Day-Of Stationery can get a little overwhelming. There’s many options for you to choose from and it’s hard to narrow down the elements you actually need.
Day-Of Stationery is exactly what it states to be. The stationery needed for the day of your wedding. I have been privy to some pretty unique paper products over the years and do think that this is one of the great ways to express yourself as a couple. It’s also a great way to incorporate all of your design elements!
Ceremony
Programs
Most of the ceremonies I help to plan are pretty straight-forward. My clients love the short and sweet, 20 to 30 minute affairs. This being the case, I often feel that programs are unnecessary and often lost. Instead, incorporating the Who’s Who of the wedding party into a beautiful Welcome Sign usually does the trick. You can also choose to add the “run of the day” here as well. Or a quick summary of what your guests can expect during the ceremony.
Calligraphy by: Jenna Chadwick Studio Photo by: Sara Cornwraithe
If you have many cultural elements and traditions incorporated into your ceremony then programs are incredibly useful to your guests. They can easily follow along for religious ceremonies, especially if different languages are involved.
Choose to have these created in any shape or form you’d like! From the traditional booklet, to cute paper fans for those summer weddings. They’re great ways to let your guests know the order of not just the ceremony, but for the entire wedding day.
Program created by the MOH
Photo by: Navy Nhum Photography
Vows
Have you ever thought of getting your vows printed on pretty paper as a memento and keepsake for your wedding? I’ve seen couples reading their vows from pieces of paper, cute notebooks and even e-readers and iPads! If you don’t choose to get your vows printed or written out by a calligrapher for the day-of, maybe consider it as a great first anniversary gift to each other. It is the Paper Anniversary after all.
Calligraphy by: Bon Paper House Photography by: EightyFifth Street Photography
Reception
Seating Chart
Moving on to your reception, guests will need to know where they’re sitting for dinner. Seating charts are an absolute must if you are designating a specific seat to each guest. You can set this up in many different ways. The clearest way is to list your guest’s names alphabetically (first or last name) and indicate what table they’re assigned to.
Stationery by: Paper & Poste
Photo by: Angie Diaz Photography
Another way is to separate guests by tables. This is a less expensive cost as you’re getting smaller pieces printed as opposed to one big piece. Again, I’d say to list names in alpha order under each table number.
Stationery by: Paper & Poste Photo by: Navy Nhum Photography
Calligraphy by: @thejadecalico Photo by: Melissa Sung
Escort Cards vs. Place Cards
Escort cards are used when you aren’t designating a specific seat to your guests. They’re little name tags, usually displayed on or near your receiving table, that include your guest’s name and table number. They pick this up (or not!) and bring it with them to their table and choose a random seat to sit in.
Stationery by: Defining Moments Stationery
Photo by: Young Glass Photography
Place Cards are the name tags that are already at each place setting, denoting that that specific seat is meant for them. They work in conjunction with a seating chart. The chart tells guests which table to go to, and the place card tells them where to sit.
Calligraphy by: @thejadecalico
Photo by: Ugo Photography
Calligraphy by: @thejadecalico
Photo by: Katie Stewart Photography
Most couples are choosing to go with a choice of more than one entree. If this is the case, you’ll need to somehow differentiate these meal choices. This is not a must, but for most venues, and if you’d like dinner service to run as smoothly as possible, you should take this into consideration. The simplest way would be to change the colour of your place cards. Keep them in your design palette so it doesn’t look out of place. Have specific colours be linked to a different protein and ask your MC’s to mention keeping them visible during their housekeeping speech.
Menus
Speaking of meals, let’s talk menus. Like your programs, or any other day-of stationery really, you can get really creative with these or stay as classic and simple as you like!
Stationery by: Paper & Poste Photo by: Navy Nhum Photography
Sometimes I like to combine the menu and place card all in one. Creating personalized menus that include your guest’s name and their specific meal is a great way to make them feel special!
Staionery by: Paper & Poste
Photo by: Angie Diaz Photography
Stationery by: Paper & Poste
Photo by: Navy Nhum Photography
Odds and Ends!
There’s so many other places you can choose to have printables. Table numbers and favour tags are other popular choices to be printed and displayed. Cute signs at the bar or your receiving table or just a unique welcome sign! Really, anywhere you choose to express yourself or feel like you need something to say. As for the essentials, I think these items listed above is a great starting point!
Stationery by: Paper & Poste Photo by: Angie Diaz Photography
Stationery by: Paper & Poste
Photo by: Angie Diaz Photography
Happy Printing!
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