Choosing wedding stationery is one of the more fun parts of wedding planning. The stationery spells out the tone for your special day, so it’s important to make sure that it conveys all of the critical information to your guests. Everything from the invitation to thank-you cards sets the atmosphere for the wedding. With so many different options available, choosing the perfect stationery could be a little overwhelming. It will give you a step-by-step guide from understanding the many different types of stationery to effectively making design and material decisions. By the end, you shall be able to pick stationery expressing your unique style and vision of your wedding.
1. Wedding Stationery Types
This is where it all begins: grasping the different types available. The most classical piece will be that of the wedding invitation, acting as formal. Along with the actual invitation, you are also going to want to save the date cards, RSVP cards, details cards, and thank-you cards. A save-the-date card is a means of letting folks know well in advance when you are getting married. RSVP cards will allow guests to confirm participation, while details cards provide more information on directions or accommodation—even your wedding website. Thank-you cards are written and sent after the wedding, thanking guests for coming out and for any gifts they might have brought along. Knowing these types will help you know what you need in wedding stationery.
2. Set Your Budget
First things first: When it comes to wedding stationery, setting a budget is the way to go. This can vary dramatically depending on the design, materials, and the quantity you’re going to need. So take a second to think about what your overall budget is for your wedding and then what you’re willing to dedicate to stationery. Just keep in mind that elaborate designs, specialty papers, and custom printing raise costs. Be smart about overages for postage and extra add-ins you may want to include. The more clear of an idea you have about your overall wedding budget and how you intend to allocate those funds, the easier it’s going to be to make selections and decisions that you know will fit into your overall financial plans.
3. Selecting a Theme or Style
Your wedding stationery has to reflect the wedding theme or style. Envision the atmosphere of your wedding: Is it going to be formal, rustic, beachy, or whimsical? Knowing what your theme is will then make the process of picking on colors, fonts, and designs easier to fit seamlessly. For instance, classic hues paired with an elegant calligraphy would go well with a formal wedding. Earthy tones in color schemes with natural textures will go nicely with rustic weddings. You can get inspiration for this in your venue, decorations, and floral arrangements. You can get ideas from Pinterest boards of brides, wedding blogs, or even wedding magazines. Your stationery will then flow cohesively with your wedding theme and set the tone for the rest of the experience your guests are about to have.
4. Select Colors and Fonts
The perfect colors and fonts can make some really beautiful wedding stationery. Your color palette should not only bring to life your wedding theme but also speak about you both as a couple. Of course, this would have to consider colors that are used in flowers, attire, and wedding decor. When it comes to the font, elegance needs to be balanced against legibility. The use of two fonts can make it visually appealing. Script fonts give it a touch of romance while sans-serif conveys modernity. Whatever be the color or the font, readability should be taken care of so that it is clear to the guests whatever information is put across in your stationery.
5. Design Options
Having a clear theme and color palette in mind, move on to the design options for wedding stationery. Most couples find a professional designer or stationery company to work with in bringing custom designs to life. If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, there are many free templates online to get you started. You could have something very simple and clean or a little more detailed and complex. Add personal touches with illustrations or monograms standing to represent your relationship. Whatever route you take, make sure that your design expresses you both as a couple by telling the story of your love. Take time researching for the right choice and explore different options until you get your perfect design.
6. Pick the Right Paper and Materials
Choose the right type of paper and materials, as that will further go on to majorly affect the quality and feel that your wedding stationery exudes. There are so many finishes out there: matte, glossy, textured, and even recycled papers. Matte paper provides soft, subtle elegance, while glossy really lets colors pop. Textured paper brings tangibility to an invitation and enhances the experience of opening one. If you’re an eco-conscious person, there is an option to use recycled paper—it can be beautiful and green. Request samples from a few printers to see and literally feel the paper options before settling on one. The right materials bring your design into reality and leave an actual impression on your guests.
7. Ordering Samples
It is always advisable to order samples of the chosen stationery design before ordering in bulk. Many companies specializing in printing offer sample packs that have a host of paper types, colors, and designs. It allows one to see how the design looks in real life and the quality is ascertainable. Check the samples very keenly for clarity, color accuracy, and cleanliness of presentation. You can also have some modifications done, if needed, before the final print. It is, therefore, very important to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the finished product. Once you are satisfied with the samples, you can confidently place an order for the entire set of stationery.
8. Addressing the Invitations Responsibly
Addressing your invitations can be a chore all in itself since you show precedence on how your guests will receive their invites. Great attention has to be given while preparing a guest list with correct names and addresses. You may want to address the envelopes uniformly, perhaps including titles like Mr., Mrs., Dr. before names. You may address the envelopes by hand if you want a personal touch, or you may use printed labels so that they’re all alike. A calligrapher might be a worthy expense if you’re mailing quantities of invitations to get nice addressing. This tiny detail will say much to your guests and give them the best impression at first sight.
9. Mailing Out Invitations on Time
Once your invitations are printed and addressed, it’s time to mail them out. You should be able to mail your wedding invitations about six to eight weeks prior to the date of the wedding. This will allow enough time for guests to respond to the invitation and also allow any guests out of town the opportunity to make travel plans. Be sure to include RSVP cards with pre-stamped envelopes for easy and convenient return of the responses. You could also include various other bits of information, like directions to the venue or maybe even accommodation information, in the envelope. Mailing the invitations in time will permit your guests to plan properly for your big day and be sure that everything goes according to plan on the lead-up to the wedding.
10. Count the RSVPs
Once the invitations are in the mail, make sure there is an accounting of how many RSVPs come in as a result. As the RSVP deadline approaches, guests may quite possibly forget to answer. It is a nice gesture to call or e-mail and politely remind them to mail in the responses. The record of the RSVP will come handy for making the seating charts and ordering food from the caterer. You may want to consider creating a spreadsheet that keeps all of the responses and dietary requests orderly. This follow-up with RSVPs will not only give you a detailed number of guests attending but will also make things smoother for all concerned on your special day.
Conclusion
The wedding stationery is, in reality, a very exciting journey taken while narrating the love story and setting the tone for the special day. This will, therefore, form an overall package that is going to help you in being quite prepared to make informed decisions at every step. Right from understanding the different types of stationeries to color options and design forms, every step forms a process that can be worked out to come up with beautiful, beauteous, and unique invitations and cards. Enjoy the process and drench it with your personality onto every piece of stationery that comes out. With an eye for detail and knowledge of careful planning, the wedding stationery can bring a lot to a celebration, so it will be one of those things you and your guests will remember forever.
