When to Order Your Wedding Stationery + What Details You Need
You can do a quick google search for when to order your wedding stationery (and send it out). And sure, in general those timelines are accurate. But there are so many different variables that can impact the date that you need to order your stationery and send it out, so we wanted to put that information all in one place for you! We will tell you when the best time to order is, what information you will need to do so, and how different processes and elements will effect all of your timelines.
Save the Dates
The first thing you want to do once you have set a date is send your Save the Date. This is a simple piece of stationery (or as extravagant as you’d like) that tells people 2 things; what date they need to mark on their calendars to celebrate with you and what city they will be doing so in. The location is particularly important if people are traveling and need to make additional plans.
When you want to book your Save the Date project: Generally, at least 6-8 weeks before you want to mail them out. We recommend getting in touch with your stationer a couple weeks before you’re ready to book so we can talk through your details, colors, print ideas, etc. before booking. They’ll also be able to advise if they can accommodate your need-by date. Once your order is booked your lead time for design + production begins so the more details we can iron out before booking, the better! (and the easier your life is)
When should you send your Save the Date’s out: if your wedding is more than 1 year away, between 9-12 mo. before
if your wedding is less than 1 year away, between 6-9 mo. before
if your wedding is less than 6 mo. away, as soon as you can!
If you have a lot of guests traveling to the wedding we recommend sending these out as soon as you have your date and venue booked, you’ll want to give them as much notice as is possible. 12 months prior is ideal to give your guests plenty of time to book travel.
Wedding Invitations
Once your Save the Date’s are sent, you can start working on your Wedding Suite!
There are SO many different components you can add to your suite in addition to the traditional invitation and RSVP. These all may add time to your timeline so always keep that in mind. If you’re going a bit more detailed, expect extra lead time.
What information do you need to book your Wedding Suite? Well… all of it. Sometimes your stationer will be flexible and start designing without exact information. Maybe you haven’t set the ceremony time or chosen hotels you are recommending for your destination wedding. If it’s easy enough, we can design first and pop that information in when you have it. But typically, you will need your names as you’d like them featured on your invitation (are you using first names only or first and middle/last?), your wedding date, location of the ceremony, time the ceremony will begin, the date you’d like people to rsvp by, where you’d like your rsvp’s to be sent, and any food choices you are offering (if any).
When it comes to timing for your invitations we like to work backwards, does your caterer or venue need a final headcount by a certain date? If so, that’s when you’ll need your RSVPs back by (buffer a couple days, it’s typical for a few guests to be late returning and you’ll need to chase their RSVPs down). If your caterer or venue doesn’t have a final count date you can select a date at least 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding date. Accurate RSVPs are so useful for things like seating charts and quantities for menus, escort cards, place cards, favors, etc.
Now that you’ve got your RSVP by date set we’ll want to send your invitations out 4-5 weeks before then so your guests have about a month to get their RSVPs back to you. This will be your need-by date so you have time to stamp, seal and send them out.
The rest of the timeline is subject to your preferred stationers lead time standards. When you inquire with your stationers you’ll reference your need-by date and plan accordingly. Most of our suites need between 6-10 weeks for Semi-Custom up to 12-14 weeks for Fully Custom Suites. If you’ve got big ideas for your wedding suite be sure to reach out to your stationer a few weeks (or months) early so they can advise on what’s available, in budget, and their recommendations for when to book!
Now, don’t panic if you’re planning your wedding on a tight timeline! These are all guidelines to keep your life easy if you have a longer engagement but they’re certainly not required. The best part about working with small stationers is that we’re built top-to-bottom to meet your needs so reach out to your favorite stationer and see what kind of magic they can do for you!
When you should start exploring invitation ideas and options: 2 months before you plan to book
When you want to book your entire Wedding Suite: 8-10 weeks before you want to mail them out (your need-by date)
When should you send your wedding invitations: At the very latest, 2 mo. before your wedding date.
Day-of Stationery
Now that everyone is invited, it’s time to start planning your stationery needs for your reception.
Reception, or “day of”, stationery can include any of the following: escort cards or seating chart, place cards, ceremony signage (for ex. if you’d like a phone free ceremony), ceremony programs, menus, directional signage (if you have different spaces for different events over the course of the day/night), welcome signs, favors and favor area signage, cocktail menus, reserved signs, table numbers, and social media signs (for people to use a hashtag or tag an account).
What information do you need?
Counts:
guest counts
table count
no. of bar menus
Stationery & Signage:
specialty cocktails details
menu details
welcome sign details
program details
pretty much details for any additional signage you’d like to include (specifically what you’d like these signs to say)
Design:
specific materials you want to use (or avoid) - acrylic, wood, etc.
colors you want to use - was there a color from your wedding suite you want to pull into the day-of design too?
theme of your wedding - do you want to keep it modern & minimalist or include illustrations from your wedding suite?
When you should start exploring day of stationery options: Right after you send your invitations is a great time to start exploring ideas for your day of pieces. Your wedding invitation design will be fresh in your head and you can work with your stationer to come up with some unique ideas that work well for your wedding! Talk about these design ideas makes it so much easier to plan accordingly for production when your counts & details are ready to go. Towards the end of your planning period you’ll already be making so many decisions (cakes, wines, menus, etc.) that having this part checked off will be such a relief!
When you want to book your entire day off suite: Our day-of suites usually require at least 4 weeks for design, print and assembly!
How early should you plan to receive your finished pieces: If you’re traveling to your wedding (even a few cities over) you’ll probably want to receive everything 1-2 weeks before you plan to leave to eliminate any shipping stresses! If your wedding is just around the corner from your house, a week before your wedding will work - but you know yourself best! If you need to get things in early to relax, then ask your stationer to accommodate that! They’ll probably just need to you move up your start date.
There are thousands of moving parts and dates to organize when it comes to planning a wedding. If you don't have a planner, take it one step at a time and work through each big piece of your wedding day with a notebook and a calendar. Once you have your date set, all it takes is a shared google cal with your partner and some time to work backwards estimating the time you need to work with each of your vendors. We hope this gives you a good outline for preparing to design your stationery. Reach out with any questions you have on this, or any of our favorite semi-custom suites!