Article: What We Wish Couples Knew | Wedding Stationery Advice from George & Joshua
What We Wish Couples Knew | Wedding Stationery Advice from George & Joshua
Honest tips from two designers who have heard every question, made every mistake, and genuinely love what they do.
We get asked a lot of questions. Some of them are about designs, colourways, foil finishes, lead times. But the ones that come up most are the questions couples ask after something has gone slightly wrong, or when they wish they had known something earlier.
So here it is. Everything Joshua and I wish couples knew before they ordered their wedding stationery. No fluff, no upselling, just the stuff that actually matters.
Get on the same page as your partner first and invest in the save the date
This sounds obvious but it genuinely isn't. A lot of couples come to us with one person having a very clear vision and the other not quite there yet. That can make the whole process harder than it needs to be.
Take some time to get aligned with your partner before you start looking at designs. And when you do, take the save the date seriously. Especially if you are planning an alternative or non-traditional wedding, the save the date is the very first thing your guests hold. It sets the tone, the expectations, the vibe of the whole day before anything else has happened. A well-chosen save the date tells your guests everything they need to know about what kind of wedding they are coming to.
The best weddings we have worked on have had a clear thread running through them save the date to invitation to on the day stationery to thank you card. One continuous story. That starts with knowing what story you want to tell.
If you are not sure where to start or which design feels right, just reach out. We know every design in the collection inside and out and we genuinely love hearing from couples about their day. That conversation is often where the best ideas come from. You can get in touch via our bespoke enquiry page or just drop us an email.
Tell us your deadline early, we'll do out best!
If you have a deadline in mind, just let us know early and we will always do our best to get your order out to you as smoothly and quickly as possible. The earlier we know, the more we can do.
It is worth knowing that some parts of the process simply take the time they take. Foiling alone can take over a week. On top of that there is the digital mock up, the print ready files, the printing, the quality check and the packaging. Every step gets our full attention because the end result deserves it. We would always rather take the time to get it right than rush something out and have it not be perfect.
Just talk to us and we will work it out together. We are always happy to have that conversation.
Start with a design you love, then make it yours
The couples who end up happiest with their stationery almost always do this in the same order. They find a design they genuinely love first. Then they make small adjustments to make it feel like them.
One of the most powerful things you can do is bring a colourway. Our classic combinations work brilliantly black, off white, kraft brown but an interesting gradient in colours that mean something to you can completely transform a design. We love printing in colours that are a little different. It is one of the easiest ways to make a design feel unmistakably yours.
Be picky. Please. That is what the proof stage is for
We will go back and forth on the digital proof as many times as you need. No apologies required, no awkwardness about asking for changes. That is exactly what the proof stage is for.
Once something is printed it is printed. So we would always rather spend a bit more time getting the proof exactly right than rush through it. Check every word. Check the spelling of every name. Check the date. Check the venue. Then check it again.
We have never once been annoyed at a customer for being thorough at this stage. We have occasionally wished a customer had been more thorough when it was too late to change anything.
Your guests will love it more than you think
This is probably the thing that surprises couples most. They choose a gothic, celestial, tarot-inspired or otherwise alternative design and quietly wonder whether their guests will get it.
Almost universally, they do. And the feedback is glowing. Because what guests respond to is not the aesthetic it is the feeling that this wedding is genuinely, completely the couple. Not a template. Not a trend. Something that makes them say this is so Alex and James, or this is so Kate and Sophie, before they have even read the date.
Your stationery should reflect you. When it does, people feel it.
Worried it might be too much? We have options
If you love the designs but feel slightly nervous about the reaction maybe you have a more traditional family, maybe you want something that sits in the middle ground we can absolutely work with that.
Printing in off white, ivory or kraft brown rather than black brings the drama right down. The same illustrated design feels much more whimsical and less gothic in a lighter colourway. The meaning and the detail are still there, just softer.
Having said all of that we do take it as something of a compliment when a customer tells us their aunty was outraged at the skeletons on their invites. That tends to mean we got it exactly right.
Ready to start?
If you are planning an alternative, gothic, celestial or just-a-bit-different wedding and you want stationery that actually reflects your day, we would love to hear from you. Every order starts with a conversation and we are always happy to talk through ideas before you commit to anything.
Love George & Joshua x
