Wedding Stationary: Thank-you Cards, Save-the-Date Cards, and Other Items
By: Crystal and Jason Melendez


Order paper goods that you may need together with your invitations and enclosures especially if you want them to match in style. The more things you buy at once, the more of a discount you’re likely to get. When it comes to printing, bulk orders are the way to go.


Ceremony Programs

This is a great way to make your guests feel more a part of the ceremony, and is especially useful if you’re including ethnic or cultural rituals, or special readings. Why have your guests whispering to each other trying to figure out what’s going on? Inform them with an attractive program that reflects your wedding’s style and can become a keepsake as well.

What kind of information is typically included in programs? The names of your wedding party, for starters, along with their relationship to you. Include an itinerary so your guests will know what’s coming up next, and add any readings that will be given so they can follow along. Explain cultural customs or special rituals if it’s an interfaith or intercultural wedding. Couples also often include an acknowledgement or thank-you passage dedicated to parents, friends, and other loved ones as well as directions from the ceremony spot to the reception. If you’ve moved or will be moving after the wedding, you can put your new address here, too.


Informal or Thank-you Cards

Get plenty of these! You want to start sending out the thank-you’s as soon as your gifts begin arriving.


Gift-received Cards

If you’ve got a long honeymoon lined up, a big guest list or otherwise anticipate that you won’ be able to get your thank-you’s out in time, consider these pre-printed notes. They’ll inform guests that you've received their gift and that a written message from you will soon follow.


Name Cards

These can be sent separately, with your invitation or with a wedding announcement. They let friends, relatives and business associates know that you’ll be changing your name.


Wedding Announcements

After your ceremony, you may want to send a formal announcement to those individuals you were unable to invite to the wedding in order to spread the news.


Save-the-Date Cards

If your wedding date falls on a holiday weekend or you are otherwise worried that your guests may make alternate plans, these notices can be sent out before the invitations—right away, in fact. They simply inform the recipient of your wedding date and can be sent as soon as you settle on the date itself to avoid potential conflicts in plans. A great alternative idea is to send a Save-the-Date e-card and cut the extra stationery cost. If your guests’ email addresses are all stored in your online guest database, sending such a broadcast is easily done.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Crystal and Jason Melendez are the authors of e-Plan Your Wedding:
How to Save Time and Money with Today's Best Online Resources
(June 2006; $18.95US; 1-933457-00-3).
For more information, please visit http://www.eplanyourwedding.com

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