You're Invited....
Nothing evokes excitement about an upcoming event like a carefully crafted invitation! This is especially true of wedding invitations. Invitations set the mood and create anticipation in your guests. It conveys: We’re having a wonderful celebration that you don’t want to miss! It also gives them an idea of how casual or dressy your event will be and gets them thinking about RSVP’s and what they will wear! It can be the difference between a guests saying: “I need to buy something to wear!” or “I’ll find something in my closet to wear.” Beautiful invitations create excitement! On average, couples spend 2-3% on wedding stationary.
Once you’ve selected a theme and/or colors for your wedding, you can begin planning your wedding stationary. This includes: save-the-dates (printed and/or video), invitations, programs and thank you cards and/or shows. All of these elements should fit your theme and color selections and ideally should match each other to be consistent. Don’t be tempted to select different themes within a theme – i.e. a beach theme using four different beach designs on each. This can look disorganized and confusing. Select one and stick to it. Save-the-Dates should go out 4-12 months in advance (this depends on how many of your guests will be traveling and the distance). Invitations should go out 6-8 weeks before the event.
Some stationary companies carry complete stationary packages that can carry a theme throughout, but some do not. You can look on line. There are many to choose from. One downside to ordering online is that you cannot see and feel the invitation before you order it. You have to trust that the weight of the paper, the quality of the print, etc. is what you want for your wedding.
You can elect to purchase custom stationary and have your stationary package designed just for you. By working with a designer, you get to see and feel samples and can convey exactly what you want. You can have the designer use your color swatches to match ink colors. Mock-ups are done before the final invitations are ordered to assure that you will be completely satisfied with the final product. Custom stationary generally has that “wow” factor and can incorporate 3D elements as well (sea shells, charms, etc.). If you are familiar with design software and printing processes, you can also choose to design, print and embellish your own stationary. Many stores carry stationary kits to use like Staples (www.staples.com). If you’re not experienced with this, I would not recommend experimenting on your wedding stationary. Use a professional!
Whether you use templates or custom designed stationary, make sure you order in enough time to send them back if they need to be printed over. Mistakes do happen and usually are rectified easily, but time can become an issue.
Weddings by Peace and Sidney (www.peaceandsidney.wix.com/weddings) and Sidney & Company (www.sidneyandcompany.com) have stationary options in all of our packages.
Challenges:
Decide if you want to use a template online or hire a professional before beginning to plan your wedding stationary package.
Have enough time to design, print and send out your stationary in a timely manner.
Be consistent!
Look for ideas on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com).
