I am very excited to share this post from Dimitria Jordan, a luxury wedding stationer based in London, whom I had the pleasure of working with on many occasions. Dimitria creates beautiful bespoke wedding stationery with exceptional attention to detail and she is a recommended wedding supplier for numerous London wedding venues. Dimitria provides a personal one to one service and believes in making this process creative, exciting and most of all stress-free.
Dimitria Jordan
Luxury Wedding Stationer
Wedding stationery tells your love story and wedding through its style, colours, and textures. Working with a wedding stationer will allow you to explore which styles, beautiful details, and colours you love and tailor it to you both.
Your wedding stationery is part of your special day before, during and after the day itself. From the beginning with your Save the Dates and invitations, you will use it to shape your day; on the day itself it will be there to bind everything together, and it will be there whilst you reminisce and thank your guests for sharing your day with you. It’s all about the details after all…
Choosing your wedding stationer should be the same as choosing any other vendor – you should connect with them, not only with their style and designs but on a personal level. You will be working with your stationer at various times through your wedding journey, from the very beginning, right until the very end. You want to feel confident they know your vision and your style, with stationery to complement that perfectly. Having a meeting (when possible), phone call, or Skype consultation will all help with your decision, as well as your email communication.
When thinking about your wedding stationery, there are a few things to consider and think about. Let’s start from the beginning, with your invitations….
The Design
By this stage, your venue (and possibly other suppliers) will be booked, and you will have a sense of the overall look you would like. A lot of this will also be decided based on your venue choice. A beautiful ballroom, for example, will lend itself to a classic and elegant design. The design you choose for your invitations will also then follow through to your on-the-day stationery, so it may help to visualise how you would like your day to look first, and then use this to help decide on the overall design.
Your colours can be incorporated into your wedding stationery through the cardstock colour, envelope colour and ink colours. Foiling is a lovely way to incorporate metallics too. Your overall colour palette will be discussed with your stationer before making a start, and they will suggest colours if you are unsure about anything.
The details
Less is more, and it’s all about the details! There are many ways to incorporate details into your wedding stationery.
Love your venue? Commission a special illustration to commemorate it and use on your invitation (this could be as part of the main design, as an envelope liner, or wax seal).
Bespoke monograms are another way to add a personal touch, which can then also be used across all your on-the-day stationery and thank you cards, as well as on a wax seal.
Another detail is gilt edging. This adds a subtle yet beautiful finish to the edges of your invitation. This works best on invitations with a thick cardstock (at least 540gsm) for the full effect.
Your choice of cardstock is also a subtle yet important detail. The texture, colour, and thickness will all add to the overall look and feel of your wedding stationery. A textured cardstock, for example, will really lift a classic design. This will be another element you will discuss with your stationer.
The love of a printed envelope…
One favourite detail of mine which has a massive impact on your overall invitation suite is printed envelopes. This adds the perfect finishing touch to your suite and makes it so special when your guest receives it, personalised especially for them. Printed in the same colours, fonts and style as your invitations, it will begin the journey of your special day right from the very beginning.
Pre-printed rsvp envelopes will also add to the overall look and guest experience. Your guest simply has to fill out the rsvp, and then place it in the pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelope, which will make it enjoyable and easy for them to return. (It will also add to your own excitement when you receive pretty envelopes back to you in the post!)
Once you have sent out your invitations to guests and finalised guest numbers and your menu, the next stage will be to work on your on-the-day stationery! (I advise to make a start on your on-the-day stationery 6-8 weeks before your big day).
Let’s explore how your on-the-day stationery will work…
It all begins with your welcome sign. As soon as your guests arrive at your venue, it’s a lovely note to your guests to welcome them into your wedding day…all whilst keeping the same thread of design and style which they are now familiar with.
It continues with your table plan or escort cards, and then on to your tables where your guests will look for their table number or name, followed by their name on personalised menus or place cards. It’s a major part of your day and should be thought of as such.
Other-on-the day stationery could be items such as order of service booklets, the order of the day signs, bar menus, and venue signage, bookmarks (which acts as both a favour and place card).
It weaves through your day seamlessly and effortlessly to add the overall dusting on your day. It ties the day together, working in harmony with your flowers, linen and crockery. Your photographer will be taking pictures of the details – from how the room looks before the guests enter, to the tables…all memories and details to cherish.
Thank You…
Once your special day is over, the last thing to do is to thank your guests with personalised, hand-written thank you cards.
Thank you cards add a lovely personal touch after your wedding, whilst reminding them of your special day.
Discuss with your stationer your thoughts on thank you cards at the same time as your on-the-day stationery. If you would like a picture from your wedding day to be the main style of your thank you card, you will need to wait until your photographer sends these to you. This will inevitably delay when you send them to your guests, so do bear this in mind.
Alternatively, you may prefer your thank you cards to follow the same design as your wedding stationery, and without an image. Ordering your thank you cards at the same time as your on-the-day stationery has several benefits; you are in the designing stage and will have a clear vision of what you would like, and they will be printed and delivered to you before your wedding which means you can make a start as soon as you’d like.
You can then relax after the wedding day, and when you’re ready, start to write your thank you cards at a slow pace…
A few tips…
- Order a full set for yourself – it will be a lovely physical reminder of your day and can be kept in a memory box along with other items.
- Photograph your invitation suite – you could send your stationery suite to your photographer beforehand, or it could be styled on the morning of your wedding with your wedding accessories (such as veil, jewellery, bridal shoes), and be captured forever. Discuss this with your photographer what is best.
- Spare sets – when ordering, it is advisable to order an extra 5-10% of your quantity. This will allow for any last-minute guest additions. It will be more expensive to print a low quantity at a later date.
You can find out more about the latest collections of Dimitria Jordan here: dimitriajordan.co.uk
Katie The Events DesignersAs always amazing advice from Dimitria Jordan. Thanks for sharing.