HINTS & TIPS WHEN ORDERING YOUR WEDDING RECEPTION STATIONERY

Its that time of year when a lot of my work schedule is taken up with reception stationery items for couples who are getting married this summer.
My studio is currently filled with order of service, table plans and placecards to name but a few items. Its always lovely to see the culmination of my clients wedding planning in those last few items they need for 'on the day'.

So today I thought I'd go over some hints and tips for when ordering your reception stationery.

RSVP DATE

Try and set an RSVP date if you can which is 6 weeks to 2 months prior to your wedding date.
As a stationer I like to have your reception stationery with you at least 10 days before your wedding - just in case there is any error from either party which needs correcting before the day - therefore I'll start asking for information like your table plan layout, placecard names etc. approximately a month before the wedding.
If you set an RSVP date at least a couple of weeks before that it will give you those 2-3 weeks to chase any stragglers who haven't rsvp'd yet ( there will always be some!) and sit down and figure out where everyone is going to sit.
Setting an RSVP date well in advance if possible will avoid any last minute stresses with caterers and stationers on your back for information and numbers ... which is the last thing you need right before your wedding!

ORDER OF SERVICE

Remember if you are getting married in a Church or other religious establishment that the Priest / Vicar etc may want to look over your Order of Service before you go to print. Remember to factor some time in for this and try and persuade your vicar to set an appointment to go over the wording etc for your order of service in plenty of time.
In 6 years of experience printing Order of Service for clients for their weddings there is often a 'difference' shall we say in how vicars and priests think an Order of Service should look and how a designer thinks it should look so there might be a few tweaks!

TABLE PLANS

I offer table plans as either printed boards or rolled posters in either A1 or A2 size.
As a general rule I would say if you are having more than 70 guests or more than 9 tables you should probably consider a larger A1 Table Plan - just so the guests names stay nice and legible.
You should also check with your venue before ordering about whether they have an easel etc for you to display your table plan on and what size board that it will fit.
If you are ordering a rolled poster which you want to frame yourselves or pin to a board at your venue check out the dimensions of the board and frame before ordering.

TABLE NAMES

I'm often asked by clients what they should pick for their table names. Obviously if nothing immediate springs to mind then you can always go with just numbers for your tables, but generally I find clients try and pick something which is personal to them as a couple. In the past I've had names of trees, herbs, favourite sweets and chocolates, countries they have visited together or even significant dates. Its often a good idea to think of hobbies or pastimes you share together and go from there ... movies or film stars are also generally quite popular.

Also with Table Names think about how they are going to be displayed at your venue.
Many venues will provide table card holders but some don't so check first and if not think about if you can lean the card against your centrepieces or alternatively ask me your stationer to provide tented cards which will stand on their own.

Hopefully that gives you a few more ideas about what to expect when ordering your reception stationery but if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to drop me an email at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk

Nikki x