Stress free wedding stationery checklist & timeline | Paper & Ink Studio
As you’d expect, we get asked a lot of questions about when to send out Save the Dates and wedding invitations, as well as about the ideal timing for setting the RSVP. There is a lot of information available on the internet about when is best, but after working in the industry for 16 years plus we’ve devised a foolproof timeline that gets everything done and gives you some much-needed time to relax in the lead-up to your big day. We’re sharing all the juicy details with you today.
As an extra special bonus, we’ve also made our Wedding Stationery Checklist available to download for free. We give this worksheet to all of our couples, and we guarantee it will keep your dates in order! So, download your copy and let’s get stuck into planning.
FIRST THINGS FIRST - BOOK YOUR WEDDING STATIONERY DESIGNER
Once you have decided on a wedding date, the first thing you need to do is have a chat with your wedding stationery designer. We suggest getting the ball rolling at least six months before your wedding date.
Smaller designers who specialise in wedding stationery – like us – are booked out months in advance, so finding a designer you love and getting on the books can take a bit of extra time. In our experience, six months works out perfectly.
WHEN DO WE SEND OUT SAVE THE DATES?
Save the Dates are often the first bit of wedding stationery that’s sent out, and they announce to your guests that your wedding is on the horizon. They provide your loved ones with the details they need to organise travel plans, book accommodation, ask for time off at work and plan for things like babysitting and house sitting.
If you’re planning on a destination wedding, especially one that coincides with peak travel times like school holidays, it’s helpful to give guests as much notice as possible to save, plan and prepare for your celebration. For this reason, we suggest sending out Save the Dates about a year before your wedding date. And don’t forget to include any accommodation details and discount codes for them.
WHAT ABOUT OUR WEDDING INVITES? WHEN SHOULD WE POST THEM?
If a destination wedding isn’t on the cards, or if you don’t have a lot of international travellers flying in, aim to send out your wedding invitations 4 or 5 months before your wedding date. This may seem like a long time, but it’s not. It allows for your invitations to be delivered and gives your guests ample time to decide if they can attend. Even if your wedding is in the same geographical location as most of your guests, many may need time to organise the logistics of attending.
HOW CLOSE TO THE WEDDING DATE SHOULD WE SET RSVP?
We generally suggest setting your RSVP date 6 to 8 weeks before your wedding date. While you could push it to a month, six weeks gives you a comfortable amount of time to organise all the last-minute details like chasing up any stragglers who haven’t confirmed their attendance before final numbers are needed for catering, and On the Day Items like Placecards and Seating Plans.
While the above gives you a rough guide to when we suggest you send out your wedding goodies, we know that every wedding is different. If you’re stuck and you’d like to know a little bit more about our process and how we can help you, email or call us and we'll clarify everything for you.
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