Stationery Guide Rules of Addressing
Stationery Timeline
Escort Cards or Seating Chart
Response Cards Gift Registry Information
Thank You Cards General Wording Etiquette
Stationery Guide
Your Wedding Stationery 'Wardrobe' can be made up of several pieces, depending on what sort of your wedding you are having; whether it's a weekend destination wedding that requires a lot of information or an inner city one with a lot of off-shore guests requiring maps and accommodation details. For an outline of what pieces you may need to include, and the essential information for them click here.
Stationery Timeline
6-12 months before your wedding date:
If you're going to send out Save the Date invitations, this is when you should be doing it. The earlier the better for a destination wedding or if you have several guests coming from overseas.
4-8 months before your wedding date:
Order your invitations. Remember Custom orders can take several months depending on materials required.
8-10 weeks before your wedding date:
Mail your invitations out.
Book your stationery designer in for any stationery you require for the ceremony and reception.
6 weeks before your wedding date:
Confirm wording for menu, program etc.
back to top
Generally you want a reply 2-3 weeks before your wedding date, however your caterer may request numbers earlier if they need to order supplies in by a certain time. People lead busy lives and you may find yourself chasing them up to get numbers at the last minute. Encourage people to send their responses back by providing them with a reply stamp.
back to top
Thank You Cards
You should send out thank you cards to everyone who gave you a gift, and to anyone who helping or gave up their time for your event. It is also a nice touch to send cards to vendors who provided their services, particularly if you were pleased with their service/product. Thank you cards should always be hand written.
back to top
Rules of Addressing
In general people are quite casual about addressing envelopes in this day and age - particularly in New Zealand. However if you want to install a little formality to the occasion, here are some guidelines to follow:
- It is traditional to use full names on the envelope.
- Do not use abbreviations on the envelope except "Mr." or "Mrs.". Spell out all Street, Road, etc as well as the state if appropriate.
- Invited children's first names appear after or under the parents' names.(Children over 18 should receive their own invitations).
- If you are allowing single guests to bring a partner, you would write 'and guest/partner' on the invitation itself but address the envelope to the person you know only.
- For unmarried couples living together list the female's name first. Likewise for married couples with different names.
Escort Cards or a Seating Chart?
Escort Cards are popular in the United States. Rather than have a traditional seating chart with the guests listed under each table, escort cards are displayed at the entrance to the reception. Each guest or couple has their own card and it indicates which table they're seating at. You can get very creative with escort cards and match them to your theme or colours. To see a couple of examples click here and here.
back to top
Gift Registry Information
This can be quite a sticking point for many couples. Traditionally it's not proper to include this information in your invitation, it is best to share it word of mouth via family or bridal party members. However in the modern world with couples having been set up in a house for some time before they get married there is a practical side to it. The most discrete way is to include a small card detailing where you are registered and with the necessary information.
back to top