Budgeting your Stationery

Our Suggestions

Stationery Studio

Prior to making any decisions or purchases, your guest list should be meticulously finalized and your budget should be determined.

When you prioritize your wedding budget, plan to spend approximately 4% to 6% of your overall wedding budget on your stationery.  In addition to the cost of your stationery, you may choose to price out calligraphy.  You will also need to calculate postage for your invitations, response cards and thank you notes.

Essential wedding stationery items include: wedding invitations, response cards, and thank you notes.

However, your final tally of stationery items will ultimately depend on the activities you plan for your wedding day: if you are having a destination or out-of-town wedding, you will need map cards and helpful notes to communicate details to your traveling guests.  If you are having a seated dinner reception, you will need menus and escort cards to seat guests at their tables.  If you are having a detailed ceremony, you will need programs so that your guests may follow the service.

If you are having events surrounding the wedding day at which a guestÕs attendance is requested, such as a rehearsal dinner or tea, an invitation communicating the time and venue details should be mailed.

 

Guest List

Count the number of addresses to which invitations will be delivered in order to determine what quantities of stationery you will need.  Do not make the classic mistake of counting individuals.  Children over the age of 18 should receive their own invitations.  Your bridal party and your officiant should be included in your count.

 

Define your style

 Your stationery sets the tone for your big day.    The stationery you are using to communicate to your guests should reflect the style of your wedding and you and your future husbandÕs personality.  Consider if you are having a daytime wedding, an outdoor wedding, an evening wedding.  Look for inspiration in your favorite color schemes, your flower choices, your wedding venue or items that are significant to you and your fiancˇ.  The most important factor is that your invitations clearly communicate the details about the day's proceedings.

 

Save the Date

If your guest list includes many out-of-town friends and family, if you are getting married on a busy holiday weekend, or if you are having a destination wedding, save the date cards should be sent 6 to 8 months prior to your wedding. Formal invitations following a save the date mailing, should go out four to six weeks before your wedding day.

Save the dates may be as simple or as elaborate as you would like for them to be, but they should never compete with the wedding invitations.  Save the Dates should include: the day and date of the wedding, the city, hotel and travel information and a website.  You may also include a general description of weekend events, maps or helpful phone numbers.

Times and venue details should be limited to invitations, as these details may change after your the save the dates have been mailed and can cause confusion to your guests.

Your guest list should be finalized prior to sending out save the dates and you should keep a meticulous record of your address list.  You will want to avoid the embarrassment of eliminating a save the date recipient from your final wedding invitation guest list or the added expense at your reception of  guests who were unaccounted for.

 

Research for the Perfect Match

Check our listing for recommended stationers in order to find stationery designers and stores that suit your needs or tastes. Once you've made a list, find out whether friends or other brides can provide referrals or recommendations.

Make sure the stationer has experience in creating the kind of invitation you desire. Bring photos of invitations you like, fabric swatches or other props to convey your style.

Interview the stationer before you sign a contract, and ask to see examples of their work.

If you love a stationer's work but don't have a friend that used them or you are unsure about using them, make a small purchase first before entrusting them with your entire order.  As with any wedding vendor, a single stationer does not fit the needs of every available bride.  It is important to select a stationer that you trust and has shown you that they are able to capture your vision of your design.

 

Comparison shop

Large stores offer standard styles that are often less expensive and may offer quicker turnaround times than upscale specialized shops. Upscale specialized stationery shops will have access to unusual papers, more graphic design choices, at a higher price and may take longer to produce.  Determine your priorities.

 

Read the fine print

Mistakes are common in printing.  When orders are placed over the phone, typographical errors may occur.  Always order a proof of your order and review it carefully.  Compile all of your changes into one written list to provide to your stationer in order to avoid miscommunication, the cost of multiple proofs and more opportunities for mistakes.

If you are organized, it will help keep your stationer more organized and error-free.  Gather and confirm all of your information and provide it to your stationer in a complete format at one time and in advance.

 

Postage points

Don't forget to consider postage costs for RSVP cards, other wedding event mailings, your thank you notes, as well as the invitation itself.

Before adding postage to your invitations, take one complete set of your stationery to the post office and have them determine for you the postage rate needed.  If the post office does not issue a stamp in that particular rate, you may create your own rate stamps at www.photostamps.com

Check the helpful ÒWedding AdvisorÓ page on www.photostamps.com for postage rates according to size/weight of your pieces.

 

Ordering Extra

It is imperative to have a meticulous address list prior to placing your stationery orders in order to avoid costly ÒreprintsÓ or the stress of backorder time on extra papers or embellishments needed to complete your order.  At the time that you place your initial order, it is less expensive to request additional quantities at that time.  If you find that you need additional pieces after an order has already been printed, you will find that you will need to pay initial set up fees so an order for 25 pieces will cost almost as much as 100.

Allow for errors, and expect that you will think of someone you had left out initially.  Try to account for mistakes by you or your calligrapher.

You may be able to order extra envelopes without having to order extra of the entire ensemble.

Calligraphy

If you choose to have your addresses handlettered, a calligrapher should be booked in advance like any of your other wedding vendors.   Do not wait until you have invitations to begin searching for calligraphers as they may be booked out and unavailable, especially during peak wedding season times.  Sign a contract or pay a deposit to ensure that time to address your envelopes is ÒheldÓ in your calligrapherÕs work schedule.

Always provide your calligrapher a single complete guest list in a clean, typed format in order to avoid delays or errors.

Make sure to review samples of the calligrapherÕs work prior to having your order addressed and ask about ink choices to coordinate or match with the printing of the invitation.