When it comes to wedding stationary, there are endless possibilities. Here are a few things you must have, you don’t need and if you have money left over, you could add…
Must Have’s
Bridal Shower Invitation
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- Officially inviting all the ladies to your bridal shower is a must. Many maid of honor’s opt to send invitations out by email and that’s ok. There are some great websites out there that allow you to send your invitations and track your RSVP’s for free. Check out Punch Bowl for some great ideas.
Bridal Shower Thank You Card
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- Thank you cards should ALWAYS be sent out from the bride thanking her guests for coming. During your bridal shower make sure you have someone, usually your maid of honor, to write down which gift came from who so you can personalize your thank you’s.
Wedding Invitation
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- Whether it’s in the form of a horse drawn carriage delivering the invitation to the front door of your guests or it’s via email, you need to let your guests know that you’re getting married and officially invite them to your wedding.
RSVP’s
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- This can be done by either mailing a return card with your wedding invitation, including a self addressed stamped envelope or, as many couple in this digital world like to do, set up a wedding website and have your guests RSVP right online.
Wedding Thank You Card
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- The same goes as for your bridal shower thank you cards. A must!
Table Number’s
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- Unless your guests are free to sit wherever they’d like, and your having a buffet, you will need these. Table numbers organize the room and make a platted dinner easy to serve by the caterer. Without table numbers the caterer won’t know where Aunt Betty with the nut allergy is sitting.
Don’t Need
Bachelorette/Bachelor Party Invitations & Thank You Cards
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- I’ve never received one of these nor has one been sent out in my honor. Usually know one wants to remember, or can’t for that matter, so no need to thank anyone.
Extras
Save-The-Date’s
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- These are always nice to get as an announcement of your engagement and upcoming wedding especially if you are having a wedding during the busiest time of year, summer. You want to let your guests know far in advance so they don’t book holidays on your wedding date. However, if your wedding is not during peak travel time, you can send out your invitations a couple weeks before you normally would and they can act as a save-the-date’s too.
Map
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- I went to a wedding once at the UBC Botanical Gardens in Vancouver, BC and the couple decided to do an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding. For their stationary they engraved everything onto premium card stock paper. Their invitations were to die for! They even had a map that you needed to follow from the parking lot to the Secret Garden where their wedding was taking place. It was amazing!
Engagement Dinner Invitation
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- This can be done by snail mail or online
Rehearsal Dinner Invitation
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- Same as for the engagement dinner invitation, this can be done by snail mail or online
Escort/Place Cards
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- Having or not having these will depend on your seating arrangements at the reception. If you want specific people to sit in specific seats then you will need these. If you assign people to a certain table but not to a specific seat, or if your guests can sit wherever they would like, you don’t need these.
