Oh hello July - finally we’re seeing some consistent sunshine, could it finally be summer!? Yesterday was spent in bed with a stinking cold so I’m extra happy to see the sun is back out today.
If you've currently got a wedding to plan, summer is likely to involve more wedmin than barbecues or beer gardens. If stationery and signage are on your ‘still to do’ list then read on, as I've been wanting to put this handy checklist/timeline/reality check together for a while now to help you lovely couples navigate the ‘written’ bit of the wedding world...
Save the dates should be sourced and sent out as soon as you've secured a venue and date for your big day. This simple postcard is not essential by any means, and not all couples send them. If you do decide to, they need only contain the essentials so your guests can pop your date in their diary, i.e. your names, your wedding date, and the area (i.e. Bordeaux, ooh la la...). A formal invite with everything else your guests will need to know will follow later, so don't overdo it on the detail on these...
Invitations should be sent at least 3-4 months prior to your big day. You could send these further in advance, especially if you've not sent save the dates, or your chosen location means that guests will need to make travel arrangements such as booking flights. If you've chosen a bespoke or semi-custom design these can often take at least 6-8 weeks for designers to complete, so bear this in mind when contacting your chosen stationer. The truth of the matter is, there's no hard and fast rule for when to send, so it's up to you for when it feels right and necessary. Invitations can be straight to the point and functional, or as fabulous as you like. Dress them up with hand-dyed ribbons, wax seals and envelope addressing. Or simply set up a website for all the extra information your guests will need, an email address for your RSVP's to land in, and just send a single classic invitation card without the extra bits and pieces. It's your day so you get to decide where the budget goes.
On the day stationery and signage includes the essentials like table plans and place cards, but it also includes a whole host of fancy other stuff, and no doubt a ton of ideas Pinterest and Instagram have delivered to your scrolling feed. Think hanging banners, personalised cocktail menus, glassware, neon, acrylic, ceramics... (insert all the heart eyes here). Essential stationery and signage usually includes the following:
a table plan
place settings
table numbers (or names)
order of service booklets (for a church service)
and a few table top signs to show guests where to leave their cards and gifts and direct folks to the guestbook.
Once you've budgeted for these, you might decide to have a welcome sign, menus for the table, or a running order to let your guests know what's happening and when. Contact your stationer a couple of months beforehand with your requirements for the day to ensure they have the time booked in their diary to complete what you need.
In a nutshell, stationery and signage can be functional but still fabulous whatever your stationery budget.
Check out my instagram handle @kayleightarrant for loads of ideas and inspiration.