Save the Dates:

What should I buy , how many and when should I send them?

Format...

• Save the Dates need to be practical as, if possible, they need to be kept by your guests as a reminder of the date, so the size should be relatively small, but not so small that they get lost. With this in mind our save the dates are a sensible size and have the option of a loop which allows your guests to hang them up or pin them to their fridge with a magnet.

How many should I buy?...

• We usually advise our couples to buy one save the date per household.

When should I send them?...

• Our advice is that save the dates need to be posted out at least 8-10 months before the wedding. The main reason being that your guests' holidays could very easily usurp your big day otherwise! If you are having a destination holiday it is advisable to send them at least 10 months to a year before your big day as of course this involves a lot more planning for your guests.

 

Day and Evening Invitations:

How many day invitations do I need and who should I invite?

Let's start with who to invite

• This is a minefield! Our advice to people is, it's your day, you are the ones who have to plan it all and possibly pay for it too , so you have to enjoy it. Invite people who you want to be there...friends, family, colleagues etc.
• "But what about Uncle Pete, he doesn't get on with Cousin Gerald, but they are both close family?" I hear you ask... Well if you have a dillemma like this our advice is to pass the buck. Be up front and honest, invite them both but make sure that they know that the other is going and that best behaviour is expected on the day. This way it is up to them to decide if they want to go.
• Invite people you know and love well to the ceremony itself and the wedding breakfast; so close family and friends. The whole shebang can get very expensive if you invite everyone (and their pet pomeranians) to the wedding itself.
• For the evening reception you could invite anyone who you think will liven up the party! People usually invite less-close friends, colleagues, people they know socially etc. This is very much up to you and how far your budget will stretch.
• Children... or no children???! Well this is very much up to you too. Children can add to the joy of your big day and there's the cute factor of course, but some couples want a more adult party vibe. If you do decide not to invite children, you need to make this very clear on your invitations. Simply not including litlle Millie, and Tobiaths' names on the top of the invite will most likely be too subtle for some doting parents who might assume that you have simply forgotten to include their little darlings. (The same of course applies to Great Aunt Gloria's pomeranians and any other potential uninvited guests.)

How many to buy...

• For friends and family, we usually advise people to buy one invitation per household.
• For work colleagues or people who you associate with as a group such as a club that you are a member of; we advise buying just one invitation for the group and leaving it somewhere where they all have access to it. This can be left with a set of RSVPs - one for each of them.
• Our clients often order a small number of spare invitations as it is easy to miss people off your list if you have not seen them for a while, such as cousins who have moved to a remote island off Scotland, but will be devastated if you don't invite them. Also if you are writing your own guest names onto invitations it is easy to make mistakes and replacements may be needed. We have a top tip to avoid errors; simply write guest's names lightly in pencil first and then go over in pen when you are happy they are all correct.

RSVPs:

Do I need them and when should I send them?

Why send them?...

• Some method of requesting a formal yes or no to your invitations is vital! The reason for this is that a formal acceptance seals the deal. We all know that it is all too easy to file invitations in the in tray and forget about them. This is not good when it comes to wedding planning in particular. For many reasons not least of which is the catering considerations, you need to know exactly how many guests are coming.

When to send them...

• We advise asking guests to return RSVPs no later than 3 weeks before your wedding day. The reason for this is that most caterers need a final headcount of guests by 10 days to 2 weeks before your wedding day. We therefore advise sending out your invitations and RSVPs no less than 2 months before the actual date as this gives your guests a good month or so to send back their replies.

Order of Service and Order of the Day

What is the difference between order of service and order of the day and which should I have?

What is an order of service and an order of the day?...

• An order of service is usually a booklet that contains the running order of the wedding ceremony itself. This may be a civil wedding or a church wedding and the content will differ accordingly.
• An order of the day is also a booklet, but this contains the running order for the whole wedding day, from the excited arrival of your and your guests, to the exhausted but happy finish after the evening do.

Which do I need?...

• You can have both of course, but many of our couples have just the order of service as this is a nice memento of the wedding and also it ensures that your guests know which bits of the service they need to join in with if necessary, and when; hymns for instance.

Menus

Do I need them and if so how many?

Do I need them?...

• Menus are only necessary if your venue are not providing them. Many venues will provide these for you. If this is not the case it is useful to let your guests know what options are available for your wedding breakfast.

How many do I need?...

• This very much depends on the format of your menus and if you think your guests will be happy to share one between two, or more. We do 3 types of standard menu; single fold ( Long and thin ) single fold (A5) and Flat (A5). All can be shared but the flat ones lend themselves to sharing more easily. We can also make bespoke menus in any format you like.
• Some people put their menu choices in with their invitation bundles so that people can let them know their menu choice well before the big day so that the venue can cook to order. We can provide extra inserts in paper or card for this purpose to go with all of our invitations.

Table Plans

Do I really need one and what format should I have?

Do I need one?...

• >This is a crucial part of the organisation and planning of your wedding. Without it guests will have no idea where to sit for your wedding breakfast. You may for instance have factions of your two famillies that don't quite see eye to eye, or guests who you know will irritate other guests! A table plan allows you to take control and prevent any mayhem or fistycuffs breaking out after too much prosecco!

What format should I have?...

• Table Plans can be any number of designs. This again is a matter of personal taste. We do standard framed table plans in two sizes (approx A3) and (approx A2). These can be glazed or not depending on the amount and nature of the embellishments used.
• We also do table plan cards that you can use to create your own table plan. These are very flexible as they allow you to arrange them however, and on whatever you like.

Place Cards

Do I really need them??

• This is entirely up to you, many of our couples are concerned that there will be a bun fight over who sits where on each table. They know that their guest know exactly which table to sit on because they have their table plan at the entrance to the room where they are all to eat. However, this doesn't necessarily get over any awkward decisions about who will sit where on each table. If you have two or three couples and their children on one table the kids in particular (but not just them), might kick up a fuss about which seat they have. We supply two sizes of standard handmade place cards to match our range designs, we also do laser cut place settings that sit on the rim of a glass and of course we have our bespoke design service for you too.

Thank you Cards

Will people expect these?

• The answer to this is probably no, most people are pleasantly surprised to receive a thank you card for these days. However, it is a nice touch and shows that you appreciate the effort your guests have gone to to attend your big day and all that that entails, and also of course for their gift to you both. We various sizes of thank you cards to match all of our ranges of invitations. We also provide a bespoke design service should you require something a little different.