DIY Stationery - A Practical Bride's Guide

For those artistic brides out there, with the time and the creativity to design and make their own wedding stationery, we salute you! With it already taking around 200 hours to organise a wedding, this is a time consuming decision that need not be taken lightly. However, if this is the path you have chosen, we would like to help you with what needs to be included and we hope that this may save you time and certainly headaches from guests calling you the day before the wedding asking ‘where is the church?’ and ‘Do you need a new toaster?’

There are many items that go into the overall bundle of stationery. Some can be made later than others but they should all work together and be made as a set, and tie into your theme or style of wedding day.

Save the Date

Once you have fixed a date for your wedding, and scrutinised and double checked your guest list, let your chosen guests know! The earlier the better so they can work around holidays and other commitments. Your  method of announcement can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. An e-mail or phone call, a posted photo card or something a little creative like a message in a bottle or even a video should do the trick.

 

DIY Message in a bottle by Mint Design

Invite

The main item is of course the invite! On this, you need to let people know the ‘who, where, when and what’. Who is getting married (you!) and who is inviting them (You or your parents)? Where will the ceremony take place and what date and time? Where is the reception, and when does it finish?  It is also prudent to add a date by which guests must reply, ideally a month or so before the wedding, to give you time to make your table plan and confirm numbers to the venue/caterers/favour suppliers/furniture hire/linen/chair covers etc etc etc!

You will also need a slightly adapted invite for evening only guests – don’t mention the ceremony and consider when you want them to arrive. Before or after your first dance or speeches? (Also consider what will happen to them when they arrive. Will they be greeted with a glass of champagne and have somewhere to sit if needed?)

Invite by Crate Paper

Additional Details
Usually on a separate sheet(s) of paper/card, you need to provide all the details guests will need to help their day go smoothly and reduce guest contact with the bride! Of course you will be more than happy to hear well-wishes from your nearest and dearest but do you really want 50 phone calls checking who they should call for a taxi?

Details to include are:

Map – including full address for ceremony venue & reception venue. You could also highlight the local train station & suggested hotels

Wedding Map from Emmaline Bride's Blog

Transport timetables – If you are providing any coaches for guests, be sure to mention this as well as timings and where they can board.

Accommodation and taxi suggestions – You can usually block-hold rooms in a hotel for a discounted price, that guests can call themselves to book. Rooms will be released if not booked by a certain date so you won’t incur any charge. Make sure you check any taxi numbers you provide and it is worth warning them before the date so they can make provisions of extra staff.

Gift list – As well as the traditional gift lists from John Lewis and House of Fraser, you also have the option for more personal gifts from Not on the HIghstreet or perhaps contributions to your honeymoon. If you really don’t want any gifts, why not ask guests to donate to your chosen charity if they want to give. This will give you yet another reason to glow.

RSVP Card

Not a necessity but certainly advisable. A stamped addressed postcard can be provided on which all a guest needs to do is write their name (unless you decide to do this for them too!), whether or not they will attend (this could be a check box) and how many of them will be attending. Dietary & transport requirements can be added too, each with their own check box for idiot proof precision and to eliminate the  task of scrutinising illegible handwriting.

You can also give an e-mail address to which RSVP’s can be made. Not as exciting each morning when you check your doormat but an advantage to the modern guest who does not leave their computer or know where the nearest post box is.

RSVP card from Ruffled

Envelopes
An obvious one but a cost to consider. These need to be fitted to the invite

Stamps

Another cost to consider; especially now they cost a whopping 60p each! And you will need to double your numbers if you are supplying stamped addressed RSVP cards. A lovely, personal addition is to create your own stamps using a photo of you both or image related to your theme. This can be done via the Royal Mail website, just like Wills and Kate did!

Wedding website
It’s a good idea to set up a wedding website and include the address in your invites. They are easy to build and administer and are a useful tool for keeping guests updated of any more info or changes that might occur. You can set the mood for your wedding with a synopsis of your relationship so far and how the engagement came about, help guests with lift share pages and create an ‘audience participation’ feel with a Q&A section and song requests.

Order of Service

These are given out, usually by the ushers, as guests arrive to the ceremony. 
They provide a schedule of the ceremony, including words to hymns and readings and when the all important vows are coming. Afternoon and evening timings can also be listed. A well informed guest is a happy guest.

Menus

Although guests don’t always have a choice on the day, it is customary to provide a menu of the Wedding Breakfast, either one per guest or a couple per table.

Name cards

To be positioned at each guests table place and avoid a bum fight

Name cards by Carli Walker

Table Plan
A chance to get your creative juices flowing, get yourself a large A1 board to show everyone where they are sitting. Incorporate your theme and be as creative as possible! And if it takes people a while to find their names, who cares! That’s more time spent admiring your handy work

Table Names / numbers

A way of labelling each table so they are easily found, and another chance to incorporate your theme and be inventive

Table numbers from Martha Stewart

 A note on calligraphy
If your handwriting is similar to the trail made by an intoxicated snail, it would be well worth recruiting the steady hand of a bridesmaid or other close friend to inscribe the invites, envelopes and name cards. Having spent so much time lovingly constructing your wedding stationery, you don’t want to ruin it at the last hurdle.

A note on numbers

Remember, you do not need and invite PER GUEST. Many guests will live together as man and wife so can share an invite. This may seem like stating the obvious here but believe me, many couples have found themselves with double the invite requirements having not considered this point at the beginning. I should know, I was one of them! :-/

Stationery by Royal Steamline Alice Peto and Lucy Ledger 

And if all else fails, there are plenty of fantastic stationery designers who are able to produce that homemade feel. We wish you lots of luck with your projects and are happy to help if you need any advice.