20 Years of Wedding Wisdom: Picking Your Stationery

From save-the-dates to thank-you notes, wedding stationery both establishes your aesthetic and brings the celebration to a close. In honor of our 20th anniversary, we rounded up the top tips for choosing and ordering your invitation suite, based on our two decades of expert bridal experience.

"A couple's wedding is an expression of their personal style. So, from the invitation suite, which is the first taste guests will get of the wedding to come, to the menu cards and place cards, wedding stationery should invoke the feeling and mood you're trying to create for your special day." —Vera Wang Papers

Let your venue and palette inform your choices: If you're getting married on a Hawaiian beach or a waterfront in the Virgin Islands, opt for a colorful, modern suite with a seaside motif. A religious ceremony at a house of worship, on the other hand, calls for the traditional wording of a formal invitation.

"Tech-savvy couples often struggle to balance technology and tradition. There is a place for both! Help all guests feel included by using technology to supplement more traditional stationery pieces." —Wedding Paper Divas

From telegrams to invisible ink, couples are doing fun things with their save-the-dates and invitations. If you're getting innovative, just make sure that all pertinent information is included. For save-the-dates, the names of the couple getting married and the date should be most prominent, along with a note that invitations will follow. You don't have to name the venue, but if you have a website, save-the-dates are a great place to share the URL.

"Keeping under budget is tough, so DIY creations can help cut costs. Avery makes it simple to design and print invitations, place cards, party favors, and more, right from home." —Avery Products Corporation

From engraving to letterpress, thermography, and flat printing, you can have your pick of stationery production methods. Engraving creates raised type and looks classic but can be pricey. Letterpress indents letters into the paper, lends an artisanal air to invites, and is often costly due to its hand-done nature. Thermography, in which powder and resin are heated to form raised letters, mimics the look of engraving for less. Flat printing is versatile, affordable, and works well for modern affairs.

"It's more cost effective to have a handful of extra invitations, than to reorder more invitations. Many forget to include themselves on the list; and it is a lovely keepsake." —Envelopments

In the case of wedding invitations, what's on the outside counts, too. Taking the time to annotate your envelopes based on each attendee's title and relationship status will show you care. Many couples also choose to hire a calligrapher to address the invitations for a special detail.

"People often think they will get their invitations out sooner than they end up mailing them and they set and print their RSVP date too close to the date when guests receive their invitations." —Minted

Get organized about a month before your desired send-out date. This should be six to eight weeks before the wedding, allowing your guests adequate time to respond and ensuring that you will get a reliable head count a week or two before the event.