We know that a wedding takes a lot of planning in advance, so when is it best to incorporate wedding stationery into your planning timeline?

The reality is that there is no "set" rule when it comes to what to do and when to do it but there are some approximate timings which may help you plan things in. Remember, we never require a booking in advance or a deposit, so availability isn't going to cause you a problem.

Some FAQs when it comes to timing would be questions like "when to send out save the dates", "when to send out wedding invitations" and "when to order wedding day stationery". This brief guide should help point you in the right direction.

18-24 months before
Order samples / book a consultation

Whether it's for save the dates, invitations or both, we strongly advise on ordering samples so you can physically assess options. Stationery is tactile and it can be very helpful to appreciate up-close. If colours are important, consider including swatches to help you choose.

In addition to this, an optional consultation at the start of your stationery planning can be helpful in outlining a plan all the way from your save the dates to invitations, then to stationery for the day too. Some couples order directly from our website without a consultation but with the amount of choice available, it can be helpful to demystify the options.

12-18 months before
Order save the dates

Technically save the dates can be sent to guests as soon as your date and venue is booked but we typically see these ordered between 12-18 months to the wedding date.

There are a few situations where sending save the dates earlier rather than later would be useful, so for example:

• If the wedding is abroad
• The wedding date is in a popular holiday period (August, for example), or on a weekday where guests will need time off
• If early booking of accommodation is important and / or guests are having to travel far

Early warning to guests enables plans to be put in place, including childcare, travel and accommodation. We typically complete save the date orders within 1-2 weeks from ordering.

10-12 months before
Start planning your invitations

Now is a good time to start looking at your invitations in terms of content and composition. Before placing an order we recommend working on the details you want to include, such as accommodation details, venue and children policies, menu information and so on. We have a separate guide available to read that covers wording of your invitations, here

With the huge range of styles and choices on offer, it can be a good idea to familiarise yourself with the options by scanning through the designs on our website. You can also order samples at this point if you haven't already.

8-10 months before
Book an optional consultation

Invitations do take more planning than save the dates so if you are just joining us at this stage, didn't opt for a consult prior or just want to go over any queries then book in for a consultation.

6-8 months before
Order your invitations

Based on our own production timelines we suggest working backwards 6-8 weeks from the point you intend to receive (or send) your invitations. This will cover the vast majority of invitation orders we've completed, as our average tends to be around 3-4 weeks from ordering to dispatch.

At this stage some couples include invitations for their evening guests too and get this all done in one go, others like to get their main all-day invitations sent out first and order evening-only invitations when the day invitations have been sent.

2 months before
Order your on-the-day stationery

When your guests have returned their RSVP you can start to order your on-the-day stationery. Unlike invitations where an RSVP date can be moved if required, with wedding day stationery you can't really move the wedding date!

So we recommend kicking the process off with a minimum of 6 weeks before the big day to make sure that adjustments can be catered for before we go to print.

In conclusion

We are keen to stress that your timeline may well differ from this dependent upon your wedding and all of the finer details but the general principles can be easily translated to your own wedding planning.

If you need any help in getting your stationery planned in, then please contact us to discuss, we'll help wherever we can!