Wedding stationery can be confusing and one of the areas of wedding planning that many couples find hard to navigate. Do not fear, today we have asked three local wedding stationers for their tips and tricks to get your dream stationery perfect. As an added little bonus make sure you stay until the end to read how to add a very personalised touch to your day with the help of Andrew Goti!
The Paper Lane
1. Pick a Colour scheme or Theme: When planning your wedding, deciding on a colour palette should be one of your initial decor decisions as it informs choices for your invitations, flowers, cake etc. Usually this is decided by the colour of your bridesmaids dresses, the season or what flowers are in season at that time of year. For example, if you are having an Autumn wedding, you might go with a rust and green colour palette, if you are having a spring wedding you might opt for pastel colours. Remember, it looks great when everything at a wedding is cohesive and on-theme.
2. Setting the tone: Your wedding invitation is the first point of contact between you and your guest. It sets the tone for the whole day. Do you want a fun, festival style wedding or an elegant black tie wedding, either way it should come across in your invitation and give your guests an idea of what they should expect.
3. Start the process early: You should send your invites out to your guests around 2 months before your big day so we advise that you start the process with your designer about 6-8 months before your wedding. If your wedding is peak summer, a bank holiday weekend or at Christmas, I would advise you send your invites out sooner. Most wedding stationers will accommodate rush jobs but you should give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the design process as it can take a few weeks from start to finish. If you are ordering a bespoke invitation or a design that takes time to be put together you should give yourself a little longer. You also need to take into account that you need time to gather guest addresses and write them too.
4. Posting your invites: An Post have a range of Love Stamps available to buy at most Post Offices and online. These are heart shaped and look lovely on an invitation rather than a standard stamp. When sending your invitations, you need to make sure they are not too heavy. If you are including extra literature or you have chosen a perspex invitation this could be an issue. A standard letter stamp in Ireland now costs €1.65 for a 100g letter. If your invitation weighs more than this, your postage could jump up to €2.95 per invite. If you are putting wax seals on your envelopes, you will need to ask for them to be hand sorted by the post office as the rollers on the sorting machines can damage your lovely seals.
5. RSVP’s: I recommend that you set up a wedding email address to use for your guests to RSVP to. It means that the replies are all kept in one place and are not getting mixed up with work emails or your partner hasn’t forgotten to tell you that Auntie Mary is coming. Make sure you ask your guests on your invitation for any extra information you need eg: if they have any dietary requirements, can they attend Day 2, do they have a song request etc. Also make sure you give your guests a date for when they need to respond to their RSVP.
5. Extra information: If you have extra information to include on your invite such as Accommodation, Directions, RSVP, Day 2 information etc, you can usually fit all of this on the back of a flat invite. If you have a lot of information to include, then a folded or trifold invitation will give you more panels to spread this information out. QR Codes are also great to use on invitations, you can link these to a wedding website or a form that they fill in to RSVP. We can also use a QR code on your Thank you cards to send your guests a link to an album with your wedding photos.
6. Enjoy: Remember the day goes so fast, so enjoy every minute of it. Trust your suppliers, they are doing this job day in and day out, they know what they are doing and they won’t let you down.
View The Paper Lane Profile Here
Annie Design
Hi, I’m Anne – the owner and designer behind Annie Design.
Truthfully, I’ve known I wanted to be an event and wedding designer since my very first job—nearly 17 years ago! I’ve worked in the design industry ever since, gaining experience and learning as much as I could before taking the leap into self-employment.
I launched Annie Design in 2018 with one clear goal: to create more than just beautiful stationery. I wanted to curate entire event experiences — ones that reflect the personality, style, and love story of each couple I work with.
Here are a few of my top tips for couples planning their big day:
Timing is everything
Always order earlier than you think you should—especially when it comes to printed items. We live in a fast-paced world, but printing hasn’t changed! Special finishes often take time and are still completed by hand. My advice? Order your invitations at least six months before your wedding date. Once they’re out, start working on your ‘on the day’ items. That way, when your wedding week arrives, you’ll be free to enjoy time with family and soak up the excitement stress-free!
Choose just one special finish
Good news for whoever’s handling the budget! There are so many beautiful print finishes—gold foiling, embossing, debossing, deckled edges… it’s easy to get carried away. But honestly, less is more. Choose one finish that feels meaningful or impactful to you and let it shine.
Don’t underestimate the power of small details
It’s often the little things that guests remember. A playful sign, personalised cocktail menus, or creative table numbers can add a fun, unexpected twist. Don’t be afraid to reflect your personalities—this day is yours, after all!
And above all else — cherish the journey.
Planning your wedding should be a joyful, inspiring experience — not a stressful one. I’m here to guide you through every detail with care and creativity, so you can truly savour each moment. From the first design consultation to the final flourish on your big day, my goal is to make the process feel effortless — and your celebration, utterly unforgettable.
View Annie Designs Profile Here
Pippa Jane Stationery
Understanding the subtly of papercraft is an important part of choosing the right wedding stationery artist for you. While some hold their wedding stationery as something of a minor part of their wedding planning – little beyond “getting the message out”, others recognise the subtly behind the art of setting the mood for the entire day before it even begins. While the information and details of your wedding are important to communicate too, there is more to it.
As a papercrafter of 20years, at Pippa Jane Stationery I understand this, and it’s my entire ethos to work with a client to bring the experience of so many months of planning to the guests right before it even begins. If I could offer one tip it would be to work with someone who listens intently to what you truly want – while this often starts with colour palette, it’s more than that. The feel of the whole piece will convey a feeling right down to the choice of the very paper it’s printed on: all of it works to create the vibes.
When you choose a wedding stationer to work with, the design you create together with your artist will be something which appears right from save the dates, with glimpses of that same design appearing through the invitation, the signage , ceremony booklets and all across each table. It becomes part of the decor and the event itself.
Choose a wedding stationer who understands the fabric of paper itself, and uses it to create mood. It’s subtle but it shows.
Other tips:
Consider the wording, find a stationer who can help you with the wording if you’re not sure.
Balance budget with style and work with an artist who will find a happy medium between both.
Remove unnecessary “fluff” wording and opt for a clear font for specifics like numbers dates and eircodes. Text likes to have breathing room on a card, it maximises the luxury effect.
Consider linking your invitations with a wedding website and QR for RSVP. This can Remove the need for a details insert card or traditional mail-back RSVP card (which are almost obselete), as the websites can allow you to add the additional information there.
Your stationery budget from sabe the dates to on-the-day stationery will account for approximately 5% of your overall budget.
Add a line for writing guests names to avoid awkward conversations or confusion, or ask your stationer about printing individual guest names. A paper band surround can be a beautiful way to add printed guest names.
Personalisation of your on the day Stationery with individual names can be another gorgeous way to increase connection with your guests.
Contact your stationer ahead of time to allow for enjoying the design process and ordering a sample or sample pack ahead of making a booking to get a feel for the designs and styles.
Handmade stationery that is customised for you personally has an unmatchable quality.
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Andrew Goti Caricatures
In my line of work it’s all about details and love story, given that I weave every little personal prop and memory into one coherent visual scene!
So my tip to couples preparing to show their love for each other in front of their family, friends and the wider world is to: lay it all out there! Share the love. Heal the world. Be a shining example, and have a little bit of cute fun whilst doing so with a Goti Caricature.
It’s a creative blast piecing all your unique relationship and individual quirky suggestions into my bespoke designs. They can include: in jokes,
Easter Eggs, past times, significant locations, companion animals, quotes, themes or fantasy elements.
I work closely with my clients back and forth on mock ups to ensure everything fits perfectly and then put pen to paper or alternatively stylus to iPad depending on the aesthetic you prefer.
Here are some examples of illustrations used for wedding invites, signing boards or as framed prints:
View Andrew Goti Caricatures Profile Here
