[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":2253},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$ftIEU77gxmG7oFo0LZT45yMWloEbquGkJkVV4tJ5PCNE":3,"$fRPgg2xVnttuQpDEg_4PZ9no1solULoS5AaZrI4wSSSM":57,"blog-save-the-dates-when-to-send-and-what-to-include":83,"blog-related-save-the-dates-when-to-send-and-what-to-include":306},{"nav":4,"footer":23},{"showLogo":5,"logo":6,"links":7,"ctaLabel":20,"ctaUrl":21,"loginLabel":22,"loginUrl":21},true,"Build The Day",[8,11,14,17],{"label":9,"url":10},"Features","/features",{"label":12,"url":13},"Pricing","/pricing",{"label":15,"url":16},"Blog","/blog",{"label":18,"url":19},"Learn","https://learn.buildtheday.com","Get Started Free","https://app.buildtheday.com/admin","Log in",{"brand":6,"tagline":24,"columns":25,"copyright":6},"Beautiful wedding websites that make planning effortless.",[26,33,48],{"title":27,"links":28},"Product",[29,30,31,32],{"label":9,"url":10},{"label":12,"url":13},{"label":15,"url":16},{"label":18,"url":19},{"title":34,"links":35},"Popular Features",[36,39,42,45],{"label":37,"url":38},"RSVP Management","/features/rsvp-management",{"label":40,"url":41},"Seating Chart","/features/seating-chart",{"label":43,"url":44},"Photo Gallery","/features/photo-gallery",{"label":46,"url":47},"Budget Planner","/features/budget-planner",{"title":49,"links":50},"Get Started",[51,53,54],{"label":52,"url":21},"Create your website",{"label":22,"url":21},{"label":55,"url":56},"Privacy Policy","/privacy-policy",{"nav":58,"footer":64},{"showLogo":5,"logo":6,"links":59,"ctaLabel":20,"ctaUrl":21,"loginLabel":22,"loginUrl":21},[60,61,62,63],{"label":9,"url":10},{"label":12,"url":13},{"label":15,"url":16},{"label":18,"url":19},{"brand":6,"tagline":24,"columns":65,"copyright":6},[66,72,78],{"title":27,"links":67},[68,69,70,71],{"label":9,"url":10},{"label":12,"url":13},{"label":15,"url":16},{"label":18,"url":19},{"title":34,"links":73},[74,75,76,77],{"label":37,"url":38},{"label":40,"url":41},{"label":43,"url":44},{"label":46,"url":47},{"title":49,"links":79},[80,81,82],{"label":52,"url":21},{"label":22,"url":21},{"label":55,"url":56},{"id":84,"title":85,"author":86,"body":87,"category":286,"date":287,"description":288,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":291,"imageAlt":292,"imageCredit":293,"imageCreditUrl":294,"meta":295,"navigation":5,"path":296,"readTime":297,"seo":298,"stem":299,"tags":300,"__hash__":305},"blog/blog/save-the-dates-when-to-send-and-what-to-include.md","Save-the-Dates: When to Send and What to Include","Editorial Team",{"type":88,"value":89,"toc":277},"minimark",[90,94,97,102,105,108,131,134,137,141,144,158,161,164,168,171,248,251,255,258,261,264,268,271,274],[91,92,93],"p",{},"A save-the-date does one job: it tells the people you love to keep a day free before the rest of the world fills their diary. That's it. It isn't the invitation, it doesn't need every detail, and it shouldn't try to be both.",[91,95,96],{},"Get the timing right and you'll dodge the awkward \"oh, we're away that weekend\" conversations. Send the right information and nobody has to email you asking what year it is. Here's how to handle it without overthinking.",[98,99,101],"h2",{"id":100},"when-to-send-them","When to send them",[91,103,104],{},"The general rule for a UK wedding is six to eight months ahead. That gives guests time to book leave, sort childcare and pencil it in before anything clashes.",[91,106,107],{},"But the date isn't fixed. A few things push it earlier:",[109,110,111,119,125],"ul",{},[112,113,114,118],"li",{},[115,116,117],"strong",{},"A destination wedding"," or anywhere that needs flights and accommodation. Send these 9 to 12 months out, sometimes more.",[112,120,121,124],{},[115,122,123],{},"A bank holiday weekend"," or a popular date like New Year's Eve, when people make plans early.",[112,126,127,130],{},[115,128,129],{},"Lots of guests travelling far",", who'll need to book trains or hotels in advance.",[91,132,133],{},"And a couple of things let you relax the timeline. If you're having a small, local wedding with guests who live nearby, four to six months is plenty. If you've already told everyone verbally and they're all expecting it, a save-the-date becomes more of a nice keepsake than a logistical necessity.",[91,135,136],{},"One word of caution: don't send them too early either. Send a save-the-date 18 months out and half your guests will have forgotten by the time the invitation lands. Six to eight months is the sweet spot for most people.",[98,138,140],{"id":139},"what-to-include-and-what-to-leave-out","What to include (and what to leave out)",[91,142,143],{},"Keep it short. A save-the-date is a teaser, not a brochure. You only need:",[109,145,146,149,152,155],{},[112,147,148],{},"Your names",[112,150,151],{},"The date (the full date, including the year, you'd be surprised)",[112,153,154],{},"The location, usually just the town or city, not the full venue address",[112,156,157],{},"The line \"invitation to follow\" so guests know more is coming",[91,159,160],{},"That last line matters more than people think. Without it, you get relatives ringing to ask whether this is the whole thing or whether they need to do anything. One small sentence saves a dozen phone calls.",[91,162,163],{},"What to leave off: RSVP details, dress code, gift information, the day's timings, and the full address. All of that belongs on the formal invitation later, when the details are actually locked in. If you put your venue on the save-the-date and then change it, you've created a problem that didn't need to exist.",[98,165,167],{"id":166},"save-the-date-vs-invitation","Save-the-date vs invitation",[91,169,170],{},"It's worth being clear on the difference, because the two get muddled constantly.",[172,173,174,189],"table",{},[175,176,177],"thead",{},[178,179,180,183,186],"tr",{},[181,182],"th",{},[181,184,185],{},"Save-the-date",[181,187,188],{},"Invitation",[190,191,192,204,215,226,237],"tbody",{},[178,193,194,198,201],{},[195,196,197],"td",{},"When it goes out",[195,199,200],{},"6 to 8 months before",[195,202,203],{},"6 to 8 weeks before",[178,205,206,209,212],{},[195,207,208],{},"What it says",[195,210,211],{},"Names, date, rough location",[195,213,214],{},"Full details, RSVP, dress code",[178,216,217,220,223],{},[195,218,219],{},"Tone",[195,221,222],{},"Casual, a heads-up",[195,224,225],{},"Formal, the official ask",[178,227,228,231,234],{},[195,229,230],{},"Who gets one",[195,232,233],{},"Everyone you're definitely inviting",[195,235,236],{},"Everyone, plus day-only guests",[178,238,239,242,245],{},[195,240,241],{},"Can details change?",[195,243,244],{},"Not really, so keep it vague",[195,246,247],{},"No, these are final",[91,249,250],{},"The headline takeaway: a save-the-date is a promise that an invitation is coming. The invitation is the real thing, with the real details, sent much closer to the day.",[98,252,254],{"id":253},"who-gets-a-save-the-date","Who gets a save-the-date",[91,256,257],{},"Here's the trap people fall into. Only send a save-the-date to guests you are 100 percent certain you want there. Because once you've sent one, you've effectively invited them. Disinviting someone after a save-the-date is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in wedding planning, so don't put yourself in that position.",[91,259,260],{},"That means your firm yes list only. If you're still deciding on a few extended-family names or work colleagues, leave them off the save-the-date and add them to the invitation list later if there's room. It's much easier to invite someone late than to take it back.",[91,262,263],{},"If you're doing a smaller ceremony with an evening reception for extra guests, you can send save-the-dates only to your full-day list, and let the evening crowd find out via the invitation. There's no rule that everyone has to receive both.",[98,265,267],{"id":266},"paper-digital-or-both","Paper, digital, or both",[91,269,270],{},"Printed save-the-dates are lovely, often magnets or postcards that live on the fridge as a constant reminder. Digital ones are free, instant, and easy to track. Plenty of couples do both: a digital version for speed, and a printed keepsake for close family.",[91,272,273],{},"If you're sending digital, a wedding website is the tidiest home for it. With Build The Day you can share the date and a short note, then add the full details, schedule and online RSVP to the same page later, so guests always have one link to come back to as the plans firm up.",[91,275,276],{},"Whatever you choose, the goal is the same: a clear heads-up, early enough to matter, with just enough information and not a drop more. Save the rest for the invitation.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":280},"",2,[281,282,283,284,285],{"id":100,"depth":279,"text":101},{"id":139,"depth":279,"text":140},{"id":166,"depth":279,"text":167},{"id":253,"depth":279,"text":254},{"id":266,"depth":279,"text":267},"Stationery & Invitations","2022-12-16","A clear UK guide to wedding save-the-dates: when to send them, what to include, who gets one, and how they differ from the full invitation.",false,"md","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1522142833700-f16d02b9e7da?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxzYXZlJTIwdGhlJTIwZGF0ZSUyMGNhcmR8ZW58MXwwfHx8MTc4MTYxMzc0MHww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","White happy wedding day card on brown surface","The HK Photo Company","https://unsplash.com/@thehkphotocompany?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/save-the-dates-when-to-send-and-what-to-include",5,{"title":85,"description":288},"blog/save-the-dates-when-to-send-and-what-to-include",[301,302,303,304],"save the dates","stationery","invitations","timeline","PT2hHPAwa3awVEr_3THYRLj92ZX0NzqJbEWSyrewECQ",[307,444,622,790,955,1145,1341,1533,1730,1936,2118],{"id":308,"title":309,"author":310,"body":311,"category":286,"date":430,"description":431,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":432,"imageAlt":433,"imageCredit":434,"imageCreditUrl":435,"meta":436,"navigation":5,"path":437,"readTime":438,"seo":439,"stem":440,"tags":441,"__hash__":443},"blog/blog/wedding-invitation-wording-for-every-situation.md","Wedding Invitation Wording for Every Situation","The Build The Day Team",{"type":88,"value":312,"toc":421},[313,316,320,323,327,330,344,347,351,354,366,369,373,376,386,389,393,396,400,403,408,411,415,418],[91,314,315],{},"Invitation wording trips up more couples than almost any other piece of stationery, and it is easy to see why. There are old conventions, modern relaxations, and the genuine complication of families that do not fit the traditional template. The reassuring truth is that there is no single correct version any more. There is only what is clear, warm and true to your situation. Here is the logic, and a template for every common case.",[98,317,319],{"id":318},"what-an-invitation-actually-has-to-say","What an invitation actually has to say",[91,321,322],{},"Strip away the elegance and an invitation answers five questions: who is inviting you, who is getting married, when, where, and what to do next. Everything else is style. If those five things are clear, the wording is doing its job. Hold that in mind and the rest is just tone.",[98,324,326],{"id":325},"the-classic-formal-version","The classic, formal version",[91,328,329],{},"The traditional wording is hosted by the bride's parents. It still reads beautifully for a formal day:",[331,332,333],"blockquote",{},[91,334,335,336,339,340,343],{},"Mr and Mrs John Smith\nrequest the pleasure of your company\nat the marriage of their daughter\n",[115,337,338],{},"Emily Rose","\nto ",[115,341,342],{},"Mr Thomas Clarke","\non Saturday the 14th of June 2025\nat twelve o'clock\nat St Mary's Church, Bath",[91,345,346],{},"Formal style spells out dates and times in words, uses full names and titles, and keeps the tone measured.",[98,348,350],{"id":349},"hosted-by-the-couple","Hosted by the couple",[91,352,353],{},"Increasingly, couples host their own weddings, and the wording relaxes to match:",[331,355,356],{},[91,357,358,361,362,365],{},[115,359,360],{},"Emily Smith"," and ",[115,363,364],{},"Thomas Clarke","\ninvite you to celebrate their wedding\nSaturday 14 June 2025 · 12 noon\nBath Abbey",[91,367,368],{},"Simpler, warmer, and entirely correct. When you are hosting, you can drop the formality without dropping the elegance.",[98,370,372],{"id":371},"both-families-hosting","Both families hosting",[91,374,375],{},"When both sets of parents contribute — common, and lovely to acknowledge — name them together:",[331,377,378],{},[91,379,380,381,361,383,385],{},"Together with their families,\n",[115,382,360],{},[115,384,364],{},"\nrequest the pleasure of your company\nat their marriage...",[91,387,388],{},"\"Together with their families\" is the modern workhorse phrase. It honours everyone without the puzzle of whose name goes first.",[98,390,392],{"id":391},"blended-families-and-complex-situations","Blended families and complex situations",[91,394,395],{},"This is where couples most often freeze, and where flexibility matters most. If you have divorced parents, step-parents, or a parent who has passed, the guiding rule is kindness and clarity over convention. List the people who are genuinely hosting, in a way that feels right to you. \"Together with their families\" gracefully sidesteps the whole question if naming everyone gets complicated. There is no etiquette worth a family argument.",[98,397,399],{"id":398},"the-details-and-the-next-step","The details and the next step",[91,401,402],{},"However you word the headline, the invitation also has to tell guests what to do. Traditionally this meant a reply card and a stamped envelope. Increasingly it means a line directing guests to your wedding website:",[331,404,405],{},[91,406,407],{},"Reply by 1 May at\nemilyandthomas.co.uk",[91,409,410],{},"Pointing guests online for RSVPs, travel, accommodation and the finer details keeps the invitation itself clean and uncluttered. They reply in a tap, choose their meal, and flag any dietary needs, while you watch the responses arrive in one place. A wedding website like Build The Day does this quietly, so your beautiful invitation only has to carry the headline, not the logistics.",[98,412,414],{"id":413},"a-few-small-rules-worth-keeping","A few small rules worth keeping",[91,416,417],{},"Whatever your situation, a handful of conventions still earn their place. Invite by household, and make clear exactly who is invited — name them, so there is no doubt about plus-ones or children. Give a reply-by date that is four to six weeks before the day, not two. And read the whole thing aloud before you print it, because a typo set in letterpress is a typo forever.",[91,419,420],{},"The right wording is the wording that is clear about the five essentials, warm in its tone, and honest about who is hosting. Match it to your situation rather than a rulebook from another century, and your invitation will do exactly what it is meant to: tell the people you love where to be, and make them glad to come.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":422},[423,424,425,426,427,428,429],{"id":318,"depth":279,"text":319},{"id":325,"depth":279,"text":326},{"id":349,"depth":279,"text":350},{"id":371,"depth":279,"text":372},{"id":391,"depth":279,"text":392},{"id":398,"depth":279,"text":399},{"id":413,"depth":279,"text":414},"2025-05-20","Formal, relaxed, blended families, hosted by the couple — invitation wording templates and the simple logic behind getting it right.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1697217866029-2aef7068ecee?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwaW52aXRhdGlvbiUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1NjQ3MDN8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","A couple of wedding rings sitting on top of a table","Jocelyn Allen","https://unsplash.com/@jocallen?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/wedding-invitation-wording-for-every-situation",6,{"title":309,"description":431},"blog/wedding-invitation-wording-for-every-situation",[303,302,442],"wording","CNmhsPb73ecGd9EHiBQG8mFQtJoKdAbi-mtXwnqYNJw",{"id":445,"title":446,"author":310,"body":447,"category":286,"date":609,"description":610,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":611,"imageAlt":612,"imageCredit":613,"imageCreditUrl":614,"meta":615,"navigation":5,"path":616,"readTime":438,"seo":617,"stem":618,"tags":619,"__hash__":621},"blog/blog/eco-friendly-wedding-stationery-ideas.md","Eco-Friendly Wedding Stationery Ideas",{"type":88,"value":448,"toc":601},[449,452,456,459,462,466,469,495,498,502,505,508,512,515,518,521,581,585,588,591,595,598],[91,450,451],{},"Wedding stationery is one of the few parts of the day that exists for an afternoon and then mostly ends up in a recycling bin. So it is a sensible place to make greener choices, and the good news is the eco options now look every bit as lovely as the wasteful ones. You do not have to choose between a beautiful invitation and a clear conscience.",[98,453,455],{"id":454},"start-by-cutting-the-quantity-not-just-the-carbon","Start by cutting the quantity, not just the carbon",[91,457,458],{},"The greenest invitation is the one you never printed. Most couples over-order out of nervousness, then find half the suite sitting in a drawer. Count by household rather than by head, because one envelope covers a couple or a family. Then add a small buffer of around five percent for keepsakes and last-minute additions, and stop there.",[91,460,461],{},"The same goes for the extras. Save-the-dates, ceremony cards, RSVP cards, details cards, menus, place cards, order of service, thank-you cards: that is a lot of paper per guest. Ask which pieces actually earn their place. A single, well-designed invitation that points everyone to your wedding website often does the work of four printed inserts.",[98,463,465],{"id":464},"choose-paper-that-does-less-harm","Choose paper that does less harm",[91,467,468],{},"When you do print, the material matters. A few options worth asking your stationer about:",[109,470,471,477,483,489],{},[112,472,473,476],{},[115,474,475],{},"Recycled paper."," Post-consumer recycled stock has come a long way; it takes ink crisply and has a lovely soft texture. Look for high recycled content rather than a vague \"eco\" label.",[112,478,479,482],{},[115,480,481],{},"FSC-certified stock."," If you want a heavier, brighter card, FSC certification means the paper comes from responsibly managed forests.",[112,484,485,488],{},[115,486,487],{},"Cotton and tree-free papers."," Made from cotton offcuts, hemp or even bamboo, these are sturdy, beautiful and skip wood pulp entirely.",[112,490,491,494],{},[115,492,493],{},"Seed paper."," Embedded with wildflower or herb seeds, guests can plant the invitation and grow something from it. It is a charming touch for save-the-dates, though it suits simpler printing than fine detail.",[91,496,497],{},"Pair the paper with kinder ink. Vegetable and soy-based inks are widely available and avoid the petroleum base of conventional inks. Letterpress and recycled paper, incidentally, are a gorgeous match.",[98,499,501],{"id":500},"skip-the-parts-that-quietly-cost-the-most","Skip the parts that quietly cost the most",[91,503,504],{},"Some finishes look luxurious and carry a heavy footprint. Foiling, plastic film lamination and acrylic invitations are the usual culprits, and the plastic ones cannot be recycled at all. If you adore a bit of shine, biodegradable foils exist, or you can get a similar effect with metallic recycled card.",[91,506,507],{},"Loose glitter deserves a special mention: it is microplastic, it gets everywhere, and it contaminates the recycling of everything it touches. Biodegradable glitter is the friendlier swap if you cannot resist a sparkle.",[98,509,511],{"id":510},"let-digital-carry-the-heavy-lifting","Let digital carry the heavy lifting",[91,513,514],{},"This is where the biggest savings hide. Collecting replies, meal choices, dietary needs and song requests by post means printing an RSVP card and a stamped return envelope for every household, then chasing the ones that never come back.",[91,516,517],{},"Online RSVPs remove all of that paper and most of the chasing. With Build The Day, your wedding website handles invitations, RSVPs, meal selections and guest questions in one place, so you can print a single beautiful card with a link and a QR code rather than a full insert pack. Guests reply on their phones, the kitchen gets accurate numbers, and you save a forest of return envelopes.",[91,519,520],{},"A reasonable middle path keeps a tasteful printed invitation for the post and moves everything else online:",[172,522,523,533],{},[175,524,525],{},[178,526,527,530],{},[181,528,529],{},"Piece",[181,531,532],{},"Greener approach",[190,534,535,542,549,557,565,573],{},[178,536,537,539],{},[195,538,185],{},[195,540,541],{},"Digital, or seed paper",[178,543,544,546],{},[195,545,188],{},[195,547,548],{},"Recycled or FSC card, one per household",[178,550,551,554],{},[195,552,553],{},"RSVP and meal choices",[195,555,556],{},"Online via your wedding website",[178,558,559,562],{},[195,560,561],{},"Details and travel info",[195,563,564],{},"A web page, linked by QR code",[178,566,567,570],{},[195,568,569],{},"Order of service",[195,571,572],{},"Print fewer, share a few per row",[178,574,575,578],{},[195,576,577],{},"Thank-you cards",[195,579,580],{},"Recycled card, or a heartfelt email for distant guests",[98,582,584],{"id":583},"think-about-the-whole-envelope","Think about the whole envelope",[91,586,587],{},"The invitation is not the only paper. Envelopes, liners, ribbon, wax seals and tissue all add up. Choose recyclable envelopes without plastic windows, use natural ribbon such as cotton or silk rather than polyester, and look for vegan, soy-based wax if you love a seal. Skip the inner envelope, a tradition that doubles the paper for no real benefit.",[91,589,590],{},"For postage, lighter and flatter suites cost less to send and weigh less to ship, so trimming the inserts helps here too.",[98,592,594],{"id":593},"reuse-and-rehome-afterwards","Reuse and rehome afterwards",[91,596,597],{},"Plenty of stationery can have a second life. Order-of-service booklets and signage in good condition can be passed to a recently engaged friend or sold on second-hand. Place cards and table numbers printed without a date are reusable for any event. And anything genuinely recyclable should go in the right bin, which is far easier when you have avoided foil, lamination and glitter from the start.",[91,599,600],{},"None of this asks you to sacrifice the look you want. Print a little less, print it on better paper, and let your website handle the replies. The result is a suite that feels considered, costs less to produce and post, and leaves a lighter mark behind on a day that is already plenty memorable.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":602},[603,604,605,606,607,608],{"id":454,"depth":279,"text":455},{"id":464,"depth":279,"text":465},{"id":500,"depth":279,"text":501},{"id":510,"depth":279,"text":511},{"id":583,"depth":279,"text":584},{"id":593,"depth":279,"text":594},"2024-01-14","Practical, beautiful ways to make your wedding stationery kinder to the planet, from recycled and seed paper to digital RSVPs and smaller print runs.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1583379362700-3a0460672c98?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1fHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Happy birthday greeting card on brown wooden table","Kazzle John Delbo","https://unsplash.com/@kzzljhn00?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/eco-friendly-wedding-stationery-ideas",{"title":446,"description":610},"blog/eco-friendly-wedding-stationery-ideas",[302,620,303],"eco-friendly","XeF4O0UFe5XmqJqbgPT3ARWxgfEkgOMp6vri-nR-y58",{"id":623,"title":624,"author":86,"body":625,"category":286,"date":776,"description":777,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":778,"imageAlt":779,"imageCredit":780,"imageCreditUrl":781,"meta":782,"navigation":5,"path":783,"readTime":438,"seo":784,"stem":785,"tags":786,"__hash__":789},"blog/blog/calligraphy-and-hand-lettering-for-your-wedding.md","Calligraphy and Hand-Lettering for Your Wedding",{"type":88,"value":626,"toc":767},[627,630,633,637,640,657,660,664,667,670,673,678,681,735,738,742,745,748,751,754,757,761,764],[91,628,629],{},"There's something about a hand-addressed envelope. It lands on the doormat and you know, before you've even opened it, that someone took their time. Real ink, real pressure, a name written rather than printed. In a pile of window-envelope post, it's a small, lovely jolt.",[91,631,632],{},"But calligraphy isn't all or nothing, and it's easy to spend a small fortune or, alternatively, to attempt it on the kitchen table at 11pm and weep. Here's an honest look at when to pay a professional, when to have a go yourself, and where lettering actually makes a difference.",[98,634,636],{"id":635},"what-calligraphy-can-do-for-your-day","What calligraphy can do for your day",[91,638,639],{},"Calligraphy isn't just envelopes. A good letterer can carry a thread of the same handwriting all the way through your day. The most common pieces:",[109,641,642,645,648,651,654],{},[112,643,644],{},"Envelope addressing for invitations",[112,646,647],{},"Place cards and escort cards",[112,649,650],{},"Table numbers and the seating plan",[112,652,653],{},"Welcome signs and order-of-the-day boards",[112,655,656],{},"Menus and the odd vow book",[91,658,659],{},"The trick is consistency. If your invitation suite uses a particular flourish, echoing it on the day-of signage ties everything together without anyone consciously noticing why the room feels considered.",[98,661,663],{"id":662},"hire-a-pro-or-do-it-yourself","Hire a pro or do it yourself",[91,665,666],{},"This is the real question, and it usually comes down to volume, time and how steady your hand is.",[91,668,669],{},"Hire a calligrapher when the quantity is high or the piece is on show. Eighty addressed envelopes is a job, not an evening's fun. A large welcome sign that every guest walks past deserves a professional. Modern pointed-pen calligraphy is genuinely hard, and the gap between \"lovely\" and \"I tried\" is visible from across the room.",[91,671,672],{},"Do it yourself when the stakes are low and the count is small. Table numbers, a chalkboard menu, a handful of cards for the cake table. These are forgiving, and a few wobbles read as charm rather than error. Faux calligraphy (writing in your normal hand, then thickening the downstrokes with a second pass) is the secret weapon here. It needs no special nib, just a fineliner and a steady ten minutes, and it looks far better than it has any right to.",[674,675,677],"h3",{"id":676},"a-rough-cost-guide","A rough cost guide",[91,679,680],{},"Prices vary a lot by region and by the calligrapher's experience, so treat these as ballpark UK figures for budgeting, not quotes.",[172,682,683,693],{},[175,684,685],{},[178,686,687,690],{},[181,688,689],{},"Item",[181,691,692],{},"Typical price each",[190,694,695,703,711,719,727],{},[178,696,697,700],{},[195,698,699],{},"Envelope addressing",[195,701,702],{},"£2 to £4",[178,704,705,708],{},[195,706,707],{},"Place card",[195,709,710],{},"£1.50 to £3",[178,712,713,716],{},[195,714,715],{},"Table number",[195,717,718],{},"£8 to £20",[178,720,721,724],{},[195,722,723],{},"A4 menu",[195,725,726],{},"£10 to £25",[178,728,729,732],{},[195,730,731],{},"Large welcome sign",[195,733,734],{},"£80 to £200+",[91,736,737],{},"For 80 envelopes plus place cards, you're realistically looking at a few hundred pounds. Worth it for the pieces that matter; less so for things guests glance at once and bin.",[98,739,741],{"id":740},"if-youre-doing-it-yourself","If you're doing it yourself",[91,743,744],{},"A few things that save tears:",[91,746,747],{},"Buy the right pen. For faux calligraphy, a Tombow dual brush pen or a simple Sakura fineliner is plenty. For real dip-pen work, a Nikko G nib and a starter holder is the standard beginner setup, but give yourself weeks of practice, not days.",[91,749,750],{},"Use a guide sheet. Print lined templates and slip them under your card stock so your baseline stays straight. Nothing gives away a rushed job like text that drifts uphill.",[91,752,753],{},"Test on your actual paper. Ink behaves completely differently on cotton-rag card versus a coated stock. Some papers feather and bleed. Always do one practice piece on the real material before you commit to the batch.",[91,755,756],{},"Order 10 to 15 percent spare card. You will misspell a name, knock a mug of tea, or simply botch one. Spares mean a slip isn't a crisis.",[98,758,760],{"id":759},"where-the-printed-word-still-wins","Where the printed word still wins",[91,762,763],{},"Not everything needs ink and patience. If you're inviting guests through a wedding website, the digital side of your stationery can stay clean and typed, and you save the handwork for the physical keepsakes people actually hold. Build The Day handles RSVPs and the day-of details online, which frees up your time and budget to spend the lettering where it shows: the envelopes on the doormat and the signs in the room.",[91,765,766],{},"There's no rule that says you must do any of this. Plenty of beautiful weddings use lovely printed fonts throughout and nobody bats an eye. But if you love handwriting, a little goes a long way. Pick two or three pieces, do them well, and let the rest be simple.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":768},[769,770,774,775],{"id":635,"depth":279,"text":636},{"id":662,"depth":279,"text":663,"children":771},[772],{"id":676,"depth":773,"text":677},3,{"id":740,"depth":279,"text":741},{"id":759,"depth":279,"text":760},"2024-01-01","When to hire a calligrapher and when to try hand-lettering yourself, with realistic costs, where it works best and tips for getting it right.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1542617270-267b0f5a56da?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyfHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Two brown and black wooden sticks","micheile henderson","https://unsplash.com/@micheile?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/calligraphy-and-hand-lettering-for-your-wedding",{"title":624,"description":777},"blog/calligraphy-and-hand-lettering-for-your-wedding",[787,302,788],"calligraphy","diy","tOebtX_ma3QLULErx90S9JPcJU6bSHNpPUSDS1oHtuY",{"id":791,"title":792,"author":310,"body":793,"category":286,"date":942,"description":943,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":944,"imageAlt":945,"imageCredit":946,"imageCreditUrl":947,"meta":948,"navigation":5,"path":949,"readTime":297,"seo":950,"stem":951,"tags":952,"__hash__":954},"blog/blog/how-many-invitations-do-you-really-need.md","How Many Invitations Do You Really Need?",{"type":88,"value":794,"toc":935},[795,798,801,805,808,811,814,818,821,824,885,888,892,895,898,902,905,919,922,926,929,932],[91,796,797],{},"The single most common stationery mistake is ordering one invitation per guest. You don't invite people one by one, you invite them by household, and that changes the number more than you'd expect. Get this right and you save money and avoid a frantic reprint.",[91,799,800],{},"Here's how to count properly, what buffer to add, and the extras most couples forget until it's too late.",[98,802,804],{"id":803},"count-households-not-heads","Count households, not heads",[91,806,807],{},"A married couple living together gets one invitation. A family of four gets one invitation. Two flatmates who happen to both be on your list usually get one each, because they're separate invites even at the same address, though a couple at the same address share.",[91,809,810],{},"So before you order anything, go through your guest list and group it into invitation units: who's getting one envelope. A list of 120 guests very often shrinks to around 65 to 75 actual invitations once you've paired up couples and families. That's a big difference when stationery is priced per piece.",[91,812,813],{},"The quickest way to do this is to sort your list by household first. If your guest list lives somewhere structured rather than scribbled on a notepad, this takes minutes. A wedding website that lets you group guests into households (Build The Day does this) means your invitation count more or less falls out of the list automatically.",[98,815,817],{"id":816},"add-a-sensible-buffer","Add a sensible buffer",[91,819,820],{},"Once you've got your household count, do not order exactly that number. You want a buffer for three reasons: mistakes when addressing, last-minute additions, and keepsakes.",[91,822,823],{},"A good rule is to add roughly 10% to 15%, rounded up to the nearest sensible quantity. Many stationers price in batches anyway, so going from 70 to 80 often costs far less than you'd fear. The painful version is the opposite: realising you're three short and paying a small fortune for a tiny reprint run, assuming your stationer will even do one.",[172,825,826,839],{},[175,827,828],{},[178,829,830,833,836],{},[181,831,832],{},"Invitations needed",[181,834,835],{},"Suggested buffer",[181,837,838],{},"Total to order",[190,840,841,852,863,874],{},[178,842,843,846,849],{},[195,844,845],{},"40",[195,847,848],{},"5 to 6",[195,850,851],{},"45 to 46",[178,853,854,857,860],{},[195,855,856],{},"60",[195,858,859],{},"8 to 9",[195,861,862],{},"68 to 70",[178,864,865,868,871],{},[195,866,867],{},"80",[195,869,870],{},"10 to 12",[195,872,873],{},"90 to 92",[178,875,876,879,882],{},[195,877,878],{},"100",[195,880,881],{},"12 to 15",[195,883,884],{},"112 to 115",[91,886,887],{},"Keep two or three back as keepsakes for yourselves and possibly your parents. People always want one for the memory box, and they don't appreciate it until the box arrives empty.",[98,889,891],{"id":890},"dont-forget-the-b-list","Don't forget the B-list",[91,893,894],{},"If you're running a B-list (guests you'll invite if others decline), your invitation count needs to cover them too, but you order them as part of the same print run rather than separately. Trying to match the exact paper, ink and printing later is rarely worth it, and a second small order usually costs more per piece.",[91,896,897],{},"Send the first round early enough that you can post the B-list invitations once the initial replies come in, without it being obvious. Six to eight weeks before the wedding is the latest you'd want a guest receiving theirs, so build that into your timing.",[98,899,901],{"id":900},"the-pieces-people-undercount","The pieces people undercount",[91,903,904],{},"The invitation is only one item in the envelope, and the extras add up. Before you finalise quantities, think about:",[109,906,907,910,913,916],{},[112,908,909],{},"RSVP cards and their envelopes, if you're not collecting replies online.",[112,911,912],{},"Detail cards for travel, accommodation or dress code.",[112,914,915],{},"Save-the-dates, which you'll have ordered months earlier in roughly the same household count.",[112,917,918],{},"Evening invitations, which are a separate, usually larger, count for guests joining after the meal.",[91,920,921],{},"Evening invites in particular catch couples out. They're a different list and often a much bigger one, so count them as their own batch with their own buffer.",[98,923,925],{"id":924},"let-the-website-carry-the-extras","Let the website carry the extras",[91,927,928],{},"You can shrink your paper order considerably by moving the detail cards online. Travel directions, parking, the running order, accommodation suggestions and the RSVP itself all sit comfortably on a wedding website, which means a simpler, cheaper invitation that just points guests to the link.",[91,930,931],{},"That's the modern setup most couples land on: a beautiful printed invitation with the essentials, a short web address, and everything else (replies, meal choices, the lot) handled online. Build The Day gives you the website and the online RSVPs, so the envelope can stay light.",[91,933,934],{},"Count by household, add 10% to 15%, keep a couple back, and remember the evening list is its own thing. Do that and you'll order once, get it right, and have one less small fire to put out closer to the day.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":936},[937,938,939,940,941],{"id":803,"depth":279,"text":804},{"id":816,"depth":279,"text":817},{"id":890,"depth":279,"text":891},{"id":900,"depth":279,"text":901},{"id":924,"depth":279,"text":925},"2023-12-25","How to work out your wedding invitation count by household rather than headcount, plus the right buffer to order so you never run short on the day.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1619286149303-0eb97e7fbb1e?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw2fHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Person in brown leather shoes standing on white floor tiles","Camille Brodard","https://unsplash.com/@kmile_ch?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/how-many-invitations-do-you-really-need",{"title":792,"description":943},"blog/how-many-invitations-do-you-really-need",[303,302,953],"guest list","zjdlWM9-g0AhaOlcL876ov1dbCG7xg6Tmz2HjkZbsD4",{"id":956,"title":957,"author":310,"body":958,"category":286,"date":1130,"description":1131,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":1132,"imageAlt":1133,"imageCredit":1134,"imageCreditUrl":1135,"meta":1136,"navigation":5,"path":1137,"readTime":438,"seo":1138,"stem":1139,"tags":1140,"__hash__":1144},"blog/blog/wedding-menus-and-signage-that-tie-the-day-together.md","Wedding Menus and Signage That Tie the Day Together",{"type":88,"value":959,"toc":1123},[960,963,966,970,973,976,980,983,1075,1078,1082,1085,1088,1091,1094,1098,1101,1104,1107,1110,1114,1117,1120],[91,961,962],{},"Most couples pour effort into the invitations and then almost forget the bits of paper guests actually spend time with on the day. The menu sat on the plate. The sign at the door. The little card pointing people towards the bar. These are the pieces that get read, photographed and, oddly, remembered, because they appear at the exact moments guests are paying attention.",[91,964,965],{},"Get them right and the whole day feels considered, like one hand designed it. Get them wrong and it reads as a jumble, even if every individual element is lovely.",[98,967,969],{"id":968},"why-on-the-day-stationery-does-more-than-it-looks","Why on-the-day stationery does more than it looks",[91,971,972],{},"Think about when each piece is read. A guest picks up the menu after they've sat down, when there's a quiet five minutes before the starter and nothing else to look at. A welcome sign is the first thing they see as they arrive, slightly nervous, wondering if they're in the right place. These pieces do real work: they reassure, they orient, they set the tone before a single speech is given.",[91,974,975],{},"That's why coherence matters. If your invitations were soft and botanical and your table menus are stark and modern, guests feel the mismatch even if they can't name it. The day reads as borrowed pieces rather than one celebration. You don't need everything to match like a stationery set from a catalogue, but a shared thread (the same typeface, a repeated colour, one motif) carries an enormous amount of polish for very little effort.",[98,977,979],{"id":978},"the-pieces-worth-having","The pieces worth having",[91,981,982],{},"You don't need all of these. A relaxed wedding might have a welcome sign and table numbers and call it done. Here's the menu of options, roughly in order of how often they earn their place.",[172,984,985,997],{},[175,986,987],{},[178,988,989,991,994],{},[181,990,529],{},[181,992,993],{},"Job it does",[181,995,996],{},"Skip it if",[190,998,999,1010,1021,1032,1043,1053,1064],{},[178,1000,1001,1004,1007],{},[195,1002,1003],{},"Welcome sign",[195,1005,1006],{},"Greets and orients arrivals",[195,1008,1009],{},"Your venue is tiny and obvious",[178,1011,1012,1015,1018],{},[195,1013,1014],{},"Table plan",[195,1016,1017],{},"Tells people where to sit",[195,1019,1020],{},"You have free seating",[178,1022,1023,1026,1029],{},[195,1024,1025],{},"Table numbers or names",[195,1027,1028],{},"Lets the plan work",[195,1030,1031],{},"You only have a handful of tables",[178,1033,1034,1037,1040],{},[195,1035,1036],{},"Menu cards",[195,1038,1039],{},"Sets out the food, manages dietaries",[195,1041,1042],{},"It's a buffet with everything labelled",[178,1044,1045,1047,1050],{},[195,1046,569],{},[195,1048,1049],{},"Guides guests through the ceremony",[195,1051,1052],{},"Your ceremony is short and informal",[178,1054,1055,1058,1061],{},[195,1056,1057],{},"Bar or drinks sign",[195,1059,1060],{},"Points people to the good stuff",[195,1062,1063],{},"It's a free bar with one option",[178,1065,1066,1069,1072],{},[195,1067,1068],{},"Directional signs",[195,1070,1071],{},"Saves a hundred \"where's the loo?\" asks",[195,1073,1074],{},"The space is one room",[91,1076,1077],{},"A small bit of advice: signage tends to multiply if you let it. Be a little ruthless. Three well-placed signs read as intentional. Eleven read as anxious.",[98,1079,1081],{"id":1080},"menu-wording-that-works","Menu wording that works",[91,1083,1084],{},"A menu card has one practical job and one charming one. Practically, it tells people what's coming so the table can chat about it and anyone with a dietary need can relax. Charmingly, it's a chance to write food in a way that makes mouths water.",[91,1086,1087],{},"Keep dishes to a line or two. \"Slow-roasted Hereford beef, horseradish mash, roasted roots, red wine jus\" tells a guest everything and sounds like dinner. Avoid stacking up adjectives until it reads like a tasting-menu parody. Name your starter, main and pudding clearly, and put any choices in plain terms.",[91,1089,1090],{},"If you're handling meal selections in advance, the menu card is also where you quietly confirm what each person picked, sometimes with a small symbol by their place. Build The Day's RSVP forms let guests choose their meal and flag dietary needs when they reply, so by the time you're designing menu cards you already have a tidy list of who's having what, rather than a pile of conflicting emails. That alone saves an evening of cross-referencing.",[91,1092,1093],{},"A note on dietaries: print a discreet key (V for vegetarian, VG for vegan, GF for gluten-free) rather than separate special menus. It's kinder. Nobody wants to feel like they've been handed the \"different\" card.",[98,1095,1097],{"id":1096},"materials-sizes-and-the-practical-stuff","Materials, sizes and the practical stuff",[91,1099,1100],{},"The look of a piece is only half of it. The other half is whether it survives contact with a real wedding.",[91,1102,1103],{},"Welcome signs and table plans need to be readable from a few feet back, so go bigger than feels comfortable on screen. A0 or A1 for a welcome easel, a generous A2 minimum for a table plan that thirty people will crowd around at once. Thin paper flopping in an easel looks sad; mount it on foam board or use acrylic, wood or mirror if the budget stretches.",[91,1105,1106],{},"Menus can be modest. A long, narrow card laid across the plate or tucked into a napkin looks elegant and costs little. Stick to one per couple or one per place depending on your budget; you rarely need one each if guests are sharing a table.",[91,1108,1109],{},"And think about the weather if anything's outdoors. Real ink and a damp British afternoon are not friends. Laminate, use weatherproof board, or keep the lovely paper pieces firmly inside.",[98,1111,1113],{"id":1112},"a-simple-system-for-getting-it-all-done","A simple system for getting it all done",[91,1115,1116],{},"The trick is to design the family, not the pieces. Pick your typeface (one display face, one plain one is plenty), your two or three colours, and one repeated motif early on. Then everything you make later just slots in.",[91,1118,1119],{},"Keep a running list of every sign and card you've decided on, with quantities and sizes, so nothing gets forgotten in the final fortnight when brain space is short. Order a little early, check every name and spelling twice (especially the table plan, which guests scrutinise), and ask whoever's setting up the room to photograph each piece in place the night before. That last step catches the wonky easel and the sign facing the wrong way while there's still time to fix it.",[91,1121,1122],{},"Done well, none of this shouts. That's rather the point. The best signage and menus do their job so smoothly that guests never notice the work, only that the day felt easy, warm and entirely yours.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":1124},[1125,1126,1127,1128,1129],{"id":968,"depth":279,"text":969},{"id":978,"depth":279,"text":979},{"id":1080,"depth":279,"text":1081},{"id":1096,"depth":279,"text":1097},{"id":1112,"depth":279,"text":1113},"2023-12-18","How wedding menus, welcome signs and table cards quietly hold a day together. Practical advice on wording, materials and what guests actually read.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1639291499476-c784e4fff4b1?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw4fHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Two wedding rings sitting on top of a paper","Ephe N","https://unsplash.com/@ephemia?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/wedding-menus-and-signage-that-tie-the-day-together",{"title":957,"description":1131},"blog/wedding-menus-and-signage-that-tie-the-day-together",[1141,1142,302,1143],"signage","menus","on-the-day","s2O_0nRuSgaquH9Q85tQ0_qrT54U8TAxQtPQrh5QAVk",{"id":1146,"title":1147,"author":310,"body":1148,"category":286,"date":1327,"description":1328,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":1329,"imageAlt":1330,"imageCredit":1331,"imageCreditUrl":1332,"meta":1333,"navigation":5,"path":1334,"readTime":438,"seo":1335,"stem":1336,"tags":1337,"__hash__":1340},"blog/blog/designing-an-order-of-service-guests-will-keep.md","Designing an Order of Service Guests Will Keep",{"type":88,"value":1149,"toc":1316},[1150,1153,1156,1160,1163,1166,1195,1198,1202,1205,1209,1212,1215,1218,1268,1272,1275,1278,1282,1285,1288,1299,1303,1306,1310,1313],[91,1151,1152],{},"The order of service is the one bit of stationery your guests actually hold during the ceremony. It tells them when to stand, what to sing, and who all these people up the front are. Get it right and it does two jobs at once: it keeps the room in step, and it ends up tucked in a memory box years later.",[91,1154,1155],{},"Most couples leave it until the last fortnight, which is a shame, because it takes a bit of thought to do well. Here is how to design one people genuinely want to keep.",[98,1157,1159],{"id":1158},"what-actually-goes-inside","What actually goes inside",[91,1161,1162],{},"Strip it back and an order of service is just a running list of what happens, in order, from the moment everyone sits down to the moment you walk back up the aisle. The trick is including enough that guests feel guided, without turning it into a novel.",[91,1164,1165],{},"A church or formal ceremony usually carries more detail than a relaxed civil one. Here is a sensible spine to start from:",[109,1167,1168,1171,1174,1177,1180,1183,1186,1189,1192],{},[112,1169,1170],{},"The couple's names and the date, with the venue",[112,1172,1173],{},"A welcome line and the name of the person leading the ceremony",[112,1175,1176],{},"The processional (who walks in, to what music)",[112,1178,1179],{},"Readings, with the reader's name and the title or first line",[112,1181,1182],{},"Hymns or songs printed in full so people can actually join in",[112,1184,1185],{},"The vows or a note that they're being spoken",[112,1187,1188],{},"The ring exchange and the declaration",[112,1190,1191],{},"The signing of the register, plus the music played during it",[112,1193,1194],{},"The recessional and any notes for afterwards (drinks on the lawn, group photo plan)",[91,1196,1197],{},"You don't need every line. A humanist or registrar-led ceremony might be six items long, and that's fine. The point is that nobody sits there wondering what comes next.",[674,1199,1201],{"id":1200},"print-the-hymns-in-full","Print the hymns in full",[91,1203,1204],{},"This is the bit people forget. If you're having a hymn, print every verse, even the ones you assume everyone knows. Half the room won't, and a mumbled \"Jerusalem\" is a sad thing. Same goes for any sung response or a reading you'd like guests to follow.",[98,1206,1208],{"id":1207},"layout-that-reads-at-a-glance","Layout that reads at a glance",[91,1210,1211],{},"A guest is reading this in a pew, possibly without their glasses, possibly while balancing a hat. So make it easy.",[91,1213,1214],{},"Keep the type a decent size, 11 or 12 point for body text at the smallest. Use clear headings for each section so someone can find their place after looking up. Leave white space; a cramped page is a stressful page. And put the order of events in actual order, top to bottom, rather than dotted around the spread.",[91,1216,1217],{},"A folded A5 booklet (so an A4 sheet folded once) is the workhorse format. Four sides gives you plenty of room: cover, two inside pages for the running order and hymns, and a back page for a thank-you, a hashtag, or directions to the reception. If your ceremony is short, a single flat A5 card does the job and costs less.",[172,1219,1220,1233],{},[175,1221,1222],{},[178,1223,1224,1227,1230],{},[181,1225,1226],{},"Format",[181,1228,1229],{},"Sides",[181,1231,1232],{},"Best for",[190,1234,1235,1246,1257],{},[178,1236,1237,1240,1243],{},[195,1238,1239],{},"Flat A6 or A5 card",[195,1241,1242],{},"1 to 2",[195,1244,1245],{},"Short civil ceremonies, tight budgets",[178,1247,1248,1251,1254],{},[195,1249,1250],{},"Folded A5 booklet",[195,1252,1253],{},"4",[195,1255,1256],{},"Most weddings, room for hymns",[178,1258,1259,1262,1265],{},[195,1260,1261],{},"Stitched A5 booklet",[195,1263,1264],{},"8+",[195,1266,1267],{},"Long church services, lots of readings",[98,1269,1271],{"id":1270},"make-it-feel-like-the-rest-of-the-day","Make it feel like the rest of the day",[91,1273,1274],{},"The order of service shouldn't look like it wandered in from a different wedding. Carry over the fonts, the colours and any motif from your invitations. If your save-the-dates had a little sprig of eucalyptus, put it on the cover here too. That thread of consistency is what makes the whole day feel considered rather than thrown together.",[91,1276,1277],{},"A nice touch for the keepers: a short note inside the front cover. A line about why you chose a particular reading, or a thank-you to the people who got you here. It costs nothing and it's the bit guests reread later.",[98,1279,1281],{"id":1280},"sort-the-proofreading-before-you-print","Sort the proofreading before you print",[91,1283,1284],{},"Once it's printed, it's printed. So check the names. Check the spelling of the reader who's your partner's great-aunt. Check the date. Then have someone who isn't you read it cold, because you'll have looked at it so many times you no longer see the typo sitting in the middle of the page.",[91,1286,1287],{},"A few practical bits worth nailing down:",[109,1289,1290,1293,1296],{},[112,1291,1292],{},"Confirm music titles and readings with whoever's leading the ceremony, as celebrants sometimes tweak the order",[112,1294,1295],{},"Order 10 to 15 percent more than your guest count, since couples and children often share but stragglers and keepsake-hunters add up",[112,1297,1298],{},"If you're printing yourself, do a single test copy on your actual paper before running the lot",[674,1300,1302],{"id":1301},"timing-and-budget","Timing and budget",[91,1304,1305],{},"Give yourself three to four weeks before the day for ordering, longer if you're using a designer. Most professional booklets land somewhere between £1.50 and £4 a copy depending on paper and finishing, so for 80 guests you're looking at a manageable line in the budget. Printing at home brings that right down, though the finish won't be quite the same.",[98,1307,1309],{"id":1308},"a-small-thing-that-pulls-the-day-together","A small thing that pulls the day together",[91,1311,1312],{},"For all the effort that goes into flowers and food, the order of service is one of the few things every guest touches and keeps. It's worth an afternoon. Build the running order with your celebrant, lay it out so a tired guest in the back row can follow along, and add one personal line that makes it worth holding onto.",[91,1314,1315],{},"If you're already running a wedding website, you can list the ceremony details and readings there too, so guests who lose their copy still know what's coming. The printed booklet is for the day; the website is the backup nobody has to ask for.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":1317},[1318,1321,1322,1323,1326],{"id":1158,"depth":279,"text":1159,"children":1319},[1320],{"id":1200,"depth":773,"text":1201},{"id":1207,"depth":279,"text":1208},{"id":1270,"depth":279,"text":1271},{"id":1280,"depth":279,"text":1281,"children":1324},[1325],{"id":1301,"depth":773,"text":1302},{"id":1308,"depth":279,"text":1309},"2023-12-11","How to design a wedding order of service that guides guests through the ceremony and is lovely enough to keep. Layout, wording and printing tips.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1774891937529-7160a03edd61?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Envelopes sealed with wax on a wooden table.","Raymond Petrik","https://unsplash.com/@raymondpetrik?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/designing-an-order-of-service-guests-will-keep",{"title":1147,"description":1328},"blog/designing-an-order-of-service-guests-will-keep",[302,1338,1339],"ceremony","printing","3IbTinlKC1rzIfKmVuTWBQQU9fK1L_HbA14AgXy0ASA",{"id":1342,"title":1343,"author":310,"body":1344,"category":286,"date":1520,"description":1521,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":1522,"imageAlt":1523,"imageCredit":1524,"imageCreditUrl":1525,"meta":1526,"navigation":5,"path":1527,"readTime":438,"seo":1528,"stem":1529,"tags":1530,"__hash__":1532},"blog/blog/a-guide-to-wedding-stationery-etiquette.md","A Guide to Wedding Stationery Etiquette",{"type":88,"value":1345,"toc":1513},[1346,1349,1353,1356,1359,1362,1373,1377,1380,1383,1396,1402,1414,1418,1421,1490,1493,1497,1500,1503,1506,1510],[91,1347,1348],{},"Stationery etiquette is one of those topics that sounds stuffy until you're actually staring at a blank invitation, trying to work out whether your divorced parents go on the same line. The old rules were written for a very particular kind of formal wedding, and most couples today need something looser. So let's keep what's genuinely useful and quietly drop the rest.",[98,1350,1352],{"id":1351},"getting-names-and-titles-right","Getting names and titles right",[91,1354,1355],{},"The first job is deciding how to refer to everyone, and this is where people freeze. The honest answer: match the formality to your day. A black-tie hotel wedding can carry full titles and surnames. A relaxed barn do reads oddly if it suddenly goes very grand on the paper.",[91,1357,1358],{},"For a formal invitation, the traditional form uses full names with titles: \"Mr James Whitfield\" or \"Dr Priya Shah\". Married couples have historically been written as one line, but plenty of couples now list both names in full out of fairness, and that's completely fine. For a relaxed wedding, first names alone (and your own first names on the invite) feel warm and modern without putting a foot wrong.",[91,1360,1361],{},"A few small things that genuinely matter:",[109,1363,1364,1367,1370],{},[112,1365,1366],{},"Spell every name correctly. Check the spelling of partners and children you don't know well rather than guessing.",[112,1368,1369],{},"If a guest has a professional or military title they use, include it on a formal invite.",[112,1371,1372],{},"Keep your treatment consistent. Don't give some guests full titles and others just first names on the same set.",[98,1374,1376],{"id":1375},"who-is-hosting-and-why-it-goes-first","Who is hosting, and why it goes first",[91,1378,1379],{},"The opening line of an invitation answers one question: who is inviting you. Traditionally that was the bride's parents, because they paid. Today the hosts are whoever is actually paying or simply whoever you want named, and the wording follows the money or the meaning, not a rulebook.",[91,1381,1382],{},"You've got three common situations:",[91,1384,1385,1388,1389,361,1393,1395],{},[115,1386,1387],{},"The couple host themselves."," Increasingly the norm. Something like \"Together with their families, ",[1390,1391,1392],"span",{},"Name",[1390,1394,1392],{}," invite you to celebrate their wedding\" covers it warmly and sidesteps the whole parents question.",[91,1397,1398,1401],{},[115,1399,1400],{},"One set of parents host."," The classic \"Mr and Mrs Whitfield request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter...\" still works beautifully for a formal day.",[91,1403,1404,1407,1408,1413],{},[115,1405,1406],{},"Both families host."," List both sets of parents, bride's side first by tradition, though you can choose your own order. Blended families need a little more care, and there's a dedicated piece on ",[1409,1410,1412],"a",{"href":1411},"/blog/wedding-invitation-etiquette-for-blended-families","wedding invitation etiquette for blended families"," worth a read if that's you.",[98,1415,1417],{"id":1416},"the-order-of-the-wording","The order of the wording",[91,1419,1420],{},"There's a standard running order to invitation wording, and following it means guests can find what they need at a glance. From top to bottom:",[172,1422,1423,1432],{},[175,1424,1425],{},[178,1426,1427,1430],{},[181,1428,1429],{},"Line",[181,1431,208],{},[190,1433,1434,1442,1450,1458,1466,1474,1482],{},[178,1435,1436,1439],{},[195,1437,1438],{},"Host line",[195,1440,1441],{},"Who is inviting you",[178,1443,1444,1447],{},[195,1445,1446],{},"Request line",[195,1448,1449],{},"\"request the pleasure of your company\" or \"invite you to celebrate\"",[178,1451,1452,1455],{},[195,1453,1454],{},"Names",[195,1456,1457],{},"The couple getting married",[178,1459,1460,1463],{},[195,1461,1462],{},"Date and time",[195,1464,1465],{},"Spelled out formally, or plain for a relaxed day",[178,1467,1468,1471],{},[195,1469,1470],{},"Venue",[195,1472,1473],{},"Name and location",[178,1475,1476,1479],{},[195,1477,1478],{},"Reception line",[195,1480,1481],{},"Where the party continues, if different",[178,1483,1484,1487],{},[195,1485,1486],{},"RSVP details",[195,1488,1489],{},"How and by when to reply",[91,1491,1492],{},"The formality of the language is your call. \"Request the pleasure of your company\" is the traditional, more formal phrasing; \"would love you to join us\" is friendlier. Pick one tone and hold it across the whole suite.",[98,1494,1496],{"id":1495},"rsvps-reply-dates-and-the-modern-bit","RSVPs, reply dates and the modern bit",[91,1498,1499],{},"Every invitation needs to tell guests how to reply and by when. Set your RSVP deadline three to four weeks before the wedding, which gives you time to chase stragglers and get final numbers to your caterer.",[91,1501,1502],{},"This is also where a wedding website saves real effort. Rather than printing reply cards and stamped envelopes, you can point guests to a single link to RSVP, choose a meal and flag any dietary needs. Build The Day handles the online replies and meal choices in one place, so you're not transcribing forty postcards into a spreadsheet at midnight. Pop the web address discreetly at the bottom of the invitation, or on a small details card tucked inside.",[91,1504,1505],{},"If you do go paperless entirely, that's a respectable choice now, not a shortcut. The etiquette still applies; it just lives on a screen.",[98,1507,1509],{"id":1508},"a-note-on-tone","A note on tone",[91,1511,1512],{},"Whatever the rules say, the kindest invitation is a clear one. Guests want to know who's getting married, where to be, when, what to wear and how to reply. Get those across cleanly and you've done the important part. The titles and the ordering are there to help, not to trip you up, so use the bits that fit your day and let the rest go.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":1514},[1515,1516,1517,1518,1519],{"id":1351,"depth":279,"text":1352},{"id":1375,"depth":279,"text":1376},{"id":1416,"depth":279,"text":1417},{"id":1495,"depth":279,"text":1496},{"id":1508,"depth":279,"text":1509},"2023-12-04","Wedding stationery etiquette made simple: how to write names and titles, order the wording, and word invitations from couples, parents or blended families with care.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1680090966820-b7d2fae52f5d?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Two wedding rings laying on top of a piece of paper","Tetiana Thiel","https://unsplash.com/@thiel_tanya?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/a-guide-to-wedding-stationery-etiquette",{"title":1343,"description":1521},"blog/a-guide-to-wedding-stationery-etiquette",[302,303,1531],"etiquette","7C36Kn4Gh_EWd1cssPajRytUyW7-Gj1L61kEI52p7pM",{"id":1534,"title":1535,"author":86,"body":1536,"category":286,"date":1716,"description":1717,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":1718,"imageAlt":1719,"imageCredit":1720,"imageCreditUrl":1721,"meta":1722,"navigation":5,"path":1723,"readTime":438,"seo":1724,"stem":1725,"tags":1726,"__hash__":1729},"blog/blog/digital-invitations-modern-easy-and-surprisingly-lovely.md","Digital Invitations: Modern, Easy and Surprisingly Lovely",{"type":88,"value":1537,"toc":1709},[1538,1541,1545,1548,1551,1561,1565,1568,1650,1653,1657,1660,1663,1667,1670,1696,1700,1703,1706],[91,1539,1540],{},"There's a quiet snobbery around digital wedding invitations. The worry is they'll feel cheap, or like an afterthought, the same flimsy thing you'd use for a birthday drinks at the pub. They don't have to be. Done with a bit of care, a digital invite can be every bit as considered as a printed one, and it saves you a small mountain of admin in the process.",[98,1542,1544],{"id":1543},"when-paperless-is-the-right-call","When paperless is the right call",[91,1546,1547],{},"Digital invitations aren't always the answer, and pretending otherwise does nobody any favours. But there are weddings where they're plainly the better choice.",[91,1549,1550],{},"If a good chunk of your guests are abroad, posting card invitations is slow, expensive and unreliable. A link arrives instantly and never gets lost in a foreign sorting office. If your timeline is tight, say you got engaged in spring and you're marrying that autumn, digital buys you back the weeks you'd have spent waiting on a printer's proof. And if your day is relaxed by design, a garden party or a pub do, a stiff printed suite can feel at odds with the whole mood.",[91,1552,1553,1554,1560],{},"There's a money angle too, though it's smaller than people claim. Printing and posting invitations for 80 guests can run to a few hundred pounds once you've paid for the cards, the envelopes, the stamps and the RSVP return postage. The average UK wedding already costs north of £20,000, going by ",[1409,1555,1559],{"href":1556,"rel":1557},"https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/the-average-wedding-cost-in-the-uk-revealed/",[1558],"nofollow","Hitched's National Wedding Survey",", so it's not the line that makes or breaks your budget. But it's a couple of hundred pounds you could put towards something you'd actually notice.",[98,1562,1564],{"id":1563},"where-digital-wins-where-paper-still-leads","Where digital wins, where paper still leads",[91,1566,1567],{},"Be honest with yourself about the trade-offs. Both have their place.",[172,1569,1570,1582],{},[175,1571,1572],{},[178,1573,1574,1576,1579],{},[181,1575],{},[181,1577,1578],{},"Digital",[181,1580,1581],{},"Printed",[190,1583,1584,1595,1606,1617,1628,1639],{},[178,1585,1586,1589,1592],{},[195,1587,1588],{},"Cost",[195,1590,1591],{},"Low, no postage",[195,1593,1594],{},"Cards, envelopes and stamps add up",[178,1596,1597,1600,1603],{},[195,1598,1599],{},"Speed",[195,1601,1602],{},"Sent in minutes",[195,1604,1605],{},"Days to weeks once you factor in proofs",[178,1607,1608,1611,1614],{},[195,1609,1610],{},"RSVPs",[195,1612,1613],{},"Replies land automatically",[195,1615,1616],{},"Chasing cards by post",[178,1618,1619,1622,1625],{},[195,1620,1621],{},"Keepsake",[195,1623,1624],{},"Lives on a screen",[195,1626,1627],{},"A card on the mantelpiece",[178,1629,1630,1633,1636],{},[195,1631,1632],{},"Older guests",[195,1634,1635],{},"Some need a hand",[195,1637,1638],{},"Familiar and easy",[178,1640,1641,1644,1647],{},[195,1642,1643],{},"Tracking",[195,1645,1646],{},"See who's opened and replied",[195,1648,1649],{},"Manual tally",[91,1651,1652],{},"Paper's real advantage is the object. Some guests, often the older ones, genuinely treasure a printed invitation, and they should have one. Which is why plenty of couples don't choose between the two at all.",[98,1654,1656],{"id":1655},"the-best-of-both-worlds","The best of both worlds",[91,1658,1659],{},"A popular middle road: send a printed save-the-date to everyone, then handle the full invitation and RSVP digitally. The keepsake gesture is covered, and the fiddly bit, the back-and-forth of who's coming and what they're eating, happens online where it's far easier to manage.",[91,1661,1662],{},"You can also print a small run of proper invitations just for the people who'd appreciate them. Grandparents, godparents, the aunt who frames everything. Everyone else gets the link. Nobody feels short-changed, and you've spent a fraction of what a full printed order would have cost.",[98,1664,1666],{"id":1665},"making-a-digital-invite-feel-special","Making a digital invite feel special",[91,1668,1669],{},"This is the part that separates a lovely paperless invitation from a lazy one. A few things make the difference:",[109,1671,1672,1678,1684,1690],{},[112,1673,1674,1677],{},[115,1675,1676],{},"Design it properly."," Use your wedding's colours, a nice typeface, a photo of the two of you. It should look like it belongs to your day, not like a generic template.",[112,1679,1680,1683],{},[115,1681,1682],{},"Write it like an invitation."," \"We'd love you to join us\" reads better than \"RSVP by clicking here.\" The warmth has to be in the words, because there's no thick card stock doing it for you.",[112,1685,1686,1689],{},[115,1687,1688],{},"Make replying effortless."," One tap to accept, a clear box for dietary needs, a gentle prompt for any plus-one details. If it's quicker than finding a stamp, people reply faster.",[112,1691,1692,1695],{},[115,1693,1694],{},"Send it from a name they'll recognise."," A message that looks like spam gets ignored. Make sure it's obviously from you.",[98,1697,1699],{"id":1698},"dont-lose-anyone","Don't lose anyone",[91,1701,1702],{},"The one real risk with going digital is leaving guests behind. Not everyone is glued to their email, and a small number won't have it at all. So before you commit, run your list and flag anyone who'd struggle. A quick phone call, a printed copy in the post, or a tech-savvy relative roped in to help usually sorts it.",[91,1704,1705],{},"For the rest, the upside is that everything stays in one place. With a Build The Day wedding website, your invitation, RSVPs, meal choices and guest list all live together, so you're not cross-referencing a spreadsheet against a pile of reply cards on the kitchen table. You send the link, the answers come back, and you can see at a glance who's still to reply.",[91,1707,1708],{},"Digital invitations aren't the lesser option. They're just a different one, and for a lot of couples, the more sensible of the two. The trick is to treat them with the same care you'd give a printed suite. Do that, and your guests won't think \"paperless.\" They'll just think it's a beautiful invitation.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":1710},[1711,1712,1713,1714,1715],{"id":1543,"depth":279,"text":1544},{"id":1563,"depth":279,"text":1564},{"id":1655,"depth":279,"text":1656},{"id":1665,"depth":279,"text":1666},{"id":1698,"depth":279,"text":1699},"2023-11-27","When paperless wedding invitations are the right call, what they do well, where they fall short, and how to send digital invites that still feel special.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1581464315847-f567944a0a38?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0fHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","White and black printer paper","adrianna geo","https://unsplash.com/@adrigeo_?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/digital-invitations-modern-easy-and-surprisingly-lovely",{"title":1535,"description":1717},"blog/digital-invitations-modern-easy-and-surprisingly-lovely",[303,1727,1728],"digital","rsvps","IDf0V4NlYej6hNoKJBpirimzUTPl17B-bObBODGs6H4",{"id":1731,"title":1732,"author":86,"body":1733,"category":286,"date":1923,"description":1924,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":1925,"imageAlt":1926,"imageCredit":1927,"imageCreditUrl":1928,"meta":1929,"navigation":5,"path":1930,"readTime":438,"seo":1931,"stem":1932,"tags":1933,"__hash__":1935},"blog/blog/how-to-choose-a-wedding-stationery-style.md","How to Choose a Wedding Stationery Style",{"type":88,"value":1734,"toc":1916},[1735,1738,1742,1745,1748,1774,1777,1781,1784,1810,1813,1817,1820,1823,1826,1887,1890,1894,1897,1900,1903,1906,1910,1913],[91,1736,1737],{},"Your invitation is the first thing guests hold in their hands, and it quietly sets their expectations for the whole day. Open a heavy cream card with gold edges and people picture black tie. Pull out a brown kraft tag tied with twine and they're already imagining a barn and wellies. Getting the style right isn't about being precious. It's about telling guests, before they've read a word, what kind of celebration they're coming to.",[98,1739,1741],{"id":1740},"start-with-the-feel-of-your-day-not-pinterest","Start with the feel of your day, not Pinterest",[91,1743,1744],{},"The most common mistake is choosing stationery in a vacuum, falling for a gorgeous design online that has nothing to do with your actual venue. Work the other way round. Picture your day. Is it a grand country house, a stripped-back industrial space, a seaside marquee, a register office and a pub lunch? The paper should be a small echo of that.",[91,1746,1747],{},"A few honest pairings that tend to work:",[109,1749,1750,1756,1762,1768],{},[112,1751,1752,1755],{},[115,1753,1754],{},"Formal venue, sit-down dinner:"," heavier card, classic serif fonts, restrained palette, maybe foil or letterpress.",[112,1757,1758,1761],{},[115,1759,1760],{},"Relaxed rural or barn:"," kraft or textured paper, hand-drawn touches, earthy tones, botanical illustration.",[112,1763,1764,1767],{},[115,1765,1766],{},"Modern city wedding:"," clean sans-serif type, bold blocks of colour, lots of white space.",[112,1769,1770,1773],{},[115,1771,1772],{},"Coastal or garden:"," soft watercolour washes, light papers, loose floral motifs.",[91,1775,1776],{},"You don't need to match it all perfectly. But a black-and-gold art deco invite for a daytime garden picnic just confuses people, and they'll dress for the wrong thing.",[98,1778,1780],{"id":1779},"the-pieces-of-the-puzzle","The pieces of the puzzle",[91,1782,1783],{},"Stationery isn't one item, it's a small family of them, and you don't need every piece. The core run looks like this:",[109,1785,1786,1792,1798,1804],{},[112,1787,1788,1791],{},[115,1789,1790],{},"Save the dates:"," sent early, usually a single card with the date and a note that the invite follows.",[112,1793,1794,1797],{},[115,1795,1796],{},"Invitations:"," the main event, often with an RSVP card or a website pointing to your details.",[112,1799,1800,1803],{},[115,1801,1802],{},"On-the-day stationery:"," order of service, menus, place cards, table names, signage.",[112,1805,1806,1809],{},[115,1807,1808],{},"Thank-you cards:"," the bookend, sent after the day.",[91,1811,1812],{},"You can absolutely trim this. Plenty of couples skip save the dates, fold the RSVP into their wedding website, and write table names on a single mirror. A wedding website does a lot of heavy lifting here, you can collect RSVPs and meal choices online and keep travel and accommodation details there, which means the printed invite can stay simple and you only pay to print what's genuinely lovely on paper.",[98,1814,1816],{"id":1815},"typography-and-colour-do-the-talking","Typography and colour do the talking",[91,1818,1819],{},"Two design choices carry most of the mood: the lettering and the palette.",[91,1821,1822],{},"For fonts, the safest path is one display font for the names and headings paired with one clean font for the body details. Resist the urge to use four. Script fonts look romantic but can be a nightmare to read, if your gran can't make out the address, it's failed at its one job. Always read your draft aloud and check the small print at arm's length.",[91,1824,1825],{},"Colour is where the season quietly creeps in. You don't have to follow this, but it's a useful starting point if you're stuck:",[172,1827,1828,1841],{},[175,1829,1830],{},[178,1831,1832,1835,1838],{},[181,1833,1834],{},"Season",[181,1836,1837],{},"Palette that tends to feel right",[181,1839,1840],{},"Paper and finish",[190,1842,1843,1854,1865,1876],{},[178,1844,1845,1848,1851],{},[195,1846,1847],{},"Spring",[195,1849,1850],{},"Soft blush, sage, butter yellow, dove grey",[195,1852,1853],{},"Light textured stock, watercolour",[178,1855,1856,1859,1862],{},[195,1857,1858],{},"Summer",[195,1860,1861],{},"Coral, warm blue, fresh white, citrus",[195,1863,1864],{},"Bright clean card, bold ink",[178,1866,1867,1870,1873],{},[195,1868,1869],{},"Autumn",[195,1871,1872],{},"Rust, mustard, deep green, terracotta",[195,1874,1875],{},"Kraft or recycled, earthy matte",[178,1877,1878,1881,1884],{},[195,1879,1880],{},"Winter",[195,1882,1883],{},"Deep navy, emerald, plum, silver or gold",[195,1885,1886],{},"Heavy card, foil, letterpress",[91,1888,1889],{},"Pick two or three colours and stop. A palette that's tight reads as deliberate. One that sprawls across six shades reads as undecided.",[98,1891,1893],{"id":1892},"bespoke-semi-custom-or-off-the-shelf","Bespoke, semi-custom or off the shelf",[91,1895,1896],{},"There are three broad routes, and the right one depends on your budget and how particular you are.",[91,1898,1899],{},"Fully bespoke means a designer creates everything from scratch with you. It's the most personal and the most expensive, and it needs the most lead time, often booking three to four months ahead of your send date.",[91,1901,1902],{},"Semi-custom is the sweet spot for most couples. A designer or online studio has a ready-made collection, and you swap in your wording, colours and names. You get a polished, cohesive look for a fraction of bespoke prices.",[91,1904,1905],{},"Off the shelf, from a high-street or online template, is the budget-friendly option. Honestly, some templates are beautiful now. Just personalise the wording carefully and order a single sample first so you can feel the paper weight before committing to a hundred copies.",[98,1907,1909],{"id":1908},"order-a-sample-then-breathe","Order a sample, then breathe",[91,1911,1912],{},"Whatever you choose, never order the full run without holding a physical proof in your hands. Screens lie about colour and tell you nothing about texture. A card that looked rich navy online can arrive a flat purplish blue, and you'll have eighty of them.",[91,1914,1915],{},"So pay for the sample, check the spelling of every name and address twice (third time too, for the venue postcode), and only then press print. Get those small things right and your stationery will do exactly what it should: make guests smile before they've even opened the envelope, and quietly tell them what to expect.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":1917},[1918,1919,1920,1921,1922],{"id":1740,"depth":279,"text":1741},{"id":1779,"depth":279,"text":1780},{"id":1815,"depth":279,"text":1816},{"id":1892,"depth":279,"text":1893},{"id":1908,"depth":279,"text":1909},"2023-11-20","Match your wedding stationery to the feel of your day. A UK guide to paper, fonts, formality and what to send, with a season-by-season colour guide.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1700157125729-65d996662d26?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3fHx3ZWRkaW5nJTIwc3RhdGlvbmVyeSUyMGNhbGxpZ3JhcGh5fGVufDF8MHx8fDE3ODE1OTQ0OTd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","A close up of a piece of paper with writing on it","The Now Time","https://unsplash.com/@thenowtime?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/how-to-choose-a-wedding-stationery-style",{"title":1732,"description":1924},"blog/how-to-choose-a-wedding-stationery-style",[302,303,1934],"design","IrUa7PvdKLnyyrr9NyD9x-gxaq3YfYaJ6jJwpuv2Qq8",{"id":1937,"title":1938,"author":86,"body":1939,"category":286,"date":2105,"description":2106,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":2107,"imageAlt":2108,"imageCredit":2109,"imageCreditUrl":2110,"meta":2111,"navigation":5,"path":2112,"readTime":438,"seo":2113,"stem":2114,"tags":2115,"__hash__":2117},"blog/blog/thank-you-cards-wording-timing-and-a-simple-system.md","Thank-You Cards: Wording, Timing and a Simple System",{"type":88,"value":1940,"toc":2097},[1941,1944,1947,1949,1952,1955,1958,2004,2008,2011,2014,2017,2020,2031,2035,2038,2041,2053,2056,2060,2066,2072,2078,2084,2088,2091,2094],[91,1942,1943],{},"Thank-you cards are the bit of wedding admin nobody warns you about. You're back from the honeymoon, glowing, and then you remember a hundred-odd people gave you gifts, cash, or simply turned up and danced till midnight, and every one of them deserves a proper thank-you. Left in a pile, it becomes a guilt monster on the kitchen table. Tackled with a bit of system, it's genuinely lovely to do.",[91,1945,1946],{},"Let's sort out the timing, the wording, and the method so this gets finished while the day is still fresh.",[98,1948,101],{"id":100},[91,1950,1951],{},"The old etiquette books say a year, which is far too generous and frankly an invitation to never do it. Aim to get them out within two to three months of the wedding. Anyone who gave a gift before the day, like a save-the-date present or an engagement gift, ideally hears from you within a fortnight of receiving it.",[91,1953,1954],{},"The longer you leave it, the harder it gets. The warm feeling fades, you forget who gave what, and the cards start to read like an apology. Strike while you still remember the look on Auntie Sue's face when you opened her gift.",[91,1956,1957],{},"Here's a rough order of priority if you can't do them all at once:",[172,1959,1960,1970],{},[175,1961,1962],{},[178,1963,1964,1967],{},[181,1965,1966],{},"Gift or gesture",[181,1968,1969],{},"Send within",[190,1971,1972,1980,1988,1996],{},[178,1973,1974,1977],{},[195,1975,1976],{},"Gift received before the wedding",[195,1978,1979],{},"2 weeks of receiving it",[178,1981,1982,1985],{},[195,1983,1984],{},"Cash or money towards the honeymoon",[195,1986,1987],{},"2-4 weeks after the day",[178,1989,1990,1993],{},[195,1991,1992],{},"Gifts given on the day",[195,1994,1995],{},"1-3 months after the day",[178,1997,1998,2001],{},[195,1999,2000],{},"A guest who travelled far or helped out",[195,2002,2003],{},"1 month, with a personal note",[98,2005,2007],{"id":2006},"build-a-system-youll-actually-stick-to","Build a system you'll actually stick to",[91,2009,2010],{},"The reason thank-yous drag on is that people treat them as one enormous task. Break it down instead.",[91,2012,2013],{},"First, get your master list sorted while the gifts are arriving. Note the name, what they gave, and tick it off when the card's written. A spreadsheet works, or a notebook by the door where presents land. If you used a wedding website with a gift list or guest list built in, you've already got half this information in one place, so check there before you start copying names out by hand. Build The Day keeps your guest details together, which saves a surprising amount of cross-referencing later.",[91,2015,2016],{},"Then carve out a couple of short sessions rather than one marathon. Ten cards over a cup of tea on a Sunday is achievable. Eighty in one sitting will break you, and the last twenty will be three words long and dashed off. Set yourself a small, regular target and the pile shrinks fast.",[91,2018,2019],{},"A few small things that help:",[109,2021,2022,2025,2028],{},[112,2023,2024],{},"Buy stamps and have everyone's address to hand before you start, so you're not stopping every card to look something up.",[112,2026,2027],{},"Write while you're fresh, not at eleven at night.",[112,2029,2030],{},"Split the list between the two of you. Each writes to their own side of the family and friends, in their own handwriting and voice.",[98,2032,2034],{"id":2033},"what-to-actually-write","What to actually write",[91,2036,2037],{},"A good thank-you card has three parts: name the gift, say what it means to you, and add a personal line. That's it. The trap is writing the same generic sentence forty times, because everyone can tell.",[91,2039,2040],{},"The structure looks like this:",[2042,2043,2044,2047,2050],"ol",{},[112,2045,2046],{},"Thank them by name and mention the specific gift or gesture.",[112,2048,2049],{},"Say how you'll use it or why it touched you.",[112,2051,2052],{},"Add one warm, personal line about them.",[91,2054,2055],{},"So instead of \"Thank you for the lovely gift,\" you write something like: \"Thank you so much for the beautiful copper pans. We've already christened them with a very ambitious risotto, and they'll be in our kitchen for years. It meant the world having you both there on the day.\"",[674,2057,2059],{"id":2058},"wording-for-different-gifts","Wording for different gifts",[91,2061,2062,2065],{},[115,2063,2064],{},"For cash or honeymoon money",", you don't have to be coy about it, but you needn't state the amount either. \"Thank you for your generous gift towards our honeymoon. We had the most wonderful week in Lisbon and thought of you over more than one glass of wine.\"",[91,2067,2068,2071],{},[115,2069,2070],{},"For a gift you're not keen on",", stay honest but kind. Thank them for their thoughtfulness rather than gushing about the object itself. \"It was so kind of you to think of us\" is gracious and true without telling a fib.",[91,2073,2074,2077],{},[115,2075,2076],{},"For people who didn't give a gift but helped",", the cousin who did the readings, the friend who drove the older relatives home, send a card too. Often these mean the most. \"Thank you for reading so beautifully. Half the room was in tears, in the best way.\"",[91,2079,2080,2083],{},[115,2081,2082],{},"For a group gift from colleagues",", one card to the group is fine, but name a couple of people if you can.",[98,2085,2087],{"id":2086},"the-little-details-that-lift-them","The little details that lift them",[91,2089,2090],{},"Handwritten always beats printed, even if your handwriting is a disaster. People can tell you actually sat down and did it. If your stationery matched your invitations, carrying that look through to the thank-yous gives the whole thing a satisfying bookend, though it's a nice-to-have, not a must.",[91,2092,2093],{},"And don't fuss over making each one a literary masterpiece. A short, specific, genuinely warm card lands far better than a long, flowery one that says nothing in particular. Three honest sentences will do the job.",[91,2095,2096],{},"Get the list in front of you, split it between you, and knock off a handful at a time. By the time the last stamp goes on, you'll be glad you didn't leave it.",{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":2098},[2099,2100,2101,2104],{"id":100,"depth":279,"text":101},{"id":2006,"depth":279,"text":2007},{"id":2033,"depth":279,"text":2034,"children":2102},[2103],{"id":2058,"depth":773,"text":2059},{"id":2086,"depth":279,"text":2087},"2023-02-05","A practical UK guide to wedding thank-you cards: when to send them, what to write for every kind of gift, and a system that gets them done without dread.","https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1549032305-e816fabf0dd2?ixid=M3w4NzI0OTN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHx0aGFuayUyMHlvdSUyMGNhcmQlMjBwZW58ZW58MXwwfHx8MTc4MTYxMzc0OHww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop","Thanks! paper and black pen on wood surface","Kelly Sikkema","https://unsplash.com/@kellysikkema?utm_source=buildtheday&utm_medium=referral",{},"/blog/thank-you-cards-wording-timing-and-a-simple-system",{"title":1938,"description":2106},"blog/thank-you-cards-wording-timing-and-a-simple-system",[2116,302,1531],"thank-you cards","lLByIWcYkvzCDueKdFsib6_MsKH4wB4XhiJ3yWRAd0o",{"id":84,"title":85,"author":86,"body":2119,"category":286,"date":287,"description":288,"draft":289,"extension":290,"image":291,"imageAlt":292,"imageCredit":293,"imageCreditUrl":294,"meta":2250,"navigation":5,"path":296,"readTime":297,"seo":2251,"stem":299,"tags":2252,"__hash__":305},{"type":88,"value":2120,"toc":2243},[2121,2123,2125,2127,2129,2131,2145,2147,2149,2151,2153,2163,2165,2167,2169,2171,2225,2227,2229,2231,2233,2235,2237,2239,2241],[91,2122,93],{},[91,2124,96],{},[98,2126,101],{"id":100},[91,2128,104],{},[91,2130,107],{},[109,2132,2133,2137,2141],{},[112,2134,2135,118],{},[115,2136,117],{},[112,2138,2139,124],{},[115,2140,123],{},[112,2142,2143,130],{},[115,2144,129],{},[91,2146,133],{},[91,2148,136],{},[98,2150,140],{"id":139},[91,2152,143],{},[109,2154,2155,2157,2159,2161],{},[112,2156,148],{},[112,2158,151],{},[112,2160,154],{},[112,2162,157],{},[91,2164,160],{},[91,2166,163],{},[98,2168,167],{"id":166},[91,2170,170],{},[172,2172,2173,2183],{},[175,2174,2175],{},[178,2176,2177,2179,2181],{},[181,2178],{},[181,2180,185],{},[181,2182,188],{},[190,2184,2185,2193,2201,2209,2217],{},[178,2186,2187,2189,2191],{},[195,2188,197],{},[195,2190,200],{},[195,2192,203],{},[178,2194,2195,2197,2199],{},[195,2196,208],{},[195,2198,211],{},[195,2200,214],{},[178,2202,2203,2205,2207],{},[195,2204,219],{},[195,2206,222],{},[195,2208,225],{},[178,2210,2211,2213,2215],{},[195,2212,230],{},[195,2214,233],{},[195,2216,236],{},[178,2218,2219,2221,2223],{},[195,2220,241],{},[195,2222,244],{},[195,2224,247],{},[91,2226,250],{},[98,2228,254],{"id":253},[91,2230,257],{},[91,2232,260],{},[91,2234,263],{},[98,2236,267],{"id":266},[91,2238,270],{},[91,2240,273],{},[91,2242,276],{},{"title":278,"searchDepth":279,"depth":279,"links":2244},[2245,2246,2247,2248,2249],{"id":100,"depth":279,"text":101},{"id":139,"depth":279,"text":140},{"id":166,"depth":279,"text":167},{"id":253,"depth":279,"text":254},{"id":266,"depth":279,"text":267},{},{"title":85,"description":288},[301,302,303,304],1781624711515]