In this post I thought I’d look at some of the common mistakes brides and grooms make when ordering their wedding stationery, and what you can do to avoid them. So, here they are…
Not Allowing Enough Time
Typically a wedding stationer will need three weeks to produce your invitations. You will also need up to a week to proof them and a week to write and post them. Six to eight weeks weeks is ideal, and on average you should post them six to 12 weeks before your wedding. Make sure you start the ball rolling with your invitations 15 to 20 weeks before your wedding day.
Not Proofreading Properly
Most good wedding stationers will keep an eye out for obvious typos, but it is your responsibility to check spellings of your venue, guests’ names, etc. Once you have checked and signed off you will have to pay for mistakes you may have missed in the text. This is frustrating for both you and your printer, so reading your invites out loud is a good way to spot any errors.
Getting Quantities Wrong
Generally speaking you don’t need an invite for every single guest as couples and families can share an invite. Having said that, make sure you have enough spare in case you are planning to send a second wave to fill in gaps left by people not attending. You also need to allow extras for mistakes when writing them.
Draft a copy of your guest list by couples/families to work out the quantities you will need.
Not Budgeting Enough
The biggest costs for printers are design and set up time, which is why invitations sometimes appear expensive in relation to their material costs of paper and ink. Allow 2-4% of your wedding budget to cover the true costs of your wedding stationery, and be aware that the more luxurious your invites, the more they will cost.
Many companies offer DIY options for handmade invitations which can help you to stay on budget, and you can find tips on budget wedding stationery here.
Poor Handwriting
You may need to handwrite your invitation envelopes and items like place cards, so if you don’t have nice handwriting and don’t know of anyone who can help, it is worth considering a calligrapher or asking your stationer if they can do this for you. Or, you could try to learn hand lettering with this tutorial.
Copying Designs
Do not ask a wedding stationery designer to copy another company’s work. It demeans their design ability and brings bad karma to your wedding because it is essentially theft.
Remembering to Thank Guests
Remember to order thank you cards in advance of your wedding so that you can show your appreciation for guests attending and for any wedding gifts you may have received.
Guest post by Jeremy Corner of Ivy Ellen
Image from Ivy Ellen
