Chicago Wedding & Party Resource 2017 Spring / Summer

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I N V I T A T I O N S , S T A T I O N E R Y , P R O G R A M S , G I F T S & F A V O R S
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
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Spread the Word:
A Wedding is Coming!
Stationery lets you establish your wedding style
while adding a formal touch to your planning
By Timothy R. Schulte, CTW Features
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.
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 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.
© CTW Features