Invitations and Stationery

Wedding Stationery – your style, your wedding.

The process involved in the wording of a wedding invitation can sometimes seem quite confusing. It is the integral information schedule for your wedding day and is often a sneak preview for your guests of the styling and colour palette that will unfold. Invitations also need to reflect your personality, and the words that you choose will distinctively customise the feel for your day.

There are many choices for the wording of your invitations, deciding what is right for you can often be based on various factors regarding your wedding day.

The Host Line of the invitation can be the tricky part, this line of wording represents who is hosting the wedding, traditionally the bride’s parents, but with modern weddings it could be both parents of the bride and groom, or indeed the couple themselves.

Invitations are usually sent out six to eight weeks prior to your wedding. Remember to allow additional time for invitations heading to remote areas or overseas. Commonly many couples send ‘Save the Date’ announcements to ensure guests have advanced warning of the special day.

Your RSVP date should be approximately four weeks prior to your wedding. This will allow you to complete your final tasks and ensure you have enough notice to meet the reception venue’s deadlines.

Today’s modern invitation also includes an attachment or note about the sometimes difficult issue of gifts.

Traditionally, many weddings have a gift table at the reception venue, where guests place presents suitable for the couple. However, these days most couples live together prior to marriage and this ultimately can create a conundrum when it comes to what to buy them as a couple. It is for this reason that the gift registry or wishing well has become a popular option at most weddings. So as not to offend any guests, a popular choice for the gift insert or note, is to create a rhyme indicating your preference, whilst still being most appreciative of any gift.

The number of organisations offering gift registries for weddings is phenomenal, and ranges from department stores through to travel agents and charities. It allows your guests to select from a range of items that YOU have chosen, also avoiding the potential for doubling up.

The request for the gift of money is another option and is very practical for newlyweds – allowing guests to give as much as they wish. If you are worried that guests may be conscious about the amount they have to give, you may like to adopt the new trend of making it an anonymous Wishing Well. Alternatively, some guests find the gift of money impersonal, so overcome this by stating what the money will be going towards when sending out invitations (i.e.: – a new lounge suite or the honeymoon). You can even take it one step further and when sending out ‘Thank You’ cards after the Wedding, include a photo of you both enjoying the item or on your honeymoon. Your guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Have you ever wondered exactly what an invitation dress code means?

We’ve defined the most common codes to help with any misconceptions.

Black Tie: The second most formal option behind White Tie and usually the outright winner for popularity. Applicable for ‘After 5pm’ time slots.

Gents: black tuxedos are the norm with a bow tie rather than a tie.

Ladies: glamorous gowns or more formal cocktail dresses.

Lounge Suit: A less formal, yet stylish option for both day or evening weddings.

Gents: dark suits, crisp shirts and ties.
Ladies: stylish dresses, smart suits or cocktail dresses.

Cocktail: Usually applicable for late afternoon/evening weddings.

Gents: suit and tie (lean towards a darker suit).

Ladies: cocktail style dresses tending towards the shorter length. Remember to dress it up with accessories and jewels!

Barefoot & Black Tie: Most popular for beach weddings and as the title indicates, no shoes.

Gents: lighter suit pants with a formal, collared shirt. No tie necessary.

Ladies: shorter cocktail style with minimal accessories.

Suits & Stiletto’s: Similar to the traditional cocktail dress code and used where the couple want to define the boundaries but let people be creative.

Gents: suits are a must, however, the tie is optional.

Ladies: given the title includes Stiletto’s, lean towards shorter length cocktail dresses and create a focus on the shoes. Alternatively, put a spin on the dress code and team up a smart suit with a pair of knockout heels.