Wedding Etiquette
When a bride contacts us we are often asked; Do I need to send Save The Date cards? When do I send my invitations? What do I include with the invitations? We don't want children at our wedding, how do we avoid offending guests?
Most couples want to do things 'the right way' so I have put together a little guide to help with wedding etiquette. Remember it is just a guide; your wedding is your day so it is ultimately your decision how you do things.
SAVE THE DATE CARDS
Are Save the Date Cards neccesary? Basically it depends on when you are getting married. If you are getting married in the summer holiday season then its probably a good idea to let your guests knows as early as possible when the big day is due to holiday planning. Otherwise its just personal choice and maybe dependant on the budget.
WEDDING INVITATIONS
Wedding invitations are the first showcase of your big day so its good to give them an idea of the sort of day it will be. Ideally this is when you would decide on the colours and maybe the theme but dont worry as the finishing touches to the big day often change throughout the planning of a wedding. As an example though luxury invitations say 'Make an effort' it's going to be a luxury day! Use your stationary and let them know if the day is set to be laid back, fun or fancy and formal. Likewise traditional wording says traditional wedding. If the brides parents are doing the hosting then they should send the invitations, if they are divorced then it could be worded as follows; "Together with their parents, Steve and Melissa request the pleasure of the company of................" . If the couple themselves are hosting the wedding then it would simply say "Steve & Melissa request the pleasure of the company of......".
It is advisable to send the invitations 6-8 weeks before the wedding in order to get everything organised in time. Remember you will need to confirm numbers at the venue and give final details for the seating plan to be made up. If travel arrangements need to be made or if the wedding is at a destination then you would be best sending the invitations out 3 months before the day. You may also have a standby list and want to fill any spaces from people who can not come. For this reason it's best to have sent invitations early as you do not want 'standby guests' to feel an after thought or to feel conscious that they were second choice.
You can send RSVP's with the invitations but this is up to you. It is advisable to request replies 4 weeks before the day. It is acceptable to chase up RSVP's which have not come back in time. If the deadline had passed then give the guests a call so that you can make sure that they are included on the seating plan and that they have all the information that they need.
Many people ask about gift lists. It's not really polite to include a gift list so the best thing to do is set up a registry and then give details to parents and friends and ask that they pass on details to family and friends who ask for them. Some people now include a polite money request cards but that is personal choice.
If children are invited to the wedding you must include their names on the invitation. If you are having a child free wedding then its correct to only address the invitations to the adults. If children are not invited then its a good idea to make this clear from the start.
It is correct for the brides parents to send an invitation to the grooms parents (or for the couple to send), if the brides parents are hosting then they send one to themselves too!
You may have relatives who you know cannot make it, maybe an elderly aunt or such. So that they don't feel forgotten about or left out, it is polite and correct to still send an invitation to such person.
Wedding Themes
Themes are ideal for weddings, they make planning and accessorising so much easier and can help when trying to decide on colours for example beach weddings work well with hot pinks, coral, aqua and greens whilst winter weddings work well with gold, silver, red and purple. The list and possibilities are endless and can be confusing to start with so our guide will help to get you started, but I have to say making a decision on which design to go for can be quite difficult!
Beach Weddings
Shells, pebbles and starfish are a must for a beach wedding theme. For Favours you need not stick to the normal sugared almonds but have sticks of rock or sea shell chocolates as a way to keep the beach theme running. Colours which work well with a beach wedding are hot pinks, coral, orange, aqua, green, blue with silver. Tables can be named after exotic destinations.
Bling Weddings
Perfect way to add glitz and glamour to your wedding. This is my absolute favourite and you can definately go to town, there is no end amount of bling and sparkle you can add to your wedding!
Winter Weddings
Winter weddings are a great time to go for a luxurious rich theme by using red, silver, purple and gold colours or go for bling with sparkley snowflakes, the choices are huge. I love snowflakes and glitter and diamante snowflakes can be added to anything. Scatter snowflake confetti on tables along with clear crystals, use glitter and tinsel ribbons. Serve mince pies and cream, mulled wine or hot chocolate and give personalised baubles as favours or use as place cards or both. Name tables with names such as Snowflake, SnowStorn, SnowMan etc
Vintage Theme
Perfect for using lace and pearls and roses. Colours that work well would be creams, beige, baby or dusky pink, sage and gold. Vintage themes work very well when using cream, ivory and gold, it looks sophisticated and elegant.
Butterfly Theme
This theme can be used at any time. . Butterfly themes can literally work in any colour. .
Heart Theme
What could be more romantic than hearts. Use heart crystal table confetti. A perfect theme for the most romantic day of your lives. Name Tables with names like Love, Cherish, Forever
Questions
Do you provide samples of your invitations?
Yes we do, samples can be purchased on each listing by selecting just 1 in the quantity box. The cost of up to two samples will be deducted from any further order of £150 or more. When you are ready to order just let us know
How do I place an order?
You can place an order with us by buying the required items as normal or by emailing us with the following details
Full list of items you require (including numbers where possible)
Design and colour scheme
Date you require your stationery
We aim to get back to you within 24 hours excluding weekends.
Is there a minimum order?
Not at all, you can order as much or as little as you like. All orders are dealt with as quickly as possible and as fairly as possible regardless of size
Do I see proofs of my stationery?
We send proofs of invitations and seating plans for you to check spelling, wording, layout, personal details, colours where applicable and that you are happy with the finished product. we send proofs in the form of a word document via email and require an email back with any changes/to say everything is correct.
We do not post proofs of other stationery items, if you have given us the details as we ask for them then we are able to copy and paste names etc so mistakes should not happen.
Do you charge for changes?
We don't charge for any changes until approval has been made. Once approved there will be a standard charge of £20 (You'd be suprised how many people change their mind countless times and it is all time consuming).
What happens if I run out of invitations?
We always advise that you order 5-10 extra invitations in case of last minute changes. If you still wish to order more and there are no changes then we can make them for you at the same rate.
How far in advance do I need to order my stationery?
Due to the handmade nature of our stationery we require around 4-6 weeks to complete the order for you however we do recommend that you book your slot early as we do get booked up very quickly
