Advice on choosing your wedding stationery, from White Cottage Weddings
In a world where everything is increasingly digital, there’s something magical about getting a piece of snail mail through the post. I’m off to a wedding as a guest in a couple of months and I was so excited to get my invite in the post. Choosing your wedding stationery is an important and fun part of wedding planning, as it really sets the tone for guests in terms of what to expect, as well as giving them an opportunity to get excited about your plans.
I asked one of my favourite stationers, White Cottage Weddings, to share their thoughts on choosing your wedding stationery. Toby and Kelly are husband and wife stationers. They’re graphic designers by day and stationery addicts by night. They started White Cottage Weddings the year they got engaged when they simply couldn’t find stationery they loved.
Here’s Kelly and Toby’s guide to choosing your wedding stationery.
Image by Hannah Hall Photography
What do you need to include on a wedding invitation?
So you’ve got your staple deets; who, where, when. Beyond that, what is it that you need your guests to know? Do you have lots of guests travelling, or is your venue in the middle of nowhere? You may want to include local accommodation options, along with public transport including local cab companies.
Speak to your venue as they will probably have great recommendations for local services. They may even have preferential rates that you and your guests can take advantage of.
Image by Cat Lane Weddings
You should probably address the topic of gifts in the invitation too. Some couples find it awkward but if you don’t, your guests might feel awkward and then there’s the possibility of having to address the whole thing face to face.
The other super important info is your RSVP requirements. Detail how your guests should respond, when they should get back to you by and tell them everything you need to know. Meal choices and dietary requirements, the number of seats on a minibus, that sort of jazz.
Image by Through The Woods We Ran
Common stationery problems (and how to avoid them!)
Over ordering is by far and away the biggest mistake that our customers make. When doing your calculations, remember that you don’t one invite per guest. Most of your guests will be part of a couple or family and they are likely to only need one between them.
Count up your couples and families and then order a few more to be on the safe side. We usually recommend 10-15% more. You’ll be guaranteed to have forgotten someone, you’ll make new friends in the run up to the wedding, or your mum will want to invite her friend Norma from across the road…
Not as common but worth mentioning is the trap of going too techy with your stationery. An increasing amount of our customers want to minimise info and opt for including a wedding website address for further information and RSVP. Research shows this results in an increased number of late responses and guests not properly reading all the ‘need to know’ stuff.
Image by Kate Nielen Photography
If you are setting up a website, it’s worth considering adding an alternate way to RSVP and if there is stuff your guests really should know, it’s worth getting it on there too. You can be sure anything you put on a physical invitation will end up under your guest’s nose but there’s no real way of guaranteeing that they navigate their way to and around a website successfully.
Top tips from a wedding stationer
If something is important and your guests need to know about it, include it in your invitation. Use the invite as a way to avoid having the same conversation a hundred times! If you are a worrier and you want to be sure that your guests are going to be firmly in their seats on time, stipulate an arrival time instead of the ceremony time.
If your venue is fanatical about their curfew recommend your guests have their transport booked to arrive by X o’clock. Want a relaxed do with no formal attire? Then detail that in your info section.
Image by Benjamin Wheeler Photography
Don’t be scared to let your personalities into your stationery. Even if you’ve opted for the most formal and grand affair, you should talk to your stationer about how your stationery can best reflect you. Don’t be afraid to shop ‘off the shelf’ and explore independent studios. There are so many good ones out there!
Above all, love your stationery and take care when choosing the right designer for the job. When the day is over, it’s one of the few things that you can keep forever so it’s worth your time, attention and investment. Happy stationery shopping!
Thank you White Cottage Weddings. If you’re looking for wedding stationery, do swing by White Cottage Weddings’ website for a look around. If you’re looking for more wedding planning advice check out my wedding planning guide and, finally, if you’re looking for a wedding photographer I’d love to chat with you!
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