If you are looking to get the most out of your wedding budget, here are 10 steps to help you get great wedding stationery without breaking the bank…
1. Set Your Budget
When you are working to a tight wedding budget it’s important to decide how much you want to spend on your stationery overall, but you must be realistic. Remember that stationery is one of those wedding items where the price will vary according to the number of guests you have, so if you are having a large wedding you will need more stationery and it will therefore cost more.
2. Work Out What You Need
Make a list of the stationery items you need. Remember that as well as invitations you may need save the date cards, rsvp cards, guest information cards, on the day stationery such as orders of service, menus, and place cards, thank you cards and more.
3. Get Your Numbers Right
Now work out how many of each stationery item you need. Remember that you only need one invitation per household, but you’ll need a place card for every guest. It’s acceptable to provide one order of service per couple, but if you are having a church ceremony and are printing the hymns then it’s best to provide one per person.
For some items it’s a good idea to order a couple extra just in case. Your guest list may change, and you’ll want to keep an invitation for yourself as a keepsake, of course. It’s usually easier and cheaper to add a few extra onto your original order than to order more later.
4. Decide What’s Really Important
As with any part of a wedding on a budget you are going to need to compromise somewhere, so think about what’s really important to you as a couple. If you want your reception tables to look fully coordinated then you’ll want a matching range of stationery items, but if you are going for a more informal look this may not matter to you.
5. To DIY or Not to DIY?
If there’s a big gap between your wants/needs and your budget then you may want to consider making some or all of your own stationery.
Do think carefully about the time involved in making your own, and whether you have the right craft skills. Some items will be fairly straightforward, such as printing an information sheet to go inside your invitations, but others will be more tricky and time consuming.
Also, don’t assume that DIY will always work out cheaper — make sure you add up the cost of all the elements you will need.
6. Personalised or Not?
One way to save money on your wedding stationery is to choose ready to write invitations rather than personalised printed items. Of course, these will take longer to write, and you’ll need to make sure your handwriting is clear and neat! Some couples compromise by choosing personalised for their main invitations and ready to write for the evening reception. Read this post for tips and examples of wedding invitation wording.
7. Check the Quality
Unfortunately lots of cheap wedding stationery looks just that, cheap, so always check the quality before you commit. Many stationers offer free wedding stationery samples so you can see what you’ll get before you order everything.
8. Start Early
If you start shopping for your wedding stationery well in advance you may well find some great deals and bargains. The peak period for wedding stationery tends to be from January to March, but stationers are often quieter in October through to December so you may well pick up a discount or early bird offer by buying early.
9. Shop Around
Take your time to find the right wedding stationer for you and your budget. There are lots of options and you are sure to find something that suits your style and budget.
10. Do Your Sums
Before you go ahead and order your stationery, make sure you have added up all the costs. Not just the cost of the items, but also any delivery charges (these can mount up if you order from more than one supplier) and the cost of posting invitations to your guests (be aware that invitations with bulky embellishments may cost more to post).
Stationery is a lovely, fun part of any wedding, and it doesn’t have to be expensive to look stunning.
Guest post by Lisa Forde of Dotty About Paper
Images from Dotty About Paper
