WEDDING STATIONERY CHECKLIST

Planning your wedding and wondering which stationery you actually need? With so many beautiful wedding stationery ideas out there, it can be confusing to work out what is essential for your wedding day and what is a lovely extra. From invitations and table plans to welcome signs and menus, there are plenty of ways to add personality to your day, but you certainly don't need to have everything!

If you're trying to plan your stationery while keeping an eye on your wedding budget, this guide will help you work out which pieces to prioritise and where you might want to add a few optional extras.

Essential Wedding Stationery Checklist:

• Wedding invitation

• Order of the day sign

• Table plan

• Table names or numbers

• Wedding menu

• Guest place names

  
  

These are the pieces of stationery that help your guests know where they need to be, when things are happening and where they're sitting — as well as adding those all important finishing touches to your wedding styling.

Optional Wedding Stationery

There are also lots of other stationery pieces that can be added depending on your style, venue and budget. These could include:

• Save the dates

• Welcome sign

• Order of service

• Personalised vow books

• Small wedding signs such as guest book, cards and gifts

• Bespoke drinks or cocktail signs

  
  

None of these are essential, but they can be a lovely way to make your wedding feel more personal and bring your stationery design throughout the day.

Save the Dates

A save the date is often the first piece of wedding stationery your guests will receive, making it a lovely opportunity to introduce the style of your wedding. Its main job is simply to let your guests know when your wedding is taking place so they can keep the date free. If you're working to a tighter stationery budget, however, a save the date is one of the areas you could choose to skip and put that budget towards your wedding invitations instead.

Wedding Invitations

Your wedding invitation is arguably the hardest-working piece of wedding stationery. As well as looking beautiful and setting the tone for your wedding, your invitation needs to communicate all of the important information your guests need to know. This could include your venue, ceremony time, reception details, RSVP information, accommodation options, transport details and anything else your guests need to plan for the day. Because your invitation does so much, this is one piece of stationery I'd recommend prioritising when planning your stationery budget.

Katie Hamilton

On The Day Wedding Stationery

Once your wedding day arrives, there are a few key stationery pieces that will help everything run smoothly.

Order of the Day Sign

An order of the day is a really useful way of letting guests know what's happening and when. It can include everything from the ceremony and drinks reception through to the wedding breakfast, speeches, cake cutting and evening celebrations.

Kit Myers

Table Plan

A table plan is another essential for most weddings, particularly if you're having a seated wedding breakfast. It allows guests to quickly find their table without having to work out where they're sitting once they enter the reception space. Your table plan can also become a beautiful part of your venue styling, particularly when paired with flowers, candles or other decorative details.

Rachael Friend

Table Names or Numbers

Once guests have found their table on the table plan, they'll need to be able to identify it easily.

Whether you choose table numbers, names or something more personal to you as a couple, these are a simple but important piece of wedding day stationery.

Derek Christie

Menus

Menus are another useful addition to your wedding breakfast table. You could have an individual menu at every place setting, or, if you're looking to keep costs down, one menu per table can work just as well. A menu is also a lovely opportunity to bring your stationery design into your tablescape.

Place Names

Place names are particularly useful if you've chosen a specific seating plan for your wedding breakfast. They make it clear where each guest should sit and can be designed to compliment your menus, table stationery and wider wedding styling. There are lots of ways to make place names feel personal too, from traditional card place names to tags, handwritten details or something that doubles up as a small favour.

Do I Need a Welcome Sign?

A welcome sign isn't essential, but it can make a beautiful first impression as your guests arrive.

It's a simple way to introduce your wedding styling and can look particularly lovely when displayed alongside your flowers or other venue décor.

Do I Need an Order of Service?

An order of service is another optional piece of stationery. If you're having a church wedding or a ceremony where you'd like your guests to follow along, a printed order of service can be really useful. It can include the order of the ceremony, readings, hymns, music and other details.For a civil ceremony, you may decide that you don't need one at all. If you do choose to have them, your order of service can be designed to coordinate with your wedding invitations and the rest of your stationery for a cohesive and stylish look.

What About Small Wedding Signs?

Small signs are completely optional and can be as simple or elaborate as you'd like.

They're particularly useful for adding little details around your venue and helping guests find their way around. Some popular examples include:

• Guest book signs

• Cards and gifts signs

• Cocktail or drinks menus

• Cake flavour signs

• Bar signs

• Unplugged ceremony signs

• Signs explaining wedding traditions or details

• Directions around your venue

  
  

You certainly don't need a sign for everything! A few thoughtfully placed signs can be much more effective than filling your venue with lots of different pieces of stationery.

Danielle Smith

Wedding Budget

When planning your wedding stationery budget, it can be helpful to think about which pieces are essential and which are more of a lovely extra. There are lots of simple ways to keep costs down without compromising on the overall look. For example, you could combine your welcome sign and order of the day into one design, have one menu per table rather than an individual menu for every guest, or combine your menu and place name into one piece of stationery. If you decide to have save the dates, you could also choose a digital design to send to your guests rather than having them printed and posted, helping to keep your stationery budget under control.

When to Order Wedding Stationery

Getting your stationery organised early will give you plenty of time to choose your design, make any changes and allow for printing and delivery.

As a general guide:

Save the dates: 12–18 months before your wedding

Wedding invitations: 6–9 months before your wedding

On-the-day stationery: Around 8 weeks before your wedding

Of course, every wedding is different. If you're getting married abroad, having a destination wedding or getting married during a particularly busy time of year, you may want to give yourself a little more time.

Essential Wedding Stationery

I hope that helps with giving you an idea of what wedding stationery items you need and which items are nice to haves!

I have a curated collection of wedding stationery designs available on my website which are a fab starting point to see which kind of wedding stationery design you like. All of the collections can be customised to suit the colour palette and style of your big day.

If you're looking for more wedding stationery inspiration then there's lots on the Loupaper blog, Instagram account and Pinterest account.

Once you know the wedding stationery items you're looking for, contact me here with all the details of your big day! I look forward to hearing from you.