Wedding Stationery explained

When it comes to planning a wedding, the options are endless. There are so many choices for every single thing you need and it can be very overwhelming and confusing. I thought it might be useful to go through what options are available for the various stationery items and explain the differences.

1. The wedding invitation – this really comes down to personal choice and budget as there are so many different styles. You can narrow it down by deciding on the shape (DL or square), the size (standard or mini) and whether it will be a flat card or an opening invitation. Once these choice have been made, then it comes down to the embellishment. Will you choose lace, flowers, ribbon, feathers, textured papers, crystals, pearls or none of the above!

2. RSVP – the traditional format for the RSVP card is to have a seperate card with a return envelope. However, the postcard style RSVP with the return address printed on the reverse has become increasingly popular. If you wanted to save money or were a little short on time, you could include a phone number, e-mail or website to collect the RSVP’s.

3. Wishing well/Gift registry cards – these are small cards that are printed with the clients preference to have a wishing well at the wedding or with the details of the gift registry. Alternatively, this information can be printed directly on to the invitation.

4. Maps & Directions – with the increase in popularity of destination weddings, many couples are choosing to include a card with a map on one side and specific directions on the back. These cards are very helpful for out of town guests or if your ceremony and reception are not close by.

5. Order of service books – depending on the kind of ceremony you are having, these books can help your guests to follow the service and to participate by including the reponses to the readings etc. Some couples opt to print the entire service whilst some prefer just an outline of the ceremomy. For destination weddings, many couples provide their guests with an outline of the day’s events and locations and times of where they need to be.

6. Place cards – where do I start???? There are many more place cards choices than just the traditional format. Nowdays you can tie the guests’ name to the napkin ring, to the stem of the wine glass or even have a personalised mini menu for each guest. Also becoming popular are table charts whereby the names of the guests seated at the table are printed on one card. This allows the guests to choose their own seats at their allocated table.

7. Menus – the most common menu format is the tall opening menu one per table. Alternatively you can give each guest a small menu with their names printed to serve as a place card as well. To save money and space on the table, the 3 sided table charts are making a strong appearance. These have a welcome message on one side, the names of the guests and the table number on another and the menu printed on the third side. A very practical choice.

8. Thank you cards – it is proper etiquette to thank your guests for attending the wedding and for their gifts and best wishes. Most couples send thank you cards when they return from honeymoon. We have also done generic thank you cards that are included with a photo of the happy couple and sent off straight after the wedding. Time poor couples are also choosing to thank their guests with a thank you message printed on a small tag attached to their bombonniere.

9. Reception seating charts – this is a list with all your guests names printed with the number of the table they are sitting at. Ideal for any guests who might arrive late to the reception.

10. Table numbers/names – most venues would provide table numbers, however, we can make them to co-ordinate with the rest of the wedding stationery. Some couples choose to give their tables names after meaningful places or events in their lives.

All the above mentioned stationery items can be designed to match/compliment the invitation and the rest of the wedding theme. All items are optional and it is up to each and every couple whether they choose to include them or not. Visit our website www.paperlily.com.au for more information, images and prices. Be sure to like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/PaperLilyInvitations for updates and more tips.