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

Pretty Wedding Reception Stationery for A Cotswold Wedding

Hello all!
Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend ... I managed to take a little time off on Saturday afternoon and enjoy the sunshine and amazing food at the Exeter South West Food Festival at Exeter Castle. Beautiful venue if you are contemplating a wedding in the area by the way ... I'll try and blog about some of the fantastic food suppliers I saw later in the week :)

However on todays blog I firstly want to say a massive congratulations to the lovely Lauren from Ladyamy Bespoke Wedding Design http://www.ladyamyweddingdesign.co.uk/ and her new husband Wayne, who got married this weekend in the Cotswolds!
Lauren has been a massive support to Knots & Kisses .. having guest posted on this blog and also involved me in some amazing photo shoots over the last couple of years.

So I was delighted to design some stationery for Lauren & Wayne's Wedding Reception and came up with the designs below for her Table Numbers and hanging tags for her Table Plan.
I can't wait to see photos of them in situe on the day ...

Remember if you would like me to come up with a bespoke design for your wedding just get in touch at http://knotsandkisses.co.uk or email me at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk

Advice on What On The Day Wedding Stationery to Order

What To Order For Your Reception & Wedding Day?

I’m asked by a lot of couples these days .. many of whom are on a tight budget … where they could make savings with their reception stationery and what is essential.
So here are my tips for what to include on your stationery order…

1.Order of Service

I think these days Order of Service and whether you need them can be very dependent on your point of view and what type of wedding you are having.

A church wedding is almost certainly going to require some form of order of service. This can range from a brief layout of the service with pages to refer to in Hymn and Prayer books, to a full order of service where the hymns and prayers and any wording the congregation needs to say are detailed.
If you aren’t having a Church or Religious ceremony, it may be an option to dispense with an Order of Service, or alternatively have a very simple ‘Order of Day’ card which gives your guests an idea of what they can expect throughout the day.

2. Menus
I have plenty of Brides who like to have one menu per person at their wedding .. using the menu as part of a place setting for each guest. However if you are on a budget perhaps it’s worth considering just one menu per table. Alternatively have a menu poster or board framed at the entrance to your reception, or incorporated into the table plan, for your guests to look at as they come in.
This is something I'm more than happy to do for you on a bespoke basis so please get in touch using the contact form at http://knotsandkisses.co.uk for more details.

3. Placecards

I have to say I think this is the one thing you can’t dispense with for most weddings. Although I have been to a few weddings where the couple have wanted all their guests to mingle and therefore no-one has been given a specific place to sit, most Brides & Grooms will want to make sure certain people are sat on certain tables and placecards are a must.

4. Table Plan

As above, if you do want your guests to sit in a specific place, a table plan is a must.

I offer several options to couples, from fully mounted and even framed table plans, to a rolled poster which they can display as they wish, and even just the artwork … to really suit any budget.

Often a flat printed table plan will be cheaper than one which is heavily embellished to match your stationery .. although check beforehand as this may not always be the case as printing costs are high compared to the cost of layered card.

5. Table Names or Numbers

If you are wanting your guests to sit at specific tables it is probably best to include a table number or name on each table.
At Knots & Kisses I obviously offer matching table numbers for all my stationery, but if you were looking at cutting down on budget perhaps this is something you could be a little creative with ... I've seen many wedding where the table names are cd covers, photos of places that mean a lot to you or even retro toys figurines.
I wouldn't advise dispensing with table numbers entirely however ... I went to one wedding where they just had a table plan, which was laid out as per the room configuration, however there were still lots of confused looking guests wondering around trying to find their table and name :)

I hope this helps you decide which elements of 'On The Day' stationery are essential for your wedding and which are not. Remember every wedding is individual so don't think you 'have' to have something just because its traditional!

For more reception stationery designs visit the website http://knotsandkisses.co.uk

A Storybook Wedding Table Plan

Hope you're all having a fabulous bank holiday weekend and are in some way enjoying the Jubilee celebrations!
Firstly a quick apology for the erratic blog posting lately! We started moving stuff down to Devon this weekend and are moving properly on the 9th so things at Knots & Kisses HQ are a little crazy at the moment. I have a few more orders to finish off this week and then I'll be taking 4 days off from Thursday to pack up the business and move to our new house in Okehampton :)

Today I wanted to share with you the table plan I created for a lovely couple Rachel & Ben who got married yesterday ... congratulations guys!
They ordered my Storybook range http://www.knotsandkisses.co.uk/storybook.html for their wedding stationery and also ordered matching reception stationery including a printed table plan. Table plans aren't currently on the website and are priced on a bespoke basis so please get in touch and email me at info@knotsandkisses.co.uk if you would like me to create a table plan for your wedding reception.

Enjoy the rest of your Bank Holiday Weekend!

Nikki x