This is a guest post by Dimitria Jordan, founder of Dimitria Jordan Luxury Stationery
Dimitria designed the stationery above as seen in Natalie and Paul’s Jewish Wedding
{If you are a member of Smashing The Glass’s VIB Club, you can watch Dimitria’s video masterclass, ‘Everything You Need To Know About Your Wedding Stationery’ here}
When should I make a start on my wedding stationery?
My advice to all brides is to not underestimate timings for your wedding stationery. Once your venue is booked and you have a wedding date, I advise you to start looking for wedding stationers, and contacting those that suit your style and you would like to work with.
The design you choose (‘ready-to-order’ collection or bespoke) and the type of printing you decide on will affect the overall process, so it beneficial to make a start as soon as possible. As a minimum guideline, it’s best to make a start at least 6-8 weeks before you would like to send your save the dates or invitations to guests.
This ensures you can enjoy the whole process with your wedding stationer, discuss options and take your time rather than having to make rush decisions and having the extra stress of needing to send them out. You may also need to handwrite each guests name & address (a printed addressed envelope will take this job away!), add the postage and seal the envelope, which all take time too and is something to bear in mind.
When should I post out my wedding stationery?
When you should post your wedding stationery will also give you an indication of when to make a start. There are varying guidelines for timelines, but listed below are general guidelines. If you decide against sending save the dates, you may wish to send out your invitation earlier than the time guidelines below… there is no right or wrong!
Save the Date :
9-12months before your wedding date
Save the Date (Destination Wedding / summer months / national holiday weekends):
12- 18 months before your wedding date
Invitations :
3-4 months before your wedding date
Invitations (Destination Wedding / summer months / national holiday weekends) :
4-6 months before your wedding date
On-the-day stationery :
As soon as you have final guest numbers / names, and your menu is finalised you should consider starting your on-the-day stationery. It is a good idea to leave your table plan until as late as possible, incase of any last minute changes to your guestlist and table changes. Ask your wedding stationer when is the latest possible time they can print and deliver this to you.
Thank You Cards
Ideally, you should send these as soon as possible after your special day. It is advisable to order your thank you cards alongside your on-the-day stationery, so you have them ready to start writing when you can make a start.
There is so much out there – how do I decide what style to go for?
Social media, wedding blogs and magazines and of course Pinterest all provide so much inspiration for brides, but this can also be overwhelming and give brides too much choice… how do you decide? If you are struggling to choose a style and colours for your wedding stationery, my advice would be to think about your wedding venue.
How would you describe it? Elegant? Classic? Rustic? Use these adjectives when looking at stationery, as this will help you envisage how everything will look; not only your invitation, but your on-the-day stationery (table plan, place cards, menus) which will be part of the styling and venue on your special day.
Details Details Details
Regardless of the overall style / theme you decide, there are many ways you can add details to your wedding stationery. For example, you may decide on a classic and simple design, but add a really luxe feel through the details. Think about:
- Envelope colour. This is a great way to add some colour in a subtle or bold way from your theme into your stationery suite. The colour possibilities are endless.
- Lined envelopes. As well as your envelope colour, lined envelopes are another lovely way of adding detail. The envelope liner could match the design of your invitation, be in a solid colour, or if you love sparkle (like me!), you could even choose a glitter-lined envelope to add a ‘wow’ factor before your guests even see the invitation!
- Printed envelopes. Having each of your guests name and address printed on the envelope will complement your invitation as the same fonts and colour can be used. This will lift the overall look (and means no handwriting for you!). Your rsvp envelopes can also be printed with your return address on to achieve the same result and keep everything consistent.
- Monograms adds a chic and personal touch to your wedding stationery. Your monogram can be used on every aspect of your stationery too, whether in a subtle way (for example, at the top of your menu), to more elaborate (for example, on your dancefloor).
- Ribbon & bellybands. Binding all your items together with a bellyband or ribbon is another detail which will elevate your overall look, and builds the expectation of your guest as they open your envelope and untie the ribbon / remove the bellyband. Ribbons & bellybands, like your envelope colour, is a fabulous way to incorporate colour (& texture with your ribbon).
- Calligraphy. If you love the hand-written skill of calligraphy, you could incorporate this into your invitation with each guests name in calligraphy, or with your envelopes. Using a professional calligrapher will ensure your stationery / envelopes will look amazing and stand out from the rest of the post!
Printing Techniques
As well as the standard digital printing, there are various other ways of printing your wedding stationery to suit all types of budgets. Below is a brief summary of the most popular types of printing and finishes you can have for your stationery:
- Digital printing. The most economical type of printing
- Digital foil. This is a great way of adding foil to your design. A design is printed using toner ink, which is then heated which the foil sticks to. If you would love to add foil to your stationery but are conscious of budget, digital foil is the best option.
- Hot foiling. This technique uses heat to apply the foil to the card. A special metal die is made using your design, which is heated up. Foil is placed between the die and card, and when the die is applied to the card with heat and pressure, the foil bonds to the surface of the card. Hot foiling is the more expensive option to digital foil as a special die is made and the printing process is more complex and labour-intensive.
- Letterpress. This gives a debossed and tactile impression on card. A metal die is made of your design, which ink is applied to. The paper is pressed directly on to the plate and the design is transferred. Using no ink is called a ‘blind deboss’ which gives the impression on the card with no colour, and shows your design in a more subtle way.
Different types of printing can also be combined. For example, your invitation could be digitally printed with your names and/or parts of the design in digital foil. Or letterpress can be combined with hot foiling… If you have an idea in mind, do speak with your wedding stationer to discuss the different printing options you could have.
Practical Advice and Tips
Postage
Remember to factor postage costs into your overall budget for stationery. You will need a stamp for your save the date (if you are sending), your invitation and rsvp envelope.
The style and format of your invitation will also need to be taken into consideration. Most invitations will only require a normal stamp, but if your invitation suite includes lots of separate items on a thick cardstock, this may mean it is in the next postage band.
Spare invitations
When deciding on your quantity, remember to order spares! I advise couples to order around 5-10% of their total quantity as spares. This ensures you are prepared incase you have forgotten anyone, and saves a lot of stress (& expense!) of ordering a small quantity at a later date. Ordering a very small amount will be more expensive than adding a few spares to your overall quantity. Ordering spares will also ensure you have a keepsake.
Photography
Wedding stationery is often overlooked when it comes to your wedding photography, even though it is a major part of your day, both before, during and after!
A lovely idea is to send a set of your wedding stationery to your wedding photographer ahead of the big day. This will allow your photographer to capture your stationery in a styled & professional way.
This could be before your big day, or even on the morning of your wedding day in your bridal suite alongside your bridal shoes, jewellery, and accessories. It is a really beautiful way to capture your wedding stationery and details as part of your professional wedding images.
There is lots to consider for your wedding stationery, as it will encapsulate your day and style. It is important to remember, however, to choose what reflects you both and how you want your day to look! Don’t be swayed by other opinions and trends and go with your heart…
About the author
Dimitria Jordan is a luxury wedding stationer based in North London, specialising in wedding stationery across studio collections and bespoke designs for your special day.
Dimitria provides a personal one-to-one service with each couple to ensure their wedding stationery experience is enjoyable, stress-free and creative every step of the way. Dimitria loves all things stationery, and is passionate and enthusiastic in providing exceptional customer service and chic and elegant wedding stationery to make you swoon with delight!
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