Congratulations on your engagement! He asked, and you said “yes!” It will forever be remembered as one of the best days of your life. Now that you are a fiancée and no longer just a girlfriend, you have a lot of planning to do! From flowers and food to dresses and décor, you may be feeling overwhelmed already. Don’t worry; your maid of honor can help, along with other important people in your life. The helpful site Bridal Guide can show you how to divvy up responsibilities.
After you determine the date of your wedding and the ceremony and reception venues, you can start communicating with your guests (given you have a guest list planned, too). The only traditional form of communication you will have with your friends and family, other than word of mouth and social media, is your wedding stationery. Oh yes, it is more than just paper! There are numerous essentials you will need to mail out at specific times throughout your planning process. For a detailed checklist of a 12-month timeline, you can refer to our wedding guide.
Using your theme or wedding colors, your initial stationery needs include the save the dates. These are announcements to your guests that a marriage is in the future, even if it means a year from now. It is important to give your guests a heads up, especially if you are planning a destination wedding. This gives your guests a chance to start saving and asking for time off work so they can celebrate with you on your big day.
It is crucial to already have a wedding theme in mind when selecting the save the dates because all of your stationery can reflect the same style and colors. If you need help determining a theme that is authentic to your personality, The Knot features a plethora of ideas. It has inspirations and ideas for beach, rustic, vintage weddings, and more!
The save the dates will include the name of the bride and groom, date of the wedding, location, and the message “invitation to follow.” These should be ordered about eight months before the wedding and mailed out no later than six months prior to the big day.
The invitations are the next stationery essential. They feature the ceremony information with the bride and groom’s names, along with their parents’ names, the date, time, and location. A reservation card, direction card, and accommodation card are all important pieces within the invitation. The reservation, or RSVP, will be mailed back to you detailing who is coming. This is crucial for your food and drink headcount. The direction and accommodation cards are necessary for out of town guests. The invitations need to be ordered about five months before the big day and mailed out no later than two months prior to the wedding date.
Depending on the venue and theme of the wedding, proper wording etiquette should be followed. The wording depends on who is hosting or paying for the wedding, which may be the bride’s parents, the groom’s parents, or the simply bride and groom. The ceremony may be religious, secular, or casual. This will all affect the wording. Although you may assume a church wedding is hosted on behalf of the bride’s parents, times have changed. You need to let your guests know what to expect. Take a moment to read what Good Housekeeping has to say about the new rules of weddings.
Other necessary stationery that will be needed the day of the wedding is programs. These list your bridal party, the order of events, and any other fun facts you want to include. Shop Girl Daily has a number of unique program ideas!
A menu card will list what is for dinner; these are generally used if you are having a plated meal. Finally, you may want table numbers and seating cards. Once again, these are essential for a plated meal but not required for a buffet dinner. The site Brides gives an excellent list of the pros and cons of buffets versus plated meals.
The last form of stationery that will be mailed off is the thank you cards. They need to be ordered about four months before the wedding and sent out a few weeks after the big celebration. Your guests will appreciate the fact you enjoyed their company and their gifts!
Since 1919, our reliable team at The American Wedding has perfected stationery. With hundreds of styles, colors, and themes, you are sure to find the ideal invitations for your big day. As a USA-based company with nearly 100 years of experience, you will have peace of mind working with us. We guarantee quality merchandise at an affordable price.
