The holiday is season is right around the corner. Soon enough, the freshly baked scent of gingerbread and other holiday scents will be warmly filling your home as you listen to your favorite carols. As you prepare for the most wonderful time of the year, now’s the time to order your 2013 holiday cards that are sure to bring joy your loved ones hearts.
thank you cards
Five Tips for Writing the Perfect Thank You
Wedding Day Stationery 101
You finally selected and committed to your wedding invitations, and while you can certainly cross this task off your wedding to-do list, you’re not out of the clear just yet! Although you ordered the most important piece of paperie, there’s additional stationery products you need to purchase for your wedding day. Not sure what additional paper items you might need? Here’s the 411 on what wedding day stationery you should keep on your radar. Talk to your invitation designer about creating a wedding day suite to ensure all of your wedding day stationery essentials coordinates with your theme, color scheme, and of course wedding invitations.
Ceremony Programs provide usefully information that your guests will appreciate. Most often programs are made in a booklet form, however, couple’s have been showing a creative side by requesting fans. (etc.) Be sure to include information pertaining to the wedding ceremony such as the names of those in the bridal party, order of events, and titles of the readings. Some couple’s also like to include a note of appreciation for family and friends being a part of their lives.
Escort Cards direct guests to the table at which they will be seated at during the reception.
Reception tables are appropriately marked by Table Numbers or Table Cards. You can mark your tables with numbers, phrases, locations that may have special meaning, or songs. This can be an ice breaker for guests who may not know others at the table.
Menu Cards inform guests what they will be eating during the reception, including the choices for the main entree.
Thank your guests for being a part of your special day and incorporate custom Favor Tags onto your wedding favors. You can include any saying like “Love is Sweet” or the couple’s names and wedding date.
Don’t forget to thank your guests for not only their generous gifts but for being a part of your special day with custom Thank You Cards.
Whether you’re hosting a black tie affair or a relaxed soiree, your stationery is an important part of your event. Wedding day stationery that’s consistent will tie your event together and leave a lasting impression on your guests.
(all photos by Anna Hurt Photography)
Timing is everything when it comes to sending out your wedding invites
There is no question about it…planning a wedding is a very exciting, but stressful experience. With so many different things to do – from finding the perfect location for the nuptials to purchasing your beautiful dress, and everything in between – wedding planning can often drive one a little crazy.
As a custom wedding invitation and wedding day stationery designer, I often get asked about the proper time line to send out wedding stationery. While everyone is a little different and some things will depend on how much time is allotted for planning…let’s take a look at a typical timeline to help you with your wedding planning process.
Save-the-Date: When to send
A save-the-date card is a great way to start the wedding process. These cards ask your friends and family members to reserve the day for your upcoming wedding. Generally speaking, I advise brides to send these reminders approximately 8-12 months prior to the wedding day. However, do keep in mind that if you are planning your wedding during peak times (such as summer, holidays, or valentine’s day) more notice may be needed. It will also depend on how large your wedding will be and if you have friends and family members who have to travel a great distance to attend your wedding.
Save-the-dates should be sent to all people who you wish to attend your wedding. It is also a good idea to include hotel accommodations information with your save-the-date for “destination” weddings, or weddings during “peak” times in your specific venue location (i.e. the Jersey Shore, during the summer) – this will allow your guests to book their rooms way in advance, and not lose out on the special rates offered, as well as the “preferred” hotels.
Custom save-the-dates take up to 4-6 weeks to create from scratch, so be sure to time your order accordingly. Click here to see some of our previous creations for save-the-dates.
The Official Wedding Invitation
I always advise brides to send wedding invitations 2 months (8 weeks) prior to the date of the wedding. You do not want to send them to early as people may forget about it and you also do not want to send them to late as people already may have prior engagements. Two months prior is a perfect time to send them out, giving your guests plenty of time to respond – especially if you’ve already sent out save-the-dates.
By adding the special and elegant touch of having custom wedding invitations designed, you will be setting the style and tone of your wedding. Give your guests a sneak peek as well as get them excited to attend your special day.
Custom invitations can take up to 6-8 weeks to create from scratch, so again…plan accordingly. Click here to see some of our previous creations for wedding invitations.
Thank you Cards
Don’t forget to include your thank you card as part of your wedding day stationery. Most timelines will say to send out thank you cards one month after your wedding; however, being in the wedding industry – I know that is almost unreasonable! Figure you will be on your honeymoon 1-2 weeks after the wedding…and if you want to include a wedding photo in the thank you, those are certainly not ready in one month! I think a more feasible timeline is anywhere from 2-4 months after the wedding. Sending a beautiful custom thank you card, with a handwritten note will surely make your guests feel special!
Hopefully this timeline helps alleviate some of the wedding planning stress. After all, timely planning will help ensure that your wedding day is everything you dreamed about.