Wedding Planning Archive

Our Engagement 101 series has now covered how to choose wedding planners, photographers, and floral designers, but today’s post will feature something tangible: wedding stationery! Custom designed stationery is more attainable than you think, and there are a ton of options. Pocket folds vs. belly bands, letterpress vs. offset ink…it can get confusing, and that’s where it pays to have a creative, knowledgeable stationery designer at your disposal.

Today we’ll discuss the different stationery pieces you might need for your wedding, when to send out Save the Dates and invitations, and the Top 2 stationery trends for 2011.

When should you mail Save the Dates and invitations?

Save the Dates should be mailed about six months in advance, especially if you are having a destination wedding. This allows your guests to make travel arrangements, ask for days off of work, or save money. It’s also a fun way to introduce your theme and get your guests excited about your wedding. Rule of thumb: only send Save the Dates to people you are absolutely sure you’re inviting to your wedding.

Your actual invitations need to be mailed six weeks prior to the wedding. Require RSVPs to be returned 1-2 weeks before your wedding day. This gives you some wiggle room to accept some late returns, get your final guest count to your venue and caterer, and not worry about who’s coming the week before!

To make sure you have your Save the Dates on time to send six months out, make sure you’re ordering your stationery about 8-9 months before the wedding. Ordering the whole suite (save the dates, invites, reply cards, envelopes, escort cards, menus, etc) at the beginning pays off: it can save you money and lend itself to a more streamlined design.

What pieces of reception stationery do you need for casual and formal weddings?

If you have assigned tables, you will need escort cards. This goes for either casual or formal weddings. Escort cards have each guest’s name and their table assignment, and they are usually displayed at the cocktail hour. For casual weddings, you will probably have a buffet, so menu cards are not necessary. If you’re having a formal seated dinner, menu cards are generally tucked into napkins or displayed at each place setting to let guests know what menu items you have in store for them!

Other reception stationery pieces might include tags on your favors, table numbers or names, and cards at different stations (guest book signing, candy buffet, sparkler pick-up for your exit) with instructions for guests. All of these, from the escort cards to instruction cards, are more ways to tie your theme together throughout the day.

What are the Top Trends for stationery in 2011?

Bright colors are back! Honeysuckle pink, bright blues, and mustard yellows are seeing a rise in popularity. Greys will continue to be used often as an accent color.

Additionally, more and more couples are choosing to put photos of themselves on the Save the Dates or invitations. Make sure you’re choosing your photographer and getting your engagement photos done in time so your stationer has time to design the pieces around your photos.

It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means: Engagement 101! So far, we’ve covered wedding planners and photographers, but today we’re moving on to our first decor vendor: the florist! Danny of The Savage Garden filled me in on the vital information you need on how and when to choose your wedding day florist.

Gone are the days of weddings full of white roses. Florists are increasingly creative with their use of color, unusual blooms, and interesting vessels. With arrangements hanging from the ceiling and lots of found objects, the sky is the limit with floral design.

So when do you need to hire a florist for your wedding?

From Danny: “You should book your florist as far out as one year. Popular dates book quickly, and there is real competition for the better floral designers. I like to have my final walk-through at the venue one month before the actual wedding. That way guest counts are pretty final, and we have time to capture any last minute design changes.”

What are your favorite floral options for casual and formal weddings?

From Danny: “I like the backyard wedding format for a casual wedding. They tend to be more intimate and the decor as more of a collected look — think Anthropologie! I think candelabra floral arrangements are a must for formal weddings. They always lend an air of sophistication.”

What’s your favorite floral trend for 2011 weddings?

From Danny: “Love next year’s color trend of muted, soft tones…blush, parchment, coral, peach, and butter yellow.”

Any final words of floral advice?

From Danny: “First, try to find a floral designer that specializes in weddings and events. Because they specialize in only events, they have the expertise to help you take your concept to the next level. Next, ask for referrals. Finally, don’t shop price alone. All floral designers buy their flowers from the same places, so if a price seems too good to be true, you’ll probably get exactly what you pay for in skimpy arrangements and grocery store flower varieties.”

In short: ask for referrals, look for a florist who specializes in events, and get creative! Let your flowers showcase your personality, and don’t be afraid to break the mold when it comes to floral design.

Last week, I introduced StudioWed’s “Engagement 101” series and focused on wedding planners. Today, we’ll go further into the planning process and talk about when to book wedding photographers, what to look for when booking wedding photographers, and what StudioWed vendors think is the best advice when it comes to choosing and booking a photographer for your wedding. Our photographers, Andrea Taylor Studio, Jamie Howell Photography, Janet Howard Studio, Project Duo Photography, and Rae Leytham Photography, all let me pick their brains to bring you the best information when it comes to booking a wedding photographer.

Booking a photographer is one of the biggest decisions you have to make when planning your wedding. First of all, the images last forever! Other than your marriage (which is, of course, the most important!), your photos are the only thing you can take away from the day. Picking a photographer whose style and personality meshes with yours is paramount, and here is how you can make sure to make the right choice.

When do you need to book a wedding photographer?

From Janet Howard: “As soon as you have a date set. Any vendor that can only do one wedding per day, such as the venue, photographer, or planner should be booked as soon as possible. Popular dates can book a year or more in advance, so those are things to cross off your list early! Also, finding your photographer means you can do an engagement photo session early, and use those images for your Save the Dates or your wedding web site.”

Photo via Janet Howard Studio

What do you need to look for when meeting with potential wedding photographers?

From Courtney & Zahra of Project Duo: We think chemistry is the number one factor when choosing your photographer. If there’s no chemistry, how can you make beautiful work together? The images that are made on your engagement session and wedding day are a collaboration between you and your photographer.

From Jamie Howell: “The best piece of advice I can give is do your research and have a very good idea of what you’re looking for. Basic, “deal breaker” issues should be dealt with over the phone or through email before meeting. This includes issues of availability and budget. If someone isn’t available or is completely out of your price range, then there is no reason to waste time meeting them.

You should also know what style of photography you are after. A lot of people aren’t very picky. In this case, most competent photographers should be able to satisfy your requirements. To others who have more discerning tastes, keep looking at websites and portfolios to find someone you really like.”

What’s the best advice when it comes to the wedding day?

From Wes of Rae Leytham Photography: “Be on time! Most photography timelines are already crowded, and being even a few minutes late getting started can throw the whole day off. That usually affects photography the most.”

From Andrea Taylor: “If photography is important to you and, for example, you want to have lots of images of the couple together, you want to allocate enough time for that. Other than that, trust who you hired and enjoy the ride.”

Photo via Andrea Taylor Studio

So in summary: book early (6-12 months in advance), do your research, ask lots of questions during your consultations, and enjoy photos you love forever!

I’m so excited for the first installment of our new weekly feature: Engagement 101. The wedding planning process can be joyful, happy, exciting, and fun, but it can also be confusing, stressful, and difficult. That’s where our StudioWed vendors come in! I’ve polled them, asked questions, and generally picked their brains for what to do when you get engaged. Whether it’s when to hire your florist vs. when to hire your band, etiquette, trends, do’s and don’ts, and more, we’ll discuss it here for Engagement 101!

So call all your friends and family with the good news, post a picture of your ring on Facebook, and then learn all about the wedding planning process from us!

Planning a wedding can be daunting, especially when you have other things going on in your life. Enter a wedding planner! From Katy of Sashay Events: “Sometimes you need a planner to help you with every step along the way, including finding your venue, but other times, you just need someone to support the decisions you have made as you approach your wedding date.” Planners can be involved from start-to-finish, designing the overall look of your wedding along with the other duties, or they can step in later to help finalize contracts, manage your budget, construct a solid day-of timeline, and help the wedding run smoothly.

So when do you need to hire a wedding planner?

Wedding planners can be hired as far as a year in advance. Since they can only work one wedding per day, good planners tend to book quickly.

What should you look out for when hiring a wedding planner?

Katy of Sashay Events explained it this way: “When interviewing potential planners, be sure to understand exactly what they are offering you and that they meet your specific needs. You want to connect with a planner on a personal level, feel confident in their ability to represent you, and carry out your wedding day as planned.

Wedding planners eat, sleep, and breathe weddings! All of the things, like timelines, budgets, and dealing with all of the small details, that seem so overwhelming to you are all part of the job to planners. If you can’t hire a full service wedding planner, definitely look for a day-of or month-of wedding planner. You need someone there on the day of to keep calm, execute your vision, and remind you to breathe and soak in the moments you planned all year for!

StudioWed Wedding Planners:

Lemiga Events, Michelle Gainey

Sashay Events, Katy Cobb and Alyssa Olson