It’s officially wedding season, and whether the big day is next spring or this Christmas, we’ve put together a list of all the wedding stationery you could possibly need. So, take a look and remember that you don’t need every single one of these options for your special day – just pick the ones that you like best!

Wedding Invitation Stationery

Engagement Party Invites

Long before you start thinking about the wedding, you can start thinking about your engagement party!

This optional event is the perfect way to celebrate your engagement with your nearest and dearest from both sides, and a good opportunity for the parents of the bride and groom to formally meet ahead of the big day.

The invitations don’t need to be overly detailed or fancy, and they don’t have to adhere to your wedding’s colour scheme (if you even have one this early on in the planning process) – keep it simple with a plain background and add both your initials on the reverse.

Save-The-Date

These small but important cards do exactly what their name suggests. Even if your wedding is still over a year away, everyone has busy lives and your preferred date can quickly become booked up, so make sure everyone knows the date in advance by sending these cards out ahead of your formal invitations – particularly if your wedding is around popular summer holiday dates or the Christmas season.

They are usually no larger than a postcard and only need to contain your names, your date and a little reminder that there is a ‘formal invitation to follow’. Now you’ve got all the time you need to perfect your official invitations without rushing them out.

Official Invitations

If you choose just one piece of wedding stationery, make sure it’s the invitations! Without them there’s no congregation, no group photos, and no loved ones to dance the night away with, so be sure to include:

• Your names
• Your wedding date
• Ceremony location and starting time
• Reception location and starting time

If you have lots of information to relay, deliver this across a suite of stationery including the reception card, RVSP card and travel details if your wedding is a destination one. Or, to prevent the design from becoming cluttered, it’s a good idea to include QR codes on your invitations that link to a wedding website with all of your information.

Wedding Day Stationery

Order of Service

Include these in your invitation suite and have some ready to hand out at the at the door of the venue, as it is inevitable that someone will have forgotten to bring theirs!

Have one designed for your service and one for the reception – this way everyone has an outline of the day in advance and you won’t be disturbed by well-wishers whilst you are having photographs taken or about to make your entrance into the reception. It also helps members of the wedding party to stay on-track and be where they are supposed to be, from the hours before the ceremony to last orders at the reception bar!

Seating Plan

The largest piece of wedding stationery is usually the seating assignment board, which will direct everyone to their seats and keep the day on schedule.

A wedding table plan lists each table number, along with the names of those who will be sitting at that table, or groups names by table numbers with a floorplan of the room. Or, if you have a little extra budget left and want to give your guests a final keepsake to take home with them, you can use escort cards.

Place Cards

Now that your guests know which table they are sat at, direct them to their seat at the table with place cards. They are a great finishing touch to any table arrangement and generally don’t need to include full names – just a first name and a second initial will do, and it is likely that this is all the information you will have room for on the little cards.

Finally, don’t forget the menu! By this time it will have been several weeks since everyone chose their meal selections, so remind them of what to expect, or give them the rundown of what the dinner buffet includes before it opens.

Post-Wedding Stationery

Thank You Notes

Don’t worry! There’s only one more thing you need to remember, and that is the thank-you notes. You might choose to hand these out personally to members of your wedding party but if you prefer you can have them sent out to all guests after the big day (especially to those who bought gifts!).

This offers the perfect opportunity to have your first photographs as a married couple printed and shared amongst your closest circle, so ask a trusted bridesmaid to have the final designs sent to the printers whilst you are away on your honeymoon and aim to have them sent out as soon as you return home.

Looking for a trusted UK printer to design and print all of your wedding stationery? Keep this guide close by throughout your planning process and contact Russell Printers today to order samples or request a quote.