Schedule/Time frame: How long in advance should I order my Wedding Stationery?
Your wedding stationery can be split into 3 sections: before the day, on the day and after the day stationery.
Before the day stationery includes your wedding invitations along with save the date cards, rsvp cards, evening invitations and information cards. You should be aiming to send your wedding invitations out at least 6 – 12 weeks before your wedding day, and up to 6 months in advance if you are having an overseas wedding. You must also allow time for the choosing process including receiving samples from your favourite companies. You should ideally start choosing your wedding stationery around 6 – 9 months before your wedding date.
On the day stationery includes your order of service cards, menu cards, place cards and table plan. You should look to have your on the day stationery delivered around 1 month before your wedding date if possible, although items such as your order of service cards rely on other plans falling into place.
After the day stationery is your thank you cards. It is always advisable to order these before your wedding, and if you’re really organised you can even write them before your wedding day to give yourself one less thing to think about after!
Where to start:
The internet is the first starting place but with so many companies vying for your attention we advise honing your searches to be more specific, such as “luxury wedding stationery” or “pink wedding invitations”. Most couples know their colour scheme before choosing their wedding stationery and find this is the easiest way to search, but not all companies will list their stationery in this way so you may need to search for other qualities that you’re looking for.
Wedding Shows are also a good place to find some great stationers, where you get the chance to view the stationery up close and ask the suppliers any questions you have (wedding shows are a must not only for stationery but all your wedding planning needs!). Ivy Ellen recommend and exhibit at the National Wedding Shows and Designer Wedding Show.
Wedding Magazines also feature wedding stationers and you can often find some exciting designs and theme ideas to tie your wedding scheme together. Popular UK titles include Brides, Wedding Ideas and You and Your Wedding.
What should I look for when choosing my wedding stationery?
Design. Start off by looking for a design that catches your eye and you think could set the tone for your wedding. Aside from the design there are other details that set the best companies apart from the rest.
Quality. The quality of materials used has a huge impact on the feel and effect of your wedding stationery. Look for heavyweight boards along with good quality embellishments such as thick ribbons or crystals. It’s the little details that make your wedding stationery special.
Reliability. Look for a company who can deliver. A good website, coverage in wedding magazines and regular wedding show exhibitors are usually good signs that the company is dedicated to offering a professional service.
What questions should I ask suppliers?
The first question to always ask suppliers is “how soon after ordering will my stationery be delivered”. Ivy Ellen promise to deliver your stationery within 3 weeks of receiving your proof confirmation, but it is always vital to your planning to know when to expect your wedding stationery.
It is also important to ask to see samples of your stationery so you can check the quality and ensure your stationery fits in with your theme. Most stationers will send you invitation samples for free, or for a nominal fee.
Who are Ivy Ellen’s favourite wedding stationers?
Here at Ivy Ellen we love design led stationery and work tirelessly to offer the best designs around. If you can’t find what you want from us please do tell us what you would like to see. If you still feel you would like something else, here are a few of our favourite luxury wedding stationery companies:
Chartula Studio use exquisite laser cutting techniques to produce elegant eye catching stationery.
Louise Richardson offers a bespoke service and uses beautiful boards and expert printing techniques to produce stunning stationery exclusively for your special day.
If you’re looking for design led letterpress stationery then look no further than Hello Lucky! Using their own authentic presses they create some of the best letterpress stationery this side of the Atlantic (and you can also buy their invites in the states).
What are the main points to remember?
- Try to avoid general web searches like “wedding invitations” and be more specific to what you are looking for.
- Order samples to check the quality and feel of the stationery before committing to buying.
- Order your wedding invitations between 6 – 9 months prior to your wedding date to allow enough time for your guests to rsvp.
- Delivery times are usually from proof confirmation, so the sooner you check and return your proof, the sooner you will receive your stationery.
Glossary
Board
Papers your stationery items are made from.
Digital Printing
Digital printing is a modern printing technique that does not involve physical printing plates and is perfect for personalised designs.
Foiling
Foiling is a specialised finishing process that uses specially made ¼ inch thick metal die (or printing block) on a hot press to transfer gorgeous foil text onto your wedding stationery, making it unique and totally stunning.
FSC Accredited
The FSC is the Forest Stewardship Council and FSC accredited boards are those sourced from sustainable rainforests where 3 to 4 trees are planted for each tree cut down.
GSM
Often used as a measure of quality, GSM stands for grams per square metre and refers to the weight of a board. Anything over 300gsm is a good quality board, and all of our boards are 350gsm.
Litho Printing
Litho printing (or lithography) is a specialist printing technique that involves a plate pressing oiled colours onto a board to print a design.
Letterpress
A letterpress is a traditional printing machine that presses paper onto a raised, inked printing block to produce an image.
