Wedding Stationery
Sian Claire Owen looks at how to get the right style wedding stationery for you and your budget
Wedding stationery can help set the tone of your celebrations, and every savvy bride-to-be knows that getting the bells and whistles right can really make a difference. After all, invites are the first point of contact with your guests, and first impressions last.
With so many different choices on offer, from shop-bought invites to bespoke portfolios, it’s hard to know where to start.
But if you do your homework you will find something on offer to suit all tastes and budgets, and cutting costs doesn’t necessarily mean compromising on style and quality.
Getting the right style for your budget
Handcrafted, shop-bought or home-made, whatever you choose it’s important to plan your budget and shop around. Bespoke services are often very expensive, but you have total control over your stationery portfolio. On the other hand, buying from the High Street is generally less costly, and is quick and hassle free. And with most retailers you can order your stationery online, so you don’t even need to leave your house.
Hitting the high street
Many high street brands provide wedding stationery sets at affordable prices, from invites to guest books and photo albums. John Lewis has a range of simple, elegant designs at affordable prices, starting from £2.20 for a pack of six invite cards, and Debenhams offers a wide selection of wedding invites to suit all styles and budgets, with the prices ranging from £27 to £269 per 100 cards. You can buy all of these in-store or online.
Something more personal
Many couples use bespoke wedding stationery to express and celebrate their personalities. As Clare Fletcher from Made With Love Designs in Manchester says: ‘We get bespoke requests all the time. Once we provided wedding stationery with a punk theme using tartan prints and safety pins holding the invite closed. We also had a biker-chic wedding where we used a love heart tattoo on the banner.’
Of course there’s also more conventional designs to choose from. This year will see the return of glamour and vintage styles, with more requests than ever for chocolate browns, golds and creams.
Katheryn Swift from Bolton-based Paper Monkeys Wedding Stationery says: ‘I’ve seen a lot of requests for feminine designs incorporating laces, fringing and ribbons. Vintage, old-fashioned embellishments are certainly in this year.’
While Anne-Marie Edwards from Select Weddings in Liverpool says her customers are focusing on more formal designs: ‘At the moment the trend has moved towards a more traditional plain printed card,’ she says. ‘Even celebrities like Eva Longoria-Parker are opting for this style, which matches the feeling of austerity reflected in the rest of society.’
Going bespoke, not going for broke
Ideally, we would all love a personalized service to create beautiful designs. After all, this is your special day and you want it to be perfect. However, sometimes the price of bespoke services can be offputting, but they needn’t cost the earth:
‘People will be cutting back this year, but most bespoke services can be flexible,’ says Michelle Marke from Raspberry Crush Designs in Macclesfield.
‘A couple I worked with chose to marry in Italy to save money. So instead of providing an entire portfolio I created a postcard invite with stamps and a map of Italy. It was simple but really effective, and the couple cut their costs without compromising on quality!’
Do it yourself
Many couples decide to make their own wedding stationery. While some creative types can make everything from scratch, help is at hand for those of use who are ‘artistically challenged’. For example, DIY stationery kits are widely available for those who want to indulge their creative side, but who have about as much talent as a monkey with a crayon.
Marks & Spencer provide a beautiful range of ‘Print Your Own’ stationery that comes with a step-by-step guide and CDROM, which is sold separately. They provide the cards, ribbons, glitter and glue, all you need to do is follow the instructions. Prices start from £2 for a pack of 10 cards. A great credit crunch stationery solution.
Embracing invites
A growing trend is for couples to employ designers to create email invites for their guests, which can make great savings: ‘Designing email templates is something I will be offering this year,’ says Michelle Marke. ‘The couples still have the design service, but without the cost of paper and printing.’
Stockist information
John Lewis: 08456 049049
www.johnlewis.com
Debenhams: 08445 616161
www.debenhamsweddings.com
Marks & Spencer: 0845 609 0200
www.marksandspencer.com
Made with Love Designs: 07843 920495
www.madewithlovedesigns.co.uk
Paper Monkeys Wedding Stationery:
01204 301842
www.papermonkeys.co.uk
Select Weddings: 01704 831168
www.selectweddings.net
Raspberry Crush Designs: 07900 231324
www.rasberrycrushdesigns.co.uk
