Source: Babooche Calligraphy
Source: Utterly Printable
Table Plan
Something that many couples take a fair bit of time over trying to get right is the Table Plan! Once you feel like you’ve got it finally nailed, you’ll want to share it with your stationer to get it made into your final design. Typically they are fairly large in size, from A2 and upwards and are positioned at the entrance to the reception room.
Source: Hello May
Source: Simple Cantara
Table Numbers and Names
Whether you choose to have them match the rest of your wedding suite or do something more specific like cute childhood photos, Table Numbers or Names are usually around A5 to A6 in size and often sit in frames or easels on your tables.
Source: Martha Stewart
Source: Pinterest
Place Cards
Sometimes handwritten or printed in a matching font, Place Cards can be stand alone, attached to a napkin or the menu itself. They’re usually small and don’t detract from the rest of the table display.
Menus
If you’re having a more informal wedding, you may choose to have one menu per table or for more formal weddings, you might instead have one per person. These can detail all the meal options including meat and veggie preferences, or you can personalise each menu to each guest for something more bespoke.
Source: Lilac and White
Source: Jordan Weaver Events
After the Day
Thank You Cards
The big day has finally happened and all those special memories are no doubt still lingering in your mind. A few weeks after your wedding is an ideal time to send out the Thank You cards whilst the thoughts are still fresh. Thank You cards can either match your wedding stationery, be a lovely photo of you both from the wedding day or a completely separate design, it’s up to you!
