A guide to creating
your Wedding Stationery

There can be more to wedding stationery than some people think, so to help you with your planning, I’ve put together this guide to how I work and to help talk you through the process.

All of the artwork I use within my designs are drawn by me. These are drawn by hand mainly using a mix of watercolour paints, pencils and pen, depending on the style you are looking for. I can create the artwork in a style to fit your theme, from simplistic, chic line drawings, to bright, bold, watercolour illustrations.

These illustrations are then digitalised and paired with a mix of fonts and finishes to create your stationery designs and match the style of your wedding, applying them to each of the different items you require.

Below is a guide to the different steps I follow when creating wedding stationery designs.

How it Works

  • Wedding invitation design featuring line illustration of the Old Kent Barn paired with the colours wedding colour palette

    It starts with You

    To start the process we’ll arrange a meeting in-person or online, so I can get to know you and what you’re looking for in your stationery. We’ll discuss what elements you want to make up your suite and the ideas you want me to bring to life.

    The starting point for your stationery could be anything from your colour scheme, the flowers you’ll be having on the day, the venue itself or a particular image or theme you want included. If you’re stuck for inspiration, don’t worry, I’ve got lots of examples and ideas to bring to the table to help.

  • Progress photo of a watercolour illustration of a tipi in a farm as part of a festival themed wedding stationery commission

    Creating your designs

    I will keep you regularly updated during the creative process of designing your stationery, sharing sketches, layout and style ideas, acting upon your feedback and making any changes you require until you're happy with the final artwork and design.

  • Wedding Stationery suite in green and blush pink, with soft watercolour motifs. Suite included, gate-fold invitation, wedding timeline, information cards and envelope with matching liner.

    Customising your suite

    With all the artwork and design element completed, I will begin applying the style to each element you want including within your suite. 

    Once you're happy with how each element looks we will move to the printing process of your wedding stationery suite.

  • Folded wedding invitation featuring a watercolour and pencil illustration of Whitstable Castle on the outside and a scene of the couples favourite local places inside.

    Producing your suite

    Once your designs are finalised, I will organise producing your designs through a trusted outsourced printing company. 

    I work closely with the printers to ensure everything is produced to the finest quality, making sure that the paper, finish and feel is in line with the style and theme of your wedding

  • A set of hand finished wedding invitations, with a thin black ribbon tied in a bow holding together the different sheets

    Finishing Touches

    Once all the elements of your suite have been produced & any final personal touches completed, your suite will be securely posted or delivered to you.

    And that's a wrap!

Let's Start Now!

What Stationery
do I need?

What you include within your wedding stationery is completely up to you. 

If you don't know everything you want or may need for the day straight away, that's absolutely fine. I'll be able to add items to match the style and design to your commission up to 3 weeks before your big day.

To help give you some ideas, here are some of the most frequent stationery items I design:

Before the Day

  • Save the Dates

  • Invitations

  • RSVP cards

  • Envelope liners

  • Maps

On the Day

  • Table Plan

  • Table Signs

  • Place Cards

  • Welcome Sign

  • Order of Service

  • Wedding day Timeline

  • Guestbook

After the Day

  • Thank-you cards

  • Gift Illustrations (anniversaries)

Timeframes

Each couple is different in their approach and there is no set process for when you need to have your stationery ready, but from experience here is a rough guide for the timeframes people often work towards:

Stage One - Save the Dates:

Generally sent a year in advance of the wedding, or as soon as possible, depending on how much notice you need to give guests to make arrangements.

For weddings taking place abroad, you may need to give your guests additional notice to ensure they can book travel and accommodation.

Stage Two - Wedding Invitations:

These are usually sent out 3 - 6 months ahead of the big day. 

This can vary if the venue or caterers require more notice on numbers or if you're waiting on particular information from your guests to provide the venue with.

Stage Three - On the Day Stationery:

These are generally ordered 10 - 14 days ahead of the wedding, once you have all the details finalised, guests confirmed and timings for the day.

How much time do I need?:

For the process of drawing and creating your initial designs, please allow between 2 - 3 weeks from agreeing to work with me. 

Any stages after that I will factor into my working calendar based on the above rough timeframes and the level or work required to meet your design brief.

FAQs

Is there a minimum order?

No, because all of my bespoke stationery suites are fully customised to you and your wedding, there is no minimum order required, so you can have as many versions of each item as your need.

Can my stationery be personalised?

Yes. Personalisation with each guests name/s being added to invitations, place cards and other items is available for an additional cost. 

If you need this, such as your venue has requested each guests food choices are printed on the back of their place card, let me know & I will be able to quote you for these.

Can you address the envelopes?

Yes. If you require your invitations to be addressed to your guest on your behalf, then I am able to do this for you, just let me know and I can again quote for this based on the number of invites required.

Do you take care of the finishing touches?

I do. If your designs require hand finishing, such as ribbons being tied, envelope liners being fixed or any other special flourishes, then I will take care of that prior to sending your items on to you.

Just let me know what you have in mind and I'll be able to let you know the costings accordingly.