wedding stationery (2023)

FAQs

Does wedding stationery have to match? ›

Matching stationery pieces are instantly recognizable. Guests will admire your attention to detail from the ceremony to the reception to the thank you cards. You can score better deals ordering all of your stationery at once.

I regret to tell you that I won't be able to attend due to another commitment, but please accept my warmest congratulations." "Regrettably I won't be able to attend the wedding due to some conflicting commitments." “Thank you so much for the invitation, I really appreciate it and it means a great deal.”

But, wedding stationery isn't limited to just paper. As we mentioned, it's anything that's printed. So, that includes items like welcome signs, escort card displays, table numbers, dinner menus, ceremony programs and more! Let's explore the items you might want to have on hand for each aspect of your wedding.

Wedding stationery is a product (absolutely!), but the design component is a service. And, that service, that expertise, involves time. Time must be compensated. Whenever you contact a professional, part of their requirement to work with them is you must remit the cost of the actual goods.

Traditionally, the bride's name comes first without her surname, followed the groom's full name. However, if there are two brides or two grooms you will need to decide whose name should be first. Perhaps alphabetical order will work for you?

A wedding invitation is not a referendum on the marriage. The only thing it requires you to say honestly is whether you plan to attend. There is no excuse for ignoring it or replying rudely.

Whatever the reason, it's how you handle your RSVP status that counts. Regardless of how close you are to the couple, no-showing is NEVER appropriate. Brides and grooms pay per head at their wedding, so you ghosting them would cost a couple hundred bucks or more.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your special day but regrettably, I won't be able to make it. Unfortunately, we can't make it on this date. Wishing you both the best, we're sure it will be wonderful! I'm so sad I can't attend your wedding, but I will most definitely be there in spirit.

Mentioning a dress code ensures your event stays as formal or as casual as you want, and it's helpful for guests to know exactly what is expected of them for attire.

Is it normal to question your wedding dress? ›

Let's face it, getting married is a life event so choosing the perfect wedding gown can bring unwanted pressure and that pressure can easily carry over from “Will I find the right one?” to “Did I find the right one?” If this is you, don't panic, it's normal!

Dresses and Suits

The bride and groom are responsible for paying for what they will wear on the wedding day. Oftentimes the bride's mom will help pay for her dress and accessories. The groom should handle any costs associated with their suit.

The average engagement is 12-18 months long and about 20% of all weddings are called off after engagements. There could be several reasons for calling off your wedding such as: Uncertainty about a relationship. Pressured to get married.

Unbreakable Rule #1: RSVP Promptly

If you're one of the chosen few to be invited, make sure you respond promptly. Many wedding invitations will include a deadline to reply. Prompt RSVPs are important because wedding venues and vendors require a firm headcount ahead of time.

The most expensive wedding costs in 2022 were a venue, engagement ring and live band. If you're planning a wedding, your budget will likely differ from the average depending on how many people will be invited, where you'll have your wedding, which vendors you choose and other factors.

Typically, the most expensive aspects of a wedding are the ceremony and reception venue. This depends on whether the venue comes with food and servers or not, and of course, the location of the venues. Many brides will pay tens of thousands of dollars for the venues.

Traditionally, parents pay for children's weddings. Although the bride's side will cater for most expenses, this is not mandatory. Again, there's no set age at which parents should stop paying for their children's weddings.

According to the WeddingWire Newlywed Report, parents pay for 52% of wedding expenses, while the couple pays for 47% (the remaining 1% is paid for by other loved ones)—so parents are still paying for a majority of the wedding, though couples are chipping in fairly significantly.

Do bride and groom parents sit together at reception? ›

Where should parents and grandparents of the bride and groom sit? Depending on the size and shape of tables you have, it's common to have a family table where the bride and groom's parents and grandparents sit together. Or, each set of parents can host their own table and be seated with close family and friends.

On average, between 15 and 20 percent of guests will RSVP "no" to a wedding.

There's no magical formula to determine exactly how many invitees will RSVP "no" (trust us, if we could predict the future for you, we would), but it's safe to plan for roughly 15 percent of people to decline the invitation (and more like 20–30 percent for a destination wedding).

It is inconsiderate, but unfortunately common, for guests to fail to RSVP. Anyone who receives an invitation has an important obligation to reply as soon as possible. And yet so many don't.

"Couples should be prepared to pay for last-minute cancellations as venues and caterers normally ask for a final guest count at least a week in advance." Anticipate around 4-5 guests having to cancel last-minute.

“A general overall percentage between 75-85 percent of wedding guests usually attend.” The breakdown: 85 percent of local guests, 55 percent of out-of-town guests, and 35 percent of destination wedding guests will show up, Buckley said.

On average, 60% of invited guests will show up at your event. And here's the best case scenario: If you invite your closest friends and family only, you can expect about 75% to show up. It's painful to think about, but true nonetheless.

"Unfortunately our venue has really limited capacity so we've had to really scale back our guest list." "We're so sorry but we just don't have the space in our venue to accommodate plus ones/children etc." "The venue we fell in love with has a max capacity of [NUMBER], so we're really limited on who we can invite."

Please forgive me for missing your special day and accept all my love and congratulations. I've eagerly planned for this special day but fate has thrown a spanner in the works. I regret to inform you I won't be able to attend but send you both my love and best wishes. Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives!

Is it OK to tell people what color to wear at a wedding? ›

Yes, you can definitely ask your wedding guests to wear a certain color! This is a great way to help tie your wedding together and create a cohesive look. Plus, it can be really fun for your guests to get to dress up in their best duds!

Ensure that you let guests know you don't want them taking photos ahead of time by including a brief note with your invitations, something along the lines of: “It is our sincerest wish that photos not be taken during our wedding ceremony. We truly appreciate guests adhering to this request.”

If You're Having Doubts

If you genuinely feel unsatisfied, book a follow-up appointment to try on your dress again. We recommend going alone too so your decision-making isn't clouded by another person's opinion, and you'll be able to have an honest discussion with your bridal consultant.

Tradition says

The tradition of grooms not seeing brides in their wedding dresses started because of arranged marriages. The parents of the bride were afraid that if the groom saw her before the wedding, he would break the arrangement.

The moment that brides-to-be find the right wedding gown, they may feel overly excited, extremely emotional, or a mix of both. The perfect dress will most likely bring you to tears—in the best way. You should feel a rush of excitement, and you may even feel like you're glowing. It's okay to get emotional.

Typically, the maid of honor pays for smaller-ticket items, like a bachelorette sash or tiara, decorations, and swag for the other party guests. If you, as the bride, don't want to pay for these smaller items, our advice is to give your friends space to take the reins.

As a guide, here's a list of the expenses traditionally covered by the parents of the groom: the wedding rings, officiant's fee, marriage license, the bride's bouquet, boutonnieres and corsages for the immediate family, music (band/DJ), liquor at the reception and the honeymoon.

Generally, the average cost of a wedding gown is typically between $1,800 to $2,500. Off-the-rack gowns may be priced lower than $1,800, while more luxurious gowns can sometimes fall in the $3,000 to $8,000 range. Customized dresses can even cost up to $10,000.

Calendars – the most important stationery item on everyone's list is a calendar. …

Ans: The most commonly used stationery items are pencils, markers, papers, printers, files, and a whiteboard.

How to budget for stationery? ›

When Is Wedding Off-Season? In contrast, winter is considered the off-season for weddings. Only 11% of weddings took place between December and February last year, making it the least popular season to get married. February is the least popular month for weddings, accounting for just 3% of them in 2022.

Typically, a guestlist of 75 to 150 people is considered an "average" wedding size. However, average guest counts fluctuate too. Did you know that about ten more guests are invited to weddings this year than last year? That brings the national average to just over 100 wedding guests.

According to a study by theknot.com, 43% of 2022 weddings took place between September and November. October was the most popular month to get married in 2022, accounting for 20% of all weddings. Fall weddings have become even more popular over the last few years—a trend that will likely continue.

So what is the 30/5 rule? It's the rule that accounts for things that typically take 5 minutes in real life that will take 30 minutes on a wedding day. It also means that 30 minutes on a wedding day will feel like 5 minutes. You may have heard people say over and over that your wedding day will fly by.

Choosing not to invite any long-term partners can be seen as an etiquette faux pas, so keep this in mind as you begin creating your wedding guest list. It's also considered common courtesy to extend a plus-one to any members of your wedding party.

How many guests are typically invited to each size wedding? These numbers may vary a little depending on who you're speaking with, but a small wedding typically includes 50 people or under, a medium wedding has a guest list of anywhere from 50-150 guests, and a large wedding has over 150 attendees.

What you write on your wedding place cards is entirely up to you. You definitely need to include the guests' names, but other than that, there are no set rules. If you want to add more information, you can always include the guests' assigned table numbers as well.

Myth 1: The Invitation must match your wedding theme.

If you have a wedding theme or decided colour palette, then yes, you can incorporate this into your wedding invitations. However, if you don't have a theme or colour palette confirmed at the time you create your invitations, this is fine and quite normal.

So, when is the best time to order wedding invitations? The Answer: Around 6-9 months ahead of your wedding date.

Are save the dates and invitations supposed to match? ›

While it's certainly okay for these two types of wedding stationery to match, it's not required by etiquette experts — nor will guests be surprised if your save the dates and invitations look totally different.

They suggest the following breakdown: coworkers or distant relatives should spend 50 to 75 dollars. Friends or relatives, 75 to 100 dollars. For close friends, family, or if you are in the wedding party, you should spend 100 to 150 dollars—or more.

Should place cards be individual or couple? Because the purpose of the place cards is to show guests to their exact seats, you'll need one for every guest, even for children and plus-ones.

I usually advise putting full names (first and surnames) on the table plan if you can. It will help your guests find their names quickly and will alleviate any confusion with duplicate names. If you want to keep it really informal and just want to go with first names that's fine too.

Phrases like "no children" or "adults only" should not be included on the invitation card; who is invited will be implied by the names on the envelope. You should also leave off registry information—family and members of the wedding party can spread the word when asked about it, or you can provide it on your website.

Naturally, the size of your wedding and budget will determine who will be included in your wedding guest list but the general rule of thumb for a wedding guest list is immediate family members (parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunties and cousins), close friends and partners of these guests.

Wedding dresses take on average six to eight months to order, depending on the designer and manufacturer. In a perfect world, you should begin your wedding dress shopping experience one year before your wedding date. Your wedding dress order may come in early, or it may arrive late.

It's best to send your wedding invitations 4 to 5 months before your big day. This ample amount of notice provides out of town guests enough time to plan their trips, whilst allowing for some late RSVPs.

Don't send out invitations too early

While it is important to order your invitations in advance, you should avoid sending them out too early. The recommended timeline to mail your invitations 8-12 weeks before your wedding.

Sending a Save the Date Card but not an Invitation

You can't send a save a date to someone who you might only invite to the wedding ceremony at a later date. Once your Save the Dates are in the mail, there's no second guessing. So only send them to those guests you definitely want to be with you on your wedding day.

Do people RSVP with a save-the-date? ›

Unlike invitations, there's no need to include RSVP cards with your Save the Dates. Guests aren't expected to respond until they receive the invitation, although some may.

When do we send them? As a general rule of thumb, Swann recommends that couples mail their save-the-dates four to six months before the wedding—or even earlier if you're planning a destination wedding that may require more extensive travel arrangements.