Printed wedding products are an essential part of your special day. RushFlyers can help you with all this and more.
- Pre-wedding materials include save-the-date cards and the invitation.
- Stationery for the day of the wedding might consist of menus, place cards, and programs.
- Post-wedding, you want to send thank you notes and possibly wedding announcements.
The dress, the cake, the music, and the rings are all part of making your fairy tale day come true. However, don’t forget your wedding stationery, invitation, and other printed products. Designing and ordering the printed material is one of the first things you want to do once you set your date and location.
What Is Wedding Stationery?
Wedding stationery is an umbrella term for all of the printed materials you need for your special day. Your wedding stationery list usually includes save-the-date cards, invitations, place cards, and more. When you select your design, you want to choose something of keepsake quality that you will always be proud of. If you’re creating something to send home with your guests, you want it to be something they’ll look upon fondly. The pattern of your stationery suite should reflect your personality as a couple, the theme of your day if you have one, and any cultural traditions you want to emphasize. Wedding stationery usually fits into pre-wedding products, day-of-the-event materials, and post-wedding.
What Are Pre-Wedding Printed Materials?
Your pre-wedding printed materials usually include save-the-date cards and invitations with response cards and envelopes that you send out to your guests. If you have an engagement party, you may want an announcement for that too.
Save the Date Cards
Your save-the-date cards should be simple and straightforward. The essential information includes the couple’s names, the wedding date and location, and a note that a formal invitation will come later. If you have a wedding website, you should include the link on the save the dates card so that it’s easily accessible for your guests.
The design of your save-the-dates may or may not be the same as your wedding colors or the invitations. They may be more or less casual than the invitation. You can include a fun picture of yourselves or opt to list only your names. Send your cards six to eight months ahead of the wedding. For a destination wedding date, you may want to give even more notice. Sending out your save the dates up to 12 months before the wedding for a destination event is not unusual so that guests can plan and save for the trip.
Wedding Invitations
The package of wedding invitations and related pieces is often called a wedding invitation suite. It should include the wedding invitation itself, a response card, and a stamped addressed envelope, sometimes called the inner envelope, so that guests can quickly return the response card. Choosing and ordering your invitation can take some time. Sending them out to all the names on your guest list takes some time, so this is not a task to leave to the last minute. You want to list the couple’s name, the names of the parents hosting the wedding if applicable, and the date, time, and location of the celebration. Wedding invitations usually go out six to eight weeks before the big day.
- The response cards, also called RSVP cards or the reply card, let your guests tell you how many will attend the wedding and allows them to choose a meal if there is more than one option. Be sure to include a date by which you want your guests to reply using the card. You will probably need that information three to four weeks before the wedding. You can opt for a response postcard as part of your invitation suite if you want to be more environmentally friendly with your RSVP cards.
- The wedding invitation suite itself should coordinate with the theme and style of the event. Include information on the dress code if you have one. You can include a details card with information for making travel arrangements or even a full schedule of events
- for destination weddings. Reception cards are helpful to have if your ceremony and reception are in different places so that your guests know where to go. The card should include the reception venue’s name and address. Don’t include any notes about gifts or registries. That information is better suited for your wedding website, or you can spread the word informally.
Wedding Day Stationery
The printed materials for your wedding day include programs, place cards, menus, hang tags, and anything else you’d like to have. Most couples choose a color scheme and design that coordinates with the style of the wedding theme.
- Wedding programs usually give the order of the ceremony, list the musical selections, and name the people in the wedding party and those officiating the service. Some people also include personal touches such as messages, Bible verses, and poems.
- The place card can serve different functions. Most people are familiar with place cards on the table for dinner seating. Instead of putting a place card on the table, one other option is to give each guest a card as they arrive at the reception, instructing them to take a seat at a particular table number. This kind of stationery is sometimes called an escort card.
- Wedding menus or menu cards are a lovely touch if you’re serving a meal with multiple courses. They help your guests plan accordingly if they are following a specific diet or have food allergies. If there’s something special you’d like your guests to know about the menu, you can include that on the menu card as well. For example, some couples want to share that the food is farm-to-table or locally sourced. Menus can be printed on full-color letterhead or rack cards – using your wedding colors to add a wow factor to them.
- Hang Tags usually attach to your wedding favors, the small gifts you send home with your guests to help them remember your special day. You can write a short “thank you for coming” message on the tag or have them preprinted with your sentiments.
Post Wedding Stationery
After the event is over, you want to be sure to send thank you cards. Many couples choose to use a favorite wedding photo on their thank you cards. However, you can also keep them very simple. A handwritten note shows your gratitude for your guest’s attendance and gifts. Most people appreciate genuine thank you cards, no matter how simple or how elaborate.
One other form of post-wedding stationery is a wedding announcement if you eloped or had a very small ceremony with just a few people present. You don’t have to send something elaborate to share your happy news. Wedding announcements can be fun for people who weren’t able to attend the big event. A good rule of thumb is to send wedding announcements within one month of the nuptials. This timeline allows you to pick a wedding photo that you love. The text can be straightforward, listing the couple’s name and the date of the marriage. You can also include location if you wish to share that as well.
Planning a wedding is stressful, but lining up your wedding stationery doesn’t have to be. Let Rush Flyers help you with all your wedding paper supplies.
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