Story Book Range

If you’re getting married this year, over the next couple of months you will surely be looking for invitations to wow your guests. When the invite drops through their letterbox the excitement starts to build and everyone begins to talk about your wedding.

Your invitations are the first thing anyone see’s that portrays you and your wedding day. I can wax lyrical on how to choose and what to pick but I thought it would be much better to hand the blog over to an expert who designs and hand makes the most beautiful wedding stationery. I know! my clients have just sent me a lovely email thanking me for finding them Nikki from Knots & Kisses to work with. I asked Nikki to answer the questions everyone asks when trying to work out how to buy, choose and send wedding stationery.  Over to you Nikki.

• How do I choose the right style for me? What should I look for when I engage a stationer?

When it comes to choosing your wedding stationer I think the best thing to do is find someone who’s work you love. If you love their existing designs but none are quite right for your wedding, the chances are they will come up with a design you like when you contact them for a bespoke service.

Many couples contact me with very little idea of where they want to go with their wedding and the stationery can be a great starting point for a whole scheme. When it comes to style I usually advise one of two things. Generally the easiest option for many people is to pick a colour scheme they like and let the style of their wedding build from there … often certain colours lend themselves very well to a certain style and you will find yourself naturally going down this route. Pinks & Greens are great for garden party style weddings whereas Blues & Whites often feel more beachy or wintery.

Alternatively often the style of the venue can lead you to the right decisions to how you want your stationery and wedding to look. If a bride contacts me with little idea of what she wants but I know she’s getting married in a barn in a relaxed and casual ceremony I will naturally go down a more rustic route with her stationery … perhaps tied in string.

Provide your stationer with as much information as possible and they will generally be able to evoke the style of your wedding.

• When should I order them?  Life is so busy now and most of my brides want to send them early.

Traditionally most wedding magazines and planners have always advised sending your wedding stationery out 2 to 3 months prior to the date of the wedding. However for so many couples these days this is just not enough advance warning to give to friends and family who say have to book holidays off work at least 3-6 months in advance, have family coming from abroad, or have to arrange to have children taken care of or taken out of school etc for a special occasion.

There are generally two ways of coping with this … either

a) Send out Save The Date Cards 6 months to a year in advance and then send the actual invitations out at the traditional time within 3 months of the wedding … or

b) Send just one invitation much earlier.

At Knots & Kisses .. I personally don’t put any pressure on couples to send their stationery out at a specific time so they can fit into my schedule. What is most important to me is not when the date of the wedding is but the date that the couple want to send their stationery out on because it fits in best for them.

Russian Doll Range

• How many do I order, what should I have as a contingency?

I would always advise couples to order extra stationery. I personally think 5-10 extra of both the day and evening invitation invitations is ample. A lot  of my stationery is ordered with preprinted guest names but order extras with a blank space left for your guests names and then you have no problems if you suddenly realize you’ve forgotten to send an invite to someone or you have a secondary list of people who you will be inviting if others can’t make it. ( Sounds cruel but this happens all the time!)

Russian Doll Range Menu and Table Stationery

• How do I word them? Is the wording different for Civil Partnerships?

I’ve always been of the opinion since I set up my wedding stationery company that I would never dictate to couples how they should word their stationery. I personally think you should be able to have whatever wording you feel is appropriate to convey the message of your day, so always ask brides what they would like the invite to say rather than getting them to pick between a set number of wording styles.

However if couples are unsure of what they want their invites to say I’m more than happy to offer advice. Traditionally wording comes in one of two formats .. either Formal .. addressed from the parents of the Bride … or Informal .. addressed from the Couple themselves. Of course we now have many couples having civil ceremonies but to be honest the wording changes very little other than asking the guests to join them for a civil celebration rather than marriage.

• What essentials should I include in the invite?  The etiquette.

There are of course a few basic elements which it is essential to include in your invites. The name of the couple .. obviously! … the date of the wedding and the venue. I generally advise brides to give basic details of the venue on the actual invitation i.e just the name, and if you want to give guests much more detail of the venue including the exact address and directions on a separate information card so it doesn’t clutter the look of the invite itself. Many of my new ranges come with a information and rsvp card inside so this information can be kept separate.

One of the most important elements of the information you give is the time the guests need to arrive. Many brides I’ve spoken to want to know whether they should put the exact time of the ceremony or the time of arrival. I’ve always advised time of arrival! You will always have a few guests who are traditionally ‘latecomers’ so best to err on the side of safety and put a time which is a little earlier than the actual ceremony time I feel.

Candy Stripe Pink & Sage reception stationery

• How about DIY invites for this growing market and Brides looking to add personal details and reduce costs?

Funnily enough I have no problem at all with Brides DIYing elements or all of their wedding stationery. I think many brides and grooms have a creative flair and would love to use their talents to good use in their weddings. Couples shouldn’t underestimate however how time consuming doing this may be and for many it could be difficult to fit this in around their busy lives.

I am more than happy as a happy medium, or alternative for couples, to semi-produce elements of their stationery .. i.e. a basic pocketfold design that they can then decorate themselves if they wish to add a personal touch to their wedding. I also work all the time with brides on a very tight budget and am happy to adapt designs to suit their pocket and personalise the stationery so it means something to them.

Overall my advice for couples wanting to DIY their stationery would be to do this for the Day & Evening Invitations if they would really love to do this but possibly consider handing over the reception stationery to a professional, who would be more than happy to come up with a design to match. This takes the pressure off the couple in the few weeks before the wedding when the last thing they want to be doing is madly making 150 placecards on top of everything else they have to do!

Candy Stripe Aqua & Mocha

I just love these new designs of Nikki’s, they are hot off the press and how gorgeous are they for summer? Have fun with your stationery and think a little outside the box. Choose a stationer that will help you design an invite that truly reflects you and what your day is all about.

For the next post I thought it would be fun to see various ways of making place cards and seating plans to inspire you. Please email me or send me your unique ways that you have personalised your stationery. It’s always good to pass on great ideas, don’t be shy.

Until next time, happy planning.

Good morning! Christmas is nearly here and if you are getting  married next year it will be soon be this year!! To help I want to be sure you are armed with all the information you need for heavenly wedding planning.

I am going to run a series of blogs on all things stationery in January and February. If you are  just starting to plan your wedding or have not got round to your invites, this feature will be ideal for you.

Learn the etiquette of when to send an invite, what to write in them and how to choose them. Everything you want to know about perfect stationery for your big day. The lovely Ivy Ellen will be joining our Genie Dream Team and giving us their expert knowledge. We will also have a special offer running too.

I must admit I am totally addicted to beautiful stationery, it really does make a wedding stand out. Think I went a little over the top sending swatches of my bridesmaids dresses to my stationer but she did match them perfectly to the hearts on our invites.

To be sure we answer exactly what you want it would be great if you can send me anything you want to know about wedding stationery. It does not matter how small the question is we will be really happy to help. I look forward to hearing from you.  You can mail me or comment on this blog.

Until next time, happy planning.

I am so excited to introduce you to one of our fabulous wedding stationery suppliers. I have been working on three weddings for next year and Nikki from Knots and Kisses has designed a fabulous Art Deco style of Invite for one of my lovely couples. I can’t show it yet because of course the guests have to be the first to see them!

After all they are the introduction to your wedding. Invitations or save the dates are a taster of what your wedding day holds and should really delight your guests and give them some insight into your personality.

For me stationery is very important, whether it’s designed by a company or made by yourselves. It is the one thing that pulls a wedding scheme together. I am also a self confessed stationery addict!!!

Nikki has just released her brilliant new website with such inspired designs, you will be drooling! Check out some of the newest designs here. I love the story book style. It is a great idea to tell the story of a couples journey.  Along with the website is a great blog too. It has all kinds of advice so make sure you check that out. I am also very pleased to add Nikki to my Wedding Genie Dream Team. These are suppliers I know and trust who I can recommend without a moments hesitation.

One of the great new designs,Story Book.

I asked Nikki to share with us some of her advice for choosing and ordering your wedding stationery.

Hello! My name is Nikki, I run Knots & Kisses Wedding Stationery.

Julie asked me to write a few words of advice for you about wedding stationery etiquette… so here goes!

I’m going to say now… I’m not a fan of the word etiquette when it comes to weddings! I firmly believe you should be able to have the wedding you want regardless of tradition.However, ordering Wedding Stationery can be a bit of a minefield, and it’s useful to know a few hints & tips to make ordering your Wedding Stationery that little bit easier ….

1. When To Send Your Stationery

Generally the advice is to send your wedding invitations to your guests approximately 3 months before the date of your wedding.

This can however depend on your wedding … you may be having a wedding abroad and in this case you will need to send out your invitations much further in advance as your guests may need to book flights etc.

If you’d like your guests to know the date of you wedding much further in advance I’d advise sending out Save The Date cards. This can give your guests advance warning so they don’t book holidays that clash with your wedding and can book time off work if needed.

2. When To Order Your Stationery

This can depend on your stationer, but I generally advise my clients to start the booking process at least 2 months prior to the date you need to receive your invitations. This is especially necessary if you are ordering handmade stationery, as it allows time for proofs to be sent and changes to be made. You also need to take into account many stationers will only be able to take on so many orders a month so it may be worth putting a deposit down much earlier to secure the services of the stationer you really want.

Also allow extra time if you require a bespoke service as you need to allow a little bit longer for the design process.

3. R.S.V.P’s

I often have to advise couples on their RSVP dates, as sometimes they will put a date which is far too close to the wedding.

You need to allow time to chase up stragglers! No matter how well you think you know your guests there will always be a few who will reply to you weeks after your RSVP date… or not at all!

Also take into account the date your caterers and venue will need to know final numbers by, and if you are ordering reception stationery allow a month for this to be made.

4. Children

You may love to have children at your wedding, but there are many couples out there who could think of nothing worse! There are ways of wording this on your stationery so you don’t end up offending any of your guests who are parents!

Generally I advise not having a short sharp line stating “Children Not Allowed” … the text I usually use is something like … “We would love you to enjoy a day off and so respectfully ask that there are no children at your wedding”.

5. Extra Information

I’d always advise a separate information card to be included with your stationery. These days there is often so much extra information you would like to let your guests know about your day.

This can include directions, maps, guest information, food requests or even asking your guests to bring something with them to your wedding.

A lot of my stationery ranges include an information card and RSVP card as a pack price, which can save you some money.

6. Wording

When it comes to wording, I personally don’t think the rules are as strict as they used to be, but generally invitation wording will be either Formal or Informal.

Formal invitations are generally for weddings being hosted by the parents of the couple and will be addressed as such … “Mr. & Mrs. G Robinson request the pleasure of the company of Mr.  & Mrs. Joe Bloggs at the marriage of their daughter Jessica Anne to Mr. James Smith ….”.

Many couples, however, now host their own weddings and so an informal wording is more appropriate … “Jessica & James would love the pleasure of the company of Jane & Joe Bloggs at their wedding …”.

I personally feel these days anything goes! Be as informal or as humorous as you want depending on the style of your wedding!

7. Final advice … Have fun with your wedding stationery and remember to order a few extra just in case!

I hope you found this useful. I agree with Nikki that all there are some rules for stationery be yourself and personalise them as much as you want. I know when I get a wedding invitation I just love it to be that little bit different and feel it is talking me to me! Over the next few weeks I am going to post about how to use stationery in your wedding in ways that are that bit different and unusual. Watch this space because for the new year I have lots of ideas and there will be little changes to my website and blog to keep you coming back for more!

Until next time, happy planning.

The Wedding Genie is always happy to answer questions our brides have and over the past few weeks we had many regarding stationery. I asked the lovely Sophie Ellis-Waring from Cards by Sophie

Sophie started her stationery company after planning her own wedding and struggled to find modern wedding stationery at an affordable price. Since then Sophie has developed a range of fourteen stylish, contemporary designs. These little goodies are all lovingly made by hand, completely customised to your colours and wedding theme. There are no set rules, all the stationery is available in a range of sizes, you can even create your own wording inside and outside of each card. How fantastic is that? Your own unique design. Stationery available includes Save The Date Cards, Invitations, Menu’s, Favour Boxes, Table Plans and much more. You will get one free sample and a 10% discount on orders over £250!

I asked Sophie to give us a quick guide to ordering your wedding stationery.

What to order when – your quick guide to wedding stationery.

Once you’ve got engaged, all the preparations can seem rather daunting in the excitement. Help is at hand for your wedding stationery. We find that the questions we’re most often asked are when to order stationery, and whether it all needs to be ordered at once. Here’s our handy guide:

1. First stage: Order Save the Date cards as soon as possible after you have fixed your wedding date: usually at least 9 months to a year before your wedding. These cards are a great idea if your wedding is at a popular holiday time or mid-week – make sure your most important guests aren’t busy elsewhere. Don’t worry too much about colours at this stage – just choose something you love. You can coordinate later!
2. Second stage: Order Invitations, RSVPs and pocketfolds. We recommend sending out invitations at least 2 months prior to the wedding. You’ll also need to allow enough time for your stationer to make the items (we ask for 4-6 weeks). Once you’ve found a design you like, choose a colour theme. Your stationer should send out a proof showing all of your details in your chosen colours. This way you’ll be sure all the details are correct before the order is completed. Consider having Pocketfolds; they contain not only the invitation but an RSVP and information card for details of hotels, directions etc. tucked inside – we love making life simple!
3. Third stage: Order on the day items. You can do this much nearer the wedding.  These items include menus; order of service; place cards; table cards; table plan – anything that will be used on the big day itself! We suggest making on the day items to match your invitations to follow your theme through. We know how long it takes sometimes to finalise things such as details with the vicar, caterer and your final guest list. We usually request wording for order of service and menus around 8 weeks before the wedding and details for table plans, place cards, table cards, etc. 4 weeks prior to the wedding.
4. Fourth stage: Order favour boxes and thank you cards. You can actually order these at the same time as any of the previous steps – many of my clients have purchased these at the same time as the invitations!  Leave the thank you card inserts blank if you want to write your own message, or we have some standard examples that you could try out. Both thank you cards and favour boxes can match the rest of your stationery too.

1. It easy to order in several stages, meaning minimal fuss and the chance to evenly spread payments before your wedding! If you prefer to order everything at once, your stationer may provide the items in stages: we prepare your order in two batches – the first batch includes the invitations and RSVPs, the second includes all of the ‘on the day’ items. Of course, we give you plenty of reminders as to when we need your information!

Having set out our suggested timescales, we realise that it’s not always possible to stick to them. Don’t worry – we can often help out if you’ve got a tight timescale. Just ask us for advice, we love to help!

Sophie is going to be sending me some lovely samples which I will show at our Bridal Workshops. Our first classes are running on October 24th at The Ramada Hotel, Birmingham North, Cannock. You can win a pair of free tickets tickets worth £120 by entering our competition or book here. Its all you need to know to plan your perfect wedding day.

Until next time, happy planning.

Since then I have recommended them to many people. Their stationery is excellent quality and you can get anything you like made to your design. Their prices are brilliant and the customer service is second to none.

Wedding Genie make a great fuss about only working with suppliers who offer the same standard of service that we do and Lilylou and You certainly fit this bill. Now in addition to sharing them with you I asked Bernie for advice on when to send your invites and what to think of when ordering them. Enjoy!

Your invitations are the first impression your guests have of your big day

The greater the impact the greater the response and general excitement among your guests in the lead up to your big day! You invitation sets the scene for the day whether it be subtle and serene or wild and wacky!

Give Your Guests Plenty of Time to make the necessary arrangements

Your guests do really make your day so give them time to make sure they can attend – post your invitations out at least three months prior to the wedding and allow your guests six weeks to reply – at Lilylou & You we make this easy by introducing RSVP postcards as standard with all day invitations.

With the above point in mind handmade stationery takes time

Allow 8 – 10 weeks from point of order to receipt of your invitations – other items can be ordered at a later stage closer to the wedding date.

Colour Matching

Our invitations are all handmade from either our own or your original designs, we are able to match any colours you would like throughout your design. Sending us a swatch of fabric or anything we can get a glimpse of colour from is a great start and helps us to create your perfect unique stationery.

I love this one, we got this for my best friends Mama Mia style wedding in Cyprus

And lastly we urge you to contact us at any time

We are always here to help with any questions you may have no matter how niggly you might feel they are. After all it is your day and it must be perfect.

If you want me to blog on anything you need information about then please let me know. My blog is for all brides who want the inside track on planning and I want it to be enjoyable, informative and above all answering the things you need to know.

Lastly I have had a flurry of enquiries in the last few days, it seems like some of you are just going ahead with a lovely wedding on the spur of the moment. If you want help to coordinate your day I have a few dates left and I would love to help.

Until next time, happy planning.

Earlier this week I promised to find you more gorgeous vintage finds. I have just come across this lovely website by

I was so impressed that I mailed Lucy to find out about how she started and what inspired her. Here is what she said.

I am Lucy Ledger, an illustrator with a BA Hons degree and I design vintage inspired scrapbook style stationery. I started by producing greeting cards when I was inspired by a very old scrap book my Nan gave to me. It was filled with hundreds of vintage cards from the turn of the 20th century. This book was such an inspiration because not only did these cards have such a warmth about them- the way they were presented in this scrapbook made it look more like a memory book- a perfect style for greeting cards! That is now the signature style I use throughout Lucy Ledger Designs.

I introduced wedding stationery after I had planned my own wedding last year; like so many other brides I wanted a relaxed and informal feel to my stationery- something that would make guests feel that they were going attend a warm, personal occasion that was filled with love, fun and lots of laughter and when I couldn’t find anything that was quite right I decided to design it myself!

I truly believe that picking wedding stationery is one of the most important and exciting parts of planning a wedding as it sets the tone and atmosphere of what is to come. It is the first thing guests will see and it will give an indication of what kind of wedding is being planned. All my ranges can have personal photographs added in, text personalised all in a quirky ‘scrapbooking’ style reflecting the ‘gathering’ and ‘collection’ of memories that compliment a special occasion such as a wedding.

I know I am all about the weddings but I have to admit at being the most forgetful person in the world for birthdays. I am going to buy a whole load of these cards for my family and get them personalised. That way I just have to remember to post them. Well am off to find some more vintage finds for next week.

If you have a favourite site that you would like to share with us please send it over.

Until next time, happy planning.

Our blog is all about being practical and giving  great advice to help brides plan a fantastic wedding day. I do have to say that I do get a bit fed up of american blogs leading the way when it comes to inspiration. Don’t get me wrong they are excellent but often its hard for brides to source the items they recommend. Once you have seen them on the site and you fall in love with them its really disappointing not to be able to access them in the UK, that goes for their suppliers too.

Today I want to introduce you to one of the great new English! blog sites, English-Wedding.com full of inspiration and advice for brides. In fact you can even find my articles on there too.

Claire Gould who runs the website popped by to tell me what the aim of her website is and a little more about it. Claire is not stranger to weddings,she runs a calligraphy company so she knows what she is talking about having been around engaged couples for the last few years. I thought it would be better if Claire explained herself.

English-Wedding.com is a new website for brides. It’s halfway between a wedding directory and a blog, with the focus of the whole site being on inspiring wedding photos for you to browse at your leisure. More than a blog, way prettier than a wedding directory, this is a website to enjoy with a cup of tea – browse a few pages and see where they take you!

Some of the best English wedding photographers have featured n the blog home page of English-Wedding.com showcasing gorgeous brides, magnificent venues and beautiful wedding details to inspire your own wedding. See inside Peckforton Castle, Hampton Manor and Crewe Hall, be amazed by a red Maggie wedding dress and a delicate Charlotte Balnier gown, or look at winter wedding pictures, summer weddings, tipis… you name it, it’s on the blog!

Once click inside the website will bring you to a collection of wedding advice articles, covering everything from starting out with wedding planning, to choosing your dress and applying your make up for the big day. Every article is submitted by a wedding expert – with wedding planners, stationers, even wedding cake designers sharing their own tips and advice to make your wedding day go smoothly.

When you are in the mood for a bit of wedding shopping you’ll find the inspiration pages of English-Wedding.com are full of lovely ideas. From inspiration boards to the Loves! page which is full of pretty accessories and ideas from English wedding suppliers, it’s just a lovely website to look at, and will help you find great new websites to buy everything from favours to flowers for your day.

The website is put together by me Claire Gould, I have worked in weddings for five years – in one of the more unusual wedding jobs, as a calligrapher! I decided to turn my creative eye to website design as a new hobby back in 2009.

I am really pleased to have been able to introduce you to this website, I hope you find great inspiration from it. Why don’t you check out Claire’s calligraphy website to see her latest work too. Wedding Genie like to work with the best suppliers who have the same high standards of customer service that we do. If you want help with sourcing suppliers why not give me a call. Even if you just want a little advice drop me a line we are always pleased to hear from you.

Until next time, happy planning.

We love the little details that make the guests smile at your wedding. This is a great idea from Royal Mail, stamps called Smilers which you can personalise with your own photograph. They can be sent on your Invitations or Thank You cards. Its a personal touch that really sets the tone of the wedding day or adds an extra special thank you for the wedding present you received.

You choose from one of the 16 designs, I like this one the best. Then simply upload your favourite photograph. It may be one of you and your fiance the night you got engaged, or one of a special moment that means a lot to you both. The instructions on the website are easy to follow and you can buy the stamps in sheets of 10 costing £8.30, or sheets of 20 costing £14.95 plus £1.45 for p&p. They do become cheaper the more sheets you buy.

If you have any ideas for the personal touch why don’t you contact us and share them, we are always delighted to hear from our readers.

Until next time, happy planning.