Before you go buying every pretty note card
in sight, determine your needs by breaking down
your wedding day. Use your wedding style, however
formal or casual, as well as time and budget
to guide you through the boundless options.
It's helpful to establish a thread of consistency
-- with color, theme, or motif -- and apply
it to each piece. For efficiency and cost effectiveness,
strive to order all your stationery needs from
the same place and, ideally, at the same time.
INVITATIONS
The centerpiece of your wedding stationery,
the invitation reflects the tone of your wedding,
whether black tie or beach party. An invitation
can have several pieces: the outer envelope,
an unsealed inner envelope, the invitation,
a reception card (if the party is held at a
different venue than the ceremony), and a response
card with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Printed maps and information on hotels is often
also enclosed.
Traditional:These
are heavy stock, 100-percent cotton or linen
paper in white or ecru, engraved with black
or charcoal ink, and with a square of tissue
to protect the type.
Twist:Couples
are steering away from the standard invitation
and using papers in unusual sizes and colors,
with exotic textures (perhaps relating to the
color scheme of the wedding), and emblazoned
with motifs, graphics, monograms, and family
crests. Waste-conscious brides with less formal
invites often forgo the unsealed inner envelope
(originally used to protect the invitation from
the elements when mail was hand-delivered and
often arrived in shoddy shape).
Order:Three
to four months before the wedding date. The
sooner you order them, the more time you'll
have to proof them, make any changes, and address
the outer envelopes (a calligrapher, for example,
requires up to two weeks to address 100 invitations).
Send:Six
weeks before the date is the most common; eight
weeks is ideal (10 weeks for guests coming from
abroad).
Knot Note:The
"reply by" date for the response cards
should be two to three weeks before the wedding.
WEDDING PROGRAMS
Not only can they provide useful information,
they also make charming mementos. Programs are
often in the form of a small booklet and include
information about the ceremony, such as the
date, the names of the bridal party (and perhaps
their relationships to the bride or groom),
the order of events, and the titles of readings
and songs. Couples may also choose the program
to honor deceased loved ones, to thank important
people, and/or to explain unfamiliar rites of
the ceremony.
Traditional:The
front cover of the booklet bears the couple's
names or joint initials. The pages are bound,
usually by the stationer, with a satin ribbon.
Twist:
A less expensive option is a single piece of
heavy-stock paper with a vellum overlay, tied
together, by you and your bridesmaids, with
a ribbon reflecting your color scheme. Some
couples are including their favorite poetry
or the story of how they met or got engaged.
Other couples are crafting creative programs,
such as ones shaped as fans (especially popular
for beach or summer weddings).
Order:If
the programs will be formal and multipaged,
it's best to order them with your invitations.
Otherwise, order four to six weeks before the
wedding date.
MENU CARDS
These cards are becoming more popular and thankfully
so. No one likes to sit down to a meal when
they have no idea what is about to be served.
Traditional:Often
designed as a single card in a heavy cotton
stock in a rectangular shape and containing
the elements of the meal, including different
wines or other beverage options.
Twist:This is a great place to list why you've
chosen a particular dish if it has cultural
or personal significance. Drink cards (listing
the five martinis available to guests, for instance)
are cards that stand at the bar.
Order:At
least six weeks before the wedding day.
PLACE CARDS
Place cards inform guests which chair to sit
in. (Escort cards direct people to their tables.)
Traditional:Small,
tented cards that are printed with each guest's
name and placed at the top of every setting.
Twist:You
can choose to use any kind of prop you like
to tell guests where to sit: small stones with
hand-painted names, the tag of each favor, even
a die-cut flower to enhance your wedding aesthetic.
Order:With
your invitations (or buy them about four weeks
before the wedding day).
Knot Note:Instead
of writing each guest's table assignment on
the escort card itself, slip the card into a
small envelope that's tagged with a table number.
This way, you can easily swap guests' table
assignments up until the last second.
THANK-YOU CARDS
These handwritten notes -- from both of you
-- should thank guests for their gifts and/or
presence at your wedding.
Traditional:Cards
that say "thank you" or have your
new married monogram and new address stenciled
into them.
Twist:Our
favorite idea is a picture card or postcard
with your wedding photo (or a photo of all the
guests at the ceremony) on the front.
Order:With your invitations.
Send:No
later than one month after your honeymoon for
gifts received the day of your wedding. You
should ideally send thank-you notes out immediately
for any gifts received before the wedding day.
