5 items of wedding stationery that will help make your nuptials truly special
Not everyone who is planning a wedding – whether in Gibraltar or elsewhere – will necessarily pay a huge amount of attention to the stationery requirements for their big day, at least compared to the more prominent and obvious visual elements such as the dress and the venue.
But should that really be the case? After all, Gibraltar weddings typically require at least some stationery, with one example being the wedding invitations that are so fundamental to setting the tone for the entire event.
So, even if not all popular forms of wedding stationery are necessarily required for all Gibraltar weddings, you will still want to ensure the stationery you use for your special day is as stylish and special as the day itself.
Indeed, wedding stationery can be grouped into ‘pre-wedding’, ‘on-the-day’, and ‘post-wedding’ categories, so there will be more for you to think about than you necessarily realise.
Let us, then, put the spotlight on just five types of wedding stationery that you might be advised to focus more time and energy on when planning your nuptials.
Pre-wedding: ‘save the date’ cards
‘Save the date’ cards aren’t to be confused with wedding invitations, which we will discuss in a moment. These cards are issued much further in advance of the big day than the wedding invites – think about nine to 12 months out in the case of a destination wedding, where the would-be attendee may be required to do a fair amount of travelling from home.
Your own ‘save the date’ cards might even be sent out as far as 18 months before the big day, and ought to include details like the date and location of the wedding, and the URL for your wedding website, presuming you have one already set up.
Pre-wedding: the wedding invitations
While the ‘save the date’ card will have helped ensure potential attendees know your wedding is happening – and where and when – it is the wedding invite that will constitute the formal invitation of the recipient to your wedding.
In effect, the wedding invitation serves as a means of confirming the guest’s attendance, and sharing further details about the event, potentially including such specific arrangements as the hotel where guests will be staying, or a list of some local accommodation options. Invites are traditionally sent about six to eight weeks in advance of the wedding date.
On the day: the order of service
As the name suggests, the order of service will set out the various timings of the day, so that the guests know when such key things as the initial wedding ceremony, and then the reception and associated celebrations and dancing, are set to take place.
You might choose to have your own order of service card or booklet personalised with an illustration of the wedding venue. But of course, as it is your wedding, the scope for customisation can also be somewhat broader than that.
On the day: the guestbook
For many couples planning their Gibraltar weddings, the guestbook is one of their favourite pieces of wedding stationery. That’s because these notebooks can serve as a great keepsake, enabling you to look back and reflect on the comments of well-wishers at an event that will be one of the most defining ones of your life, and that will never happen again.
As you might imagine, then, many couples go out of their way to ensure the guestbook itself is a gorgeous-looking item in its own right, it being a truly worthy ‘symbol’ of the entire event.
Post-wedding: ‘thank you’ cards
Once all the celebrations of the day itself are over, the tears have been shed, and the two of you have enjoyed your honeymoon, it will be time to embark on your married life together in earnest.
But before you throw yourself into a more stable ‘everyday’ life as a married couple, don’t forget to get those ‘thank you’ cards sent out to your wedding attendees! These cards will communicate to your guests just how much their presence – and any gifts that they brought for you on your big day – meant to you. So, we would suggest that you don’t overlook the importance of this category of wedding stationery.
There you have it – five reminders that the stationery you use for your wedding should be much more than a mere afterthought!
As for getting together so many of the other crucial elements of your special day, our team at Sweet Gibraltar Weddings can assist, whichever one of our in-demand packages for Gibraltar weddings you happen to choose. Complete and submit our straightforward online contact form today, and we will be pleased to get back in touch with you to discuss how we could help with your wedding planning.
