Your checklist for the wedding stationery must-haves and the nice to include, optional extras to make your day as personal, creative and functional as possible.
Each wedding celebration has its own unique rhythm and high notes you and your partner want to reach. This is where you're on the day stationery, the items that communicate your plans and wishes to your guests, come into their own.
Some of these are essentials to help the flow and function of the day, while others are nice-to-haves. There is a lot! But that’s where I can help you tailor your stationery to meet all your essential needs and add those extra personal touches.
From the ceremony to the reception to the wedding breakfast, here is my breakdown of the key items you may want to consider for each part of your day.
Wedding Ceremony ~ the starting point of your day
Whether it's in a church, a venue, outside or at a registry office, this is the most important part of your day, as this is where the legal, official marriage part happens. So make sure to think about how to want to celebrate it and style it with the various wedding stationery options.
The Essentials:
Order of service – if you’re having a church wedding, these will help your guests follow along with the ceremony, with details of any readings, prayers, hymn lyrics, and prompts for when they can join in. They also give your guests something to focus on at the beginning when nerves, excitement and anticipation are at their highest. With a captive audience, this is a prime opportunity to give more details about the day’s timeline, introduce the wedding party, and add any other important details you wish.
Nice to Have:
Welcome sign – to greet and reassure your guests that they are in the right place.
Unplugged/no cameras/social media sign – invite your guest to be fully present.
Reserved seat cards for your closest family members and the wedding party – a thoughtful gesture to those playing an extra special part in your day.
Order of service or ceremony cards for civil ceremonies and blessings – these can be more playful than with a traditional service, so lean into this chance to entertain your guests.
Customised confetti bags or stickers – all tied in with your theme.
Wedding Reception ~ this is where the fun begins
The ceremony has happened, your guests are all at your wedding venue and you are about to have the best party of your life. So this is the part of your day that welcomes your guests, tells them the story of your relationship and adds your personality to the day, all through the wedding stationery, style and decoration that you choose to use.
The Essentials:
Welcome sign – a personal touch to help your guests transition between or around venues, so they know they have arrived where they are meant to be!
Nice to Have:
Order of the day sign – timeline of what’s happening throughout the day
Small signs with information or guidance for when you can’t be there personally. Depending on what you’re planning, the list is endless! But here are some I have designed and made previously:
Cards and gifts – highlighting where they can be safely left
Honeymoon fund – information and thanks
The Cake – what delicious flavours your guests are about to enjoy
Guestbook – please sign
Cocktails – time to celebrate with a custom cocktail, let your guests know the options and ingredients
Sweets – help yourself to a sweet treat
QR code for photos – connecting guests to where they can upload photos of their hopefully many happy, humorous and magical moments
Sip and solve a crossword or quiz – set your guests a challenge!
Wedding Breakfast ~ the first meal all together
This is the first chance you might have got all day to sit together and catch a breath.
It's also the most important time for stationery to be functional, as it has a job to do. You need to tell your guests what to do and where to be, it also helps the catering teams too.
The Essentials:
Seating plan – if you’re having a catered sit-down meal, it’s worth the time to create a plan for where you would like everyone to sit. Then you can relax knowing you have done your best to ensure all your guests have good company. How you communicate the plan is the fun part. There are endless options to create a feature here, designed around your theme and venue, with the table and guest names displayed on either one large board or smaller individual cards per table.
Table names or numbers – This links back to the seating plan, and you can keep it simple and stylish with numbers or pick a theme. And there are so many options here, where you and your partner can share a glimpse of your story to date, such as favourite foods, places, locations, houses, animals, TV shows, musicals, films and more.
Place name cards – to show where each guest is sitting. And if done right, it can be a perfect individual memento to take home!
Nice to Have:
Menus – 1 per table or 1 per person. The need for these will vary depending on your food choices and how you want to cater for individual guests. In my experience, a DL sized personalised menu with a place name is a lovely styling feature to complete your table settings.
Favours – an excellent option to add a personal touch, from personalised cards holding a charity pin to stickers to go on shots, jam or sweet jars.
All these items can help you shape your day in small and big ways. And many, you and your guests, will be able to keep and treasure long after the last cork has popped. I hope this list helps get you thinking about what’s possible. I’m always happy to discuss any particular idea you may have, and take a look here if you want further inspiration.
