7 Common Wedding Stationery Mistakes

This month I thought readers might appreciate hearing some of the common mistakes that brides and grooms make when ordering their wedding stationery and what you can do to avoid them. So here they are:

1. 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 them and post them. 6-8 weeks is ideal and on average they should be posted out 6-12 weeks before your wedding. Be sure to start the ball rolling on your invitations up 15-20 weeks before your wedding day.
2. Not proof reading 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. Be warned, as this can be frustrating for both you and your printer and will cost you money. Reading your invites out loud is a good way to spot any errors.
3. Getting quantities wrong. Generally speaking you don’t need an invite for every single guest as many will be couples and families who can share an invite. Having said that, be sure to 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.
4. 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. Do 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.
5. Poor handwriting. You may need to handwrite your invitation envelopes and items like place cards, so if you don’t have nice handwriting, or know of anyone who can help, it is worth considering a calligrapher or asking your stationer if they can do this for you.
6. Copying designs. It is best not to ask a designer to copy another company’s work.  It demeans their design ability and brings bad karma to your wedding because it is essentially theft. Avoid doing this.
7. 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.

The number one tip here has to be that you should always try and allow enough time when planning your wedding stationery. Good luck and if you ever need any advice check out the other posts I have written on wedding stationery here at The Wedding Community.

Article by Wedding Stationery Specialist Jeremy Corner

Image Courtesy of Ivy Ellen

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