Wedding Planning
The Complete Wedding Stationery Checklist: Every Printed Piece, Start to Finish
Quick Answer
Wedding stationery falls into four phases: before (save the dates, invitation suite, envelopes), hospitality (itineraries, welcome notes, hamper and luggage tags), day-of (welcome signs, seating charts, place cards, menus, programmes) and after (favour tags, thank-you cards). Commission the design system once, then produce in phases — pre-wedding pieces first, day-of pieces last, when counts are final.
The master checklist, phase by phase
Every piece a full celebration might need — trim to your wedding:
| Phase | Pieces | Print by |
|---|---|---|
| Before | Save the dates · invitation suite · inserts · envelopes & liners · wax seals | STDs: 7 mo · Suite: 3 mo |
| Hospitality | Itinerary cards · welcome notes · hamper tags · luggage tags · room danglers | 4–5 weeks out |
| Day-of | Welcome signs · seating chart · place cards · menus · programmes · bar signs | 2–3 weeks out |
| After | Favour tags · petal cones · thank-you cards | With day-of pieces |
Related: Explore the full collection · The timeline in detail
Day-of stationery: where personalisation pays
Day-of pieces are the wedding's most photographed stationery because they meet guests at the table. The lemon menus above — die-cut, hand-painted, each carrying a guest's name — do three jobs at once: menu, place card and favour. Guests take them home; almost none survive to cleanup, which is the highest compliment stationery gets.
The craft rule for day-of pieces: design them with the suite (same motifs, same monogram) but print them last, when seating and menus are truly final. A beautiful seating chart with yesterday's table plan is expensive scrap.
Trimming the list without losing the feeling
Few weddings need all twenty pieces. The priority order we advise when budgets focus: invitation suite first (it's the keepsake), then day-of pieces guests touch (menus, place cards), then welcome signage (it's in every photo), then hospitality pieces, then the rest.
The pieces to combine rather than cut: menu + place card (one named card does both), itinerary + welcome note (one hamper card), programme + fan (one piece, two jobs at outdoor ceremonies).
Key takeaways.
- Four phases: before, hospitality, day-of, after — each with its own print deadline.
- One design system commissioned once carries all ~20 pieces; per-piece design is how suites fall apart.
- Day-of pieces (menus, place cards, seating) print LAST — after final counts.
- Personalised pieces — named menus, place cards — are the details guests keep and photograph.
- Order 8–10% extra of everything; reprints cost disproportionately more.
Frequently asked questions.
Minimum: an invitation suite, a details/RSVP mechanism, and day-of pieces for seating and menus. Everything else — signage, hampers, favours — scales with the celebration's size and days.
Yes, and it's our favourite economy: one die-cut card per guest carrying their name and the menu does both jobs and becomes the favour they take home.
8–10% over the final count for every piece — covering late guests, keepsakes for both families and the inevitable handful of addressing errors.
Planning your dream wedding stationery?
From elegant wedding invitations to thoughtfully designed stationery suites, create a wedding experience that feels uniquely yours.
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