48 HOT TOPIC Our regional experts reveal all SAY IT WITH WORDS We’re newly engaged so can you advise us on choosing wedding stationery? Meet the expert: Jessica Hole is the founder of Wiltshire-based Design Inspired By You which specialises in creating beautiful, personal wedding stationery and simplistic hand-drawn line illustrations. In addition to bespoke, Jessica offers a range of custom wedding collections, cards, prints, digital foiling and more. Fuelled by a lifelong passion for art and design, she aspires to create stationery that excites and compliments each individual. This is achieved by working closely with every couple to make sure they love the finished product and want to cherish it forever. Jessica says: Wedding invitations are the first glimpse and set the tone for your wedding day. So much effort goes into the details of the day, your invitations should showcase this and create excitement for the first impression. Your stationery details play a huge part in communicating information and allow you to personalise your wedding whilst tying your entire theme together. How do you choose the stationery that is right for you as a couple? Choosing your wedding stationery can feel overwhelming with so many options out there so think about what you might need. This will vary for each couple based on your plans for the event, priorities and budget. Consider anything you might need from bridal party proposal cards to table plans and stationery for the day. I would recommend starting with the items that you need to include and then adding to these based on your budget and requirements, here are the most common: •Save-the-date cards •Wedding invitations •RSVP cards - will you include a return envelope with a printout, or opt for a website or email address for guests to respond to? •Information cards (with details of accommodation, wedding timelines and any other information about the day) •Order of service cards •Wedding menus •Seating plans and welcome signs •Place cards and table names or numbers •Vow booklets and speech cards •Thank you cards Decide on your stationery style and consider the importance of personalisation Do you want your stationery to look modern, minimal, fun or formal? Seek inspiration but stick to the styles you love, with your wedding day in mind. Trends will come and go but a personal touch will stand the test of time. Speaking to a stationer on a discovery call or at a wedding fair can help. Creating a vision board based on what you both love could also help you define your wedding style. Consider if further personalisation is important to you both. Examples of this could be including hand-drawn elements of something sentimental to you both like a venue illustration or map - the possibilities are endless! A cohesive look from save-the-date cards to the table plans and cake menus will set the tone. If this is something you would like to include then working with a stationer that offers this service could be the right choice for you. I offer complimentary discovery calls where I get to know you both as a couple so that I can best advise. During the call, you can ask me as many questions as you like and hopefully come away with plenty of helpful information and an idea of price. Research price guidelines based on these factors and set a budget Without a clear budget in mind your stationery details can quickly add up so do your research by searching online shops and talking to wedding stationers. When setting a budget be mindful of the time that might go into DIY invitations from creating them through to the assembling stage. Consider where you might buy or create the design alongside confidently sourcing the right printers, card stock, envelopes and finishes. Your stationery budget will ultimately come down to time and your values. If beautiful, custom-designed stationery is one of the top priorities then expect to spend more for this service. Experienced stationery designers are very knowledgeable and will work closely with couples to help make decisions based on their budget and style. Plan your stationery timeline accordingly You’ll want to put together a rough stationery timeline. It’s important to give yourself enough preparation time to organise everything and avoid any last-minute stress so 12 to 18 months before your wedding is a good time to start researching your stationery options. For a bespoke design service, book in your slot for at least 12 weeks before you would like to send them out. Booking a discovery call with stationers you might like to work with is a good idea at this stage. Some designers are booked up a year in advance so if you know who you want to work with, book them in ASAP and work out the design details later to avoid disappointment. When you send out your invitations will vary for each couple. Send save-the-dates six to 12 months before your wedding. If you’re planning a destination wedding, or you need to give your guests plenty of notice to make arrangements then 12 months is better. For wedding invitations, aim to send these out a minimum of 12 weeks before your wedding date. If you haven’t sent save-the-date cards, I would recommend sending your invitations out at least six months in advance. To stick to your timeline, remember to order your stationery in advance and not when you want to send it out as these things take time. https://designinspiredbyyou.com www.facebook.com/designsinspiredbyyou www.instagram.com/designinspiredbyyou www.stutuckerphotography.com
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