If you are creative, making your own wedding stationery is a great way to stamp your personality on your wedding day, and it can be fun and cost effective too.  Your wedding invitations are the first glimpse your friends and family will receive of your wedding day so its important to set the tone and style of things to come!

There are many different wedding stationery items to consider, from save-the-date cards to favour boxes and thank you cards.  Not all wedding stationery items are essential and there often are alternatives – for example you may prefer to ask your guests to respond by email rather than using a traditional reply card.

Before you embark on making your stationery, you should decide which stationery items you will require.  Be sure to start planning well in advance and enlist the support of your friends and family if possible.  Making all your stationery from scratch can be very time consuming, especially for large wedding parties. The aim is to have fun being creative and there is nothing like the stress of a deadline looming to stifle your creativity.

Here are some tips to help you along the way:

• Before you begin, create a mood board or scrap book using swatches of ribbon and card, cuttings from magazines of images that inspire you and fonts and text that you may wish to use. This is a great starting point to help you develop your design concept.
• Envelopes come in standard sizes so you should start by choosing your envelopes and use these to guide you on the size of your invitations/reply cards/save-the-date cards etc.
• Remember that a simple design can be very stylish, not to mention much easier to recreate over and over again.
• Once you have decided on your design, make a prototype – this will help you estimate how long it will take you to make each item and will enable you to work out and record the quantities of the materials you will need to buy.
• Little details like using coloured envelopes can really set off your design – but remember if you opt for a dark coloured envelope you may need to print or write your guests addresses on labels so they are visible.
• Choose your card carefully – I would recommend that you purchase pre-creased card, which is widely available rather than creasing your own as it can be difficult to achieve a professional finish and will add to your workload.
• Check your printer will print on your chosen card or paper.  Many home inkjet printers are not designed to print on heavy card stock and the ink can bleed when printing on to pearlescent cards.  If this is a problem, you could consider buying stickers or stamps to add text to the front of your invitation.
• Invest or borrow the correct tools – if you are cutting card you will certainly need a paper trimmer for a professional finish.  You can pick these up pretty cheap at your local stationery store or online.

  

• Think about your adhesive.  Some glue can be messy, not hold well or cause your paper or card to wrinkle.  Double-sided tape and glue dots are great to work with and glue guns are perfect for sticking heavier embellishments.
• Quality not quantity is my motto – personally I always opt for a few real Swarovski crystals as opposed to an abundance of standard diamontes which don’t have the same sparkle.  Likewise choose good quality ribbon and card which will be easier to work with a give a great overall finish.
• Find a good workspace where you can lay out your materials and keep it clean and tidy.  There is nothing more stressful than wasting time hunting for your scissors under piles of scrap paper.
• Set up a production line – if you have the help of your friends or family assign each helper a task.  If you are working alone, set up your own production line – for example, work out how much ribbon you need for each invitation and snip away – once you have all your materials prepared assembling your stationery will be a doddle.

  

• Remember there is always the option of hiring a professional stationer to make some of your stationery items. Often the table plan can’t be finalised until you have received all your replies. You may not want to take on the stress of this in the weeks leading up to your wedding day when you have so many other appointments and details to attend to. Many stationers do get booked up months ahead so it is advisable to think about this in advance.
• Take pride in your work and add a stamp or label to each piece to let your guests know it is handmade with love by you!

Handmade wedding favour box

Traditionally the bride and groom would give their guests a wedding favour (known as a bonbonniere) during the wedding reception as a token of their appreciation. The wedding favour would consist of a tiny trinket box filled with sugar cubes. Later sugared almonds became the gift of choice and 5 Jordon almonds were given to guests in an ornate box representing longevity, wealth, health, fertility and happiness.

Ensuring your wedding invitations and other stationery items are correct is really essential.  Incorrect details of dates, post codes and phone numbers can cause confusion for your guests and misspelt names can be embarrassing and upsetting after all the time and money you have invested in your wedding stationery. Here are our top tips to help you successfully proof read your wedding invitations and stationery:

1. If possible, print off your wording proofs and read them in hard copy.  Mistakes always seem harder to spot on screen.
2. Break your proof reading into tasks and focus on finding different types of errors separately e.g. first check it reads smoothly and correctly, then for spelling mistakes, next check for formatting errors such as extra spaces and different font sizes, finally check for grammar.
3. Read it aloud.
4. Read it slowly and silently to yourself.
5. Use your finger to follow the words and use a ruler to underline each sentence.
6. When proof reading for spelling errors, read each word backwards – apparently our brains can spot them easier this way.
7. Check that all your wedding details are correct e.g. double-check the time, date and venue address etc.
8. Ensure you have included all the necessary details e.g. have you included the date by which you require your reply cards to be returned? Have you asked your guests to advise you of any special dietary requirements?
9. Ask someone else to proof read it for you – an extra pair of eyes looking at it fresh is a great help.
10. When any corrections have been made proof read your final proof just as carefully.

 Having your guests names printed on your invitations is a great way to personlise your wedding invitations and saves you the task on writing the your guest names out yourself  avoiding the inevitable spelling mistakes and nasty smudges!

Rock handmade wedding invitation

Traditionally the bride’s parents would be responsible for hosting the wedding therefore they would be responsible for sending out a formally written invitation.  But in this day and age things just aren’t that simple… gone are the days when boy meets girl, they fall in love and get married in a local church followed a simple reception paid for by mum and dad and live happily ever after!

Nowadays there are many different ways to word your wedding invitations depending on who is hosting the wedding, your family situation, whether you are having a traditional church wedding or a more informal event.  You may choose to stick to a more formal tone if you are having a big white wedding or your could opt to include a poem or fun and playful wording if you feel this better reflects your personality.  But just remember, whatever your circumstances don’t stress!  Take a look through our wedding invitation wording tips and use them as guide to write your very own, personal, wedding invitation.

Who is Hosting the event?

If the bride’s parents are hosting the ceremony your first line would be their names, either their titles and surnames:

eg. Mrs. and Mr. Arthur Domakin

or their full names

eg. Jenny and Arthur Domakin

If both sets of parents are contributing to the event then you would use both their names, either their titles and surnames or their full names:

eg. Mrs. and Mr. Arthur Domakin

and

Mrs. and Mr. James Dooley

If you are hosting the wedding yourself your first line would be your own names:

e.g. Ms Clare Louise Domakin and Mr Liam Paul Prowse

Alternatively you can take a more informal approach and sign off your wedding invitation with your name names as you would a letter.

If you are hosting the wedding yourself but you wish to acknowledge your parents, or if you are all contributing to the wedding you may say:

Together with their parents / Together with their families

If the brides parents are divorced but hosting the wedding together you would write both your parents full names:

e.g. Mrs. Jane Domakin

and

Mr. Arthur Domakin

Or if the brides parents are divorced and hosting together with their new partners:

e.g. Mrs. and Mr. Kyle

and

Mrs. and Mr. Domakin

The Request

If your ceremony if being held in a place of worship then the correct wording is:

Request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter / At the marriage of their children / at their marriage

If you are having a civil ceremony rather than ‘honour of your presence’, you might use any of the following for the second line of your invitation:

Invite you to join them to celebrate the marriage of their daughter/ the marriage of their children / their marriage

Request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter/ the marriage of their children / their marriage

Invite you to celebrate the marriage of their daughter/ the marriage of their children / their marriage

Would love you to join them to celebrate the marriage of their daughter/ the marriage of their children / their marriage

A more informal invitation wording may take the form of:

Invite you to come laugh, dance drink and celebrate the wedding of our daughter/ our children / our wedding

or

This day I will marry my best friend,

the one I laugh with, live for, love

we wish for the presence of your friendship,

as we exchange our vows

Or if this is your second marriage the following wording may be quite nice to acknowledge the new start you are making together:

Invite you to share in their love and happiness, as they exchange their vows and begin their new life together

The Bride and Groom – how to write your names?

Traditionally the brides name is written first using her Christian and middle names then the grooms name using his title and surname:

e.g Clare Louise to Mr Liam Paul Prowse

Or more common nowadays you can opt to drop the titles/ surnames:

e.g. Clare Louise to Liam Paul Prowse

or

Clare and Paul

The Children

If you have children and wish to acknowledge them in your invitation here you could write:

Together with their daughter, Chloe

The Time and Date

On a traditional invitation the time and date would be written in full:

On Saturday, the twenty-seventh of July

Two thousand and ten

At twelve-thirty in the afternoon

It is acceptable to use numbers too nowadays:

On Saturday 27^th July 2010 at 12:30pm

The Place

It is always a good idea to write the location of your church as there may be a number of churches with similar names locally and it would be a disaster for your guests to show up at the wrong one.  If you have a separate directions card you could simply include the village or town of the venue and include the precise address on your directions insert:

St Mary’s Church, Knutsford

The Party

If your reception is immediately after the ceremony you could write:

A dinner reception will follow the ceremony

at the Deanwater Hotel, Woodford

or if the reception is not immediately after the ceremony you should include the time:

A dinner reception will take place at 6pm

at the Deanwater Hotel, Woodford

If you are not having a traditional sit down dinner you could inform your guests by writing something like:

And afterwards for drinks and dancing

at the Deanwater Hotel, Woodford

or

A champagne reception will follow the ceremony

at the Deanwater Hotel, Woodford

Extra Details

You could include extra information at this point especially if you are not having an extra insert card.  For example if your venue closes at midnight you can let you guests know by writing:

Carriages at 12 midnight

The reply

Always ask your guests to RSVP so you know how many to expect.  It is a good idea to include a date by which you would like your replies returned by so you can make your final arrangements and confirm your final numbers to your caterer, venue and stationer.

RSVP by 20^th June 2010

Remember to include an a name and address for the replies to be sent to (this would normally be the brides parents if they are hosting or the couple themselves if not) – you may include a self-addresses envelope with your reply card instead of printing the address on the invitation itself.

1. Places you’ve been on holiday together– St Ives, Venice, Paris etc.  A reminder of those special times together.
   

   Wedding Table Name - 'Wine and Champagne Theme'

2. Football players – why not let the groom have his way with this part of your big day? It’s the next best thing to getting married at Anfield!
3. Seasonal – if you’re getting married in December you could you could use a Christmas theme such as the seven dwarfs or the 12 days of Christmas carol.
4. Nature – name your tables after flowers, trees, rivers or animals.
5. Super heroes – a fun reminder of your childhood e.g. Batman, Superman, Wonder woman etc
6. Bands – your favorite bands can make great table names e.g. Oasis, Blur, The Libertines etc.
7. Songs – choose your favorite song titles, songs with love in the name, or songs from a certain era.
8. Disney characters or couples – name your tables after your favorite Disney characters e.g. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny or even cuter, name your tables after Disney couples e.g. Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Jasmine.
9. Famous people or couples – you could choose any category of famous people – film stars, pop stars, sports people or you could go for famous couples e.g. David and Victoria, Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas etc.
10. Movies – choose to movie theme e.g. classic flicks, James Bond films, Carry on films or just name your tables after your favorite movies.
11. Landmarks – within one city e.g. Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, or chose landmarks from around the world or cities you have visited e.g. the Statue of Liberty, Arc de Triomphe, La Sagrada de Familia etc.
12. Sweets or chocolate – you could choose traditional sweet names such as bon bons, lemon sherbets, humbugs etc. and give each table the relevant sweets in their favour boxes.
13. The word ‘love’ in different languages – how romantic, need I say more!
14. Drinks – name your tables after different types of whiskey, cocktails or wines e.g. Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Champagne etc.
15. Your hobbies or interests – if you are surfers you could name your tables after different beaches, for scientists the elements of the periodic table, for musicians different instruments, for hikers different peaks they have climbed etc.

There are no rules when it comes to table names, just have fun!  If you have any ideas for table name themes please add your comments below.

Visit our wedding table name and number gallery for gorgeous designs.

1. Invitations - Ensure your invitations are made using material from sustainable managed forests and your supplier is committed to recycling all waste responsibility.   Ask your guests to reply by email or telephone.
2. Dress – Why not opt for the age-old tradition of wearing your mum’s or gran’s wedding dress. Your local tailor will be able to make any alternations necessary to ensure it’s a perfect fit or customise it to your tastes.  If mum’s dress is a real frock-horror there are some truly gorgeous vintage wedding dresses available at a snip of the price of a brand new gown.  Check out Ebay or your local dress agencies and charity shops.
3. Transport – Forget wedding cars, what could be more romantic than arriving at Church in a horse drawn carriage?  Or hire a rickshaw for a memorable and completely green set of wheels.
4. Rings – you can purchase rings made from recycled gold and you should ask your jeweller the origin’s of your stone.  Preferably, you should look at purchasing a fair trade diamond and should avoid ‘blood diamonds’, whose proceeds are used to fund conflict.  Alternatively visit an antique jewellery shop for vintage treasures.
5. Decorations – A simple wedding table decorated with tea candles creates a soft and romantic ambience with minimal environmental impact. 
6. Flowers – grow your own flowers in your allotment or if gardening really isn’t your cup of tea, see if your green fingered friend/aunty/cousin would like to contribute.  Placed in simple jam jars around your venue this can create a lovely rustic and romantic feel.  Alternatively potted plants make lovely table decorations and can be given away to your guests at the end of the day.
7. Confetti – Organic, bio-degradable confetti such as leaves or rose petals is a responsible choice and can create a lovely rustic atmosphere.  Alternatively bird seed is becoming a more popular choice as our feathered friends are more than happy to clean it up after the ceremony.
8. Favours – Give your guests flower, tree or vegetable seeds to plant – when the green shoots begin to push through the ground they will be reminded of your special day.
9. Food  – ask your venue / caterer if they can provide a delicious seasonal feast with organic ingredients sourced from a local supplier.  For your wedding cake again why not call on the culinary expertise of your family and see if someone will whip you up a cake with local free-range eggs, organic flour, fair trade sugar and coca.
10. Honeymoon – book a romantic break in the UK or Europe and take a train to your destination.  What could be more relaxing than sitting back with a glass of champagne watching the beautiful British countryside roll by from the window?  It beats lengthily delays due to volcanic ash clouds and the stress of your airline going bankrupt any day!