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Planning
There are a wide range of wedding stationery suppliers on the market at any given time - some stay around for years whilst others seems to last a fleeting amount of time so be careful and stick with established companies with a proven track record. It pays to start planning your invitations early so you have plenty of time to collect together samples of your favourite designs. Even if you haven't finalised many of your arrangements including final numbers or the venue it is still worth shopping around. The drawback here is that some cards that you may find appealing may no longer be available should your wedding be two years from now.
When should I send my Wedding Invitations ?
A general guide and the advice you will hear from most wedding stationery suppliers is to send your wedding invitations 6 to 8 weeks before your wedding date.
Nothing is set in stone of course and if you are having a summer wedding or a wedding that falls on a bank holiday then you will want to consider sending your invitations perhaps 8 or 10 weeks in advance otherwise you may find some of your prospective guests have made other arrangements for their annual holiday and the dates clash..
Should I send Save the Date cards ?
These are a fairly new idea in the UK and imported from the USA where its been common practise for many years. Save the date cards are generally sent out up to a year in advance and as the name suggests their purpose is to make sure your guests have your planned wedding date in their diary to avoid such possibilities as holiday arrangements clashing. With such forward notice it will ensure when they receive their proper invitation they will be able to come.
These cards are not necessary if you event is fairly small scale with only close friends and family attending because these people will already know when your wedding day is approaching.
How do I choose a supplier ?
There are literally thousands of wedding stationery suppliers in the UK today. As you surf the net and read through the bridal magazines you will soon come to realise that it easy to classify suppliers into three main areas
1. Large Print Manufacturers and their agents
These suppliers are large manufacturing concerns that operate mainly by selling their stationery through local agents and high street retail shops such as Debenhams and WH Smith. Examples include CCA Wedding Stationery, Collisons Wedding Stationery and Cartalia Stationery. These suppliers can offer very competitive rates but it is worth shopping around. For example, you will find CCA wedding stationery albums in nearly every branch of Debenhams, John Lewis, WH Smith and in every High Street in the UK.
Generally the staff in these establishments will be helpful but almost invariable without any real background knowledge of the products and to an extent very impersonal.
For example in our High Street WH Smith there is a podium at the head of one aisle where brides to be are expected to stand among milling crowds and select their wedding stationery. Without assistance from any member of staff - until you go to the checkout!!
You can find the exact same stationery through online suppliers up to 15% or even 20% cheaper and with other special offers such as free Thank You Cards. See our supplier directory for some useful contacts.
A disadvantage with the large print manufacturers is that the items within each range can be limited and you may not be able to find a Table Plan, Guest Book, Favours or other items to match the wedding invitations you have chosen. In most cases the minimum range available would be Day, Evening, Thank You and Reply cards and Order of Service. It is also unlikely that you will be able to change aspects of a design such as a ribbon colour or even get to talk through your requirements at a personal level.
2. Design Led Suppliers
These suppliers have usually got a small collection of designs but what they do produce they do very well. They are design led with a high attention to detail and customisation. Examples include MaidenHeaven , Leonico Designs and The Medieval Scribe There is usually a larger choice of coordinating items within each range and you will often be able to talk through specific details and request customisations to the original design. The drawback with these companies can be the time it may take to produce so be aware that you may need to plan ahead if you would use their services for any complicated handmade product.
3. Work At Home Mums (WAHM's)
The growing number of DIY and Craft supply stores has seen a recent increase in the number of individuals trying to make handmade cards more of a business than a hobby. Unfortunately many of these businesses are here one minute and gone the next so be careful when parting with any money until you can be sure they can fulfill the order.
The designs are usually very simple and sometime even crude to say the least but if you are not inclined to be 'crafty' yourself but are really looking for something totally bespoke then this can be an option to explore.
Where can I find information on wedding stationery suppliers ?
Unlike most wedding services such as your cake supplier or car hire etc you can find a wedding stationery supplier in many nationwide outlets such as the Internet and Mail Order brochures. Many stationery suppliers offer a mail order service or have agents who can. The majority of large stockists and print manufacturers have seen the increasing value of having their own website to promote and offer direct sales and there will be few if any printers of any scale who do not have a web presence.
4. Wedding Exhibitions and Wedding Fairs
These are an excellent way to get a hands on feel of some of the wedding stationery available. Throughout the year in your local area the hotel venues will no doubt run at least one or two wedding fairs - around Feb/Mar and Sept/Oct as they hope to encourage you to book their facilities. Invariably they have a complement of local suppliers of all the products and services you may need to complete your wedding plans. Wedding fairs are a great place for ideas and to get close to suppliers you may not have come across with a product you find very appealing and innovative.
We also recommend visiting one of the National Wedding Exhibitions. There are several Wedding Show organisers but the leader in the field has to be the National Wedding Show company. They run annual events at London Olympia, London Earls Court and Birmingham NEC and they are very well organised and are well turned out by the leading wedding stationery companies. Visit their website at www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk
In Scotland the SECC in Glasgow hosts the Scottish Wedding Show run by Clarion Events. This is a major wedding exhibition with usually around three hundred exhibitors parading their products over two days. See the website at The Scottish Wedding Show
What questions should I ask a supplier?
Generally the venue you select for your event will have a shortlist of preferred suppliers they will recommend having dealt with the same people for many years. This in itself can be a recommendation of trust but it is still wise to check with the hotel on the track record of the suppliers they recommend - some may be fairly new even to the hotel. Remember hotels and the like are vying for your business and they will tend to gloss over certain inconsistencies. Similarly with wedding fairs at hotels and the like. The exhibitors are generally asked to pay a fee to the hotel for advertising etc and in effect the hotel is simply trying to put on a show at all costs even if it means filling a vacant slot with an unknown quantity.. There are a few points you should consider before you commit to an order or a hefty deposit with a stationery supplier or indeed any supplier of wedding products.
1. What delivery timescales do they offer ?
When working out the best time to send their invitations many brides fail to consider the delivery time from the supplier. Whilst the large printers may be able to print your stationery in 2 - 3 weeks some of the specialist suppliers require up to 10 weeks. It is always worth asking the delivery time for your particular requirements because delivery time can vary dependent on time of year.
2. Do they offer a free sample ?
Most suppliers will offer you the chance of requesting a sample. Many suppliers online are starting to charge for samples which we think has become a necessary part of the business. Unfortunately their are a lot of websites offering links to 'freebies' and the amount of wastage and time wasters that we encounter in supplying samples to people who have no real need for them has become astronomical. Most of the reputable suppliers will offer to refund you the cost of samples should you decide to place an order with them and some even throw in a bonus offer. The practise of charging is becoming more widespread and we can understand why from the suppliers point of view when we know there are people who are apparently lining their bedrooms with free offers of no real value to them. Perhaps its to reduce their heating bills - who knows..!
3. Are they able to customise a particular design?
This has usually been a resounding No in the case of the large print manufacturers up until fairly recently. Most of the larger print groups recognise the popularity of the handmade and DIY market and are beginning to offer products and designs with a much more flexible approach.
Cartalia are a case in point with a design portfolio of around a hundred and fifty cards with two new albums due out later in 2006. Along with laser cut personalisation of the cards (names or initials laser cut from the card) they offer multiple choice of card colour, ribbons and insert colour. CCA are also introducing a new approach and in 2005 tried a new album which was an abject failure due to the over complexity of the various designs. They learned a lesson and withdrew the album but they will be trying again in the near future. All of the manufacturers at some point have to listen to their customers desires or go out of business and now they are listening.
It doesn't hurt to ask if you wish to tie in, for example, a particular colour theme from your bridal dress. Many of the design led stationers will allow small customisations to their standard portfolio and will be only to pleased to talk through your requirements. Even the 'stock' cards available from the larger print groups will generally lend themselves to a little additional work by your own hand and adding a length of ribbon can transform a really 'nice' card into something that little bit special.
4. What are the hidden costs
Always look out for the hidden charges which can sometimes be a little misleading when calculating the total cost of your wedding stationery order.
Proofing Costs - Some companies are still charging to send you a proof layout of your stationery wording. CCA are free of charge for email proofs as are Cartalia and Fine Impressions whilst Bel Arto and Collisons still insist on charging (shame on you..!)
Raised or Coloured Inks - These are sometimes charged at extra cost for each item of stationery.
Raised ink uses a particular process called Thermography where a powdered resin is applied to still wet ink and then put through a rapid heat process where the resin actually boils and lifts the ink to a raised level. Its not extremely raised up but it is noticeable and can be felt when running your fingers over the text. In the main it works on some cards and not on others and similarly with some font styles and not with others. Take care when choosing this type of ink and this is when you really do need a sample to view first.
Delivery Cost - This is not always included in the cost and is often charged per order so can be quite costly if you need to order your stationery in stages. Its not possible in the main to order your invitations and Order of Service at the same time simply because you probably don't have all the details for the OOS available and you may find you will have separate delivery for the OOS at a later date.
Additional Embellishments - Some stationers will charge for adding an extra hand tied ribbon or other embellishment. If you are looking at an image on a website or in a mail order brochure then ensure what you see is what you get. No matter that you may feel it is a dumb question - if you are not sure about any aspect of what you are about to purchase then ask first.
Additional Order of Service sheets - If your order of service or Mass Ceremony wording extends beyond 4 printed sides many stationers will apply a surcharge and perhaps as much as 60 or 70% of the original cost. If you feel you really need to have five hymns and three readings and the OOS is going to run into a double insert then try condensing the text by simply putting references to the hymn numbers instead of the whole printed text of the hymn. Similarly with the readings - use the bible reference..
What stationery do I need?
No doubt you have already been looking at various websites and magazines and have become a bit bewildered by the range of items available and the choices in styles. There are many items available to take into considerations. For example :-
Invitations, reply cards, order of service sheets, orders of the day, menus, table plan, napkin holders, favour boxes, menus, thank you cards, guest book, photograph album, save the date cards, match books .... the list goes on.
A coordinated set of stationery can be a wonderful way of continuing a theme of your wedding but the most important thing is not to get carried away. Start with the essentials and base your choices around that. Don't start with the choice of colour your bridesmaid has chosen for her dress - she may well select something totally different closer to the event and meanwhile you have ordered a range of stationery that simply won't match..
For detailed information please visit our stationery pages
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