CWPR 2016 Spring/Summer

I N V I T A T I O N S & S T A T I O N E R Y

C H I C A G O W E D D I N G & P A R T Y R E S O U R C E

W W W . C H I C A G O W E D D I N G R E S O U R C E . C O M

Stationery is your guests’ first

impression of your wedding, so

you want to make sure it’s fun,

grabs their attention and gets

them excited about your big day.

By Timothy R. Schulte

You can look at your stationery in three parts: the save-

the-date, the wedding invitation and enclosures, and the

day-of pieces. Whether you’re getting your stationery

professionally designed or going the DIY route and

designing and printing them yourself, you’re going to

need to visit a stationery shop to get your hands on some

paper and check out design styles. Typically, expect to

spend around 5 percent of your budget on your stationery,

including postage, but adjust as necessary.

SAVE-THE-DATE

As soon as you have your wedding date set in stone – the

venue is booked – you should send out a save-the-date. It

doesn’t matter if it’s a year out from the wedding or nine

months out or seven – the point is you want your guests to

get your wedding on their schedules ASAP.

You don’t need to go overboard on details; just your names

and the date to keep open. If you have a wedding website

already set up with details about the ceremony, reception

and accommodations, include the URL. And, of course, you

can mention that a formal invitation will follow.

INVITATIONS & ENCLOSURES

Let’s get this out of the way right now: Do not include

registry information on the invitation. You’re inviting your

friends and family to join in your wedding celebration;

you’re not inviting them to bring you gifts! (You can list

registry info on your wedding website.)

The actual wedding invite is where you officially invite your

guests. Plan to put these in the mail around two months

prior to your wedding. For some more creative ideas for

wording your invites (and a quick primer on the basics),

visit

offbeatbride.com

and search “wedding invitation

wording.”

The RSVP card (self-addressed and stamped) is where

guests will accept or decline invitation and, if you’re having

a seated dinner, mark their dinner selection. List a date in

which you’d appreciate their reply by, usually four weeks

before the wedding date.

As mentioned, you might have all the pertinent info on

your wedding website, but you’ll want to include a card

separate from the invitation that lays out the wheres and

whens for your reception and accommodations.

DAY-OF ITEMS

The invitation might be the main attraction, but there are

still some paper pieces you need for the big day:

•

Programs:

If you’re having a ceremony in a house of

worship, this will list info for the officiant, readings, the

wedding party, etc.

•

Table numbers/names

•

Escort cards and Place cards:

Escort cards tell the guest

which table they are at. Place cards show them where at

the table they are sitting.

•

Menus:

An outline of dinner, set with their place card, is

a nice touch.

•

Thank-yous:

If you want to get a jump on showing your

gratitude, it can be worthwhile to invest in stationery

with your newly married name.

Spread the Word:

A wedding is Coming!

Stationery lets you

establish your wedding

style while adding a formal

touch to your planning