What wedding reception stationery you will need will depend a little on the type of celebration you are having. For a traditional, sit down wedding breakfast it’s likely you will need a table plan, place cards and menus, perhaps table numbers or names too. If your guests have pre-ordered then personalised individual menus could be a good idea. If you reception is more informal then you might not need some of these items. Read on for my complete wedding reception stationery checklist.
A wedding table plan is a must for a seated wedding breakfast
Place it at the entrance to your reception room to be sure your guests can find the table allocated to them. It doesn’t have to be the traditional board on an easel though, get creative and have fun with a table plan that reflects your personalities and interests as well as your wedding theme.
Click here for 5 creative ways to display your wedding table plan
Personalised place cards to let your guests know where they are sitting
If you are allocating seating positions around your reception tables then you will need wedding place cards in one form or another. You can keep them traditional and elegant with crips folded tent cards and beautiful font. Or, opt for a more contemporary tag style and tie to napkins, around cutlery or even peg them to wine glasses. The possibilities are endless.
Click here for 8 cute wedding place card ideas
Whether you use full names or just first names on your table plan and place cards is completely up to you, depending on how formal you want to be. I usually suggest full names at least on the table plan to avoid any confusion where you have more than one guest with the same name.
Click here to see what names should you use on your place cards and table plan
Table names or numbers should be on your wedding reception stationery checklist
If you are naming your tables rather than numbering then you will almost certainly need table name cards. If you’re sticking with classic numbers then coordinating table number cards are a lovely way to carry your wedding reception stationery theme through. You can have freestanding tent cards, flat cards to go into holders or even cards to hang onto bottles or candlebra. Giving your tables names rather than numbers is another great way to really persoanalise your wedding reception
Click here 8 of my favourite wedding table name ideas
Wedding menus are an optional item for your tables
Do you need to put menus on your wedding breakfast tables? It’s completely up to you. Your guests might like to be able to see what they’re having to eat, but if they don’t have to make a choice then they’re certainly not essential. However, if you have asked your guests to choose and preorder their menu then it is a really good idea to give them a little reminder at their seat.
We’ve all been there right? Chosen our meal for the office Christmas do and completely forgotten what we ordered three months later when we get there. Individual personalised menus with your guest’s name and their chosen meal are a great way to not only remind them, but also add a little extra to your table decor.
Click here for tips on how to deal with menu choices in your wedding invitations
Wedding favours for your guests
Wedding favours are the grown up version of a party bag. A little token of thanks to each guest from the happy couple. While not strictly wedding reception stationery, I often get asked to supply the boxes, bags, tags, labels or wallets that go along with wedding favours. If you choose to have wedding favours, you can make them double up as your place cards, but adding your guests’ names on a tag or label. How about personalised lotto wallets, little alcohol miniatures with a personalised tag or even turn your menus into favours by having them printed on plantable seed paper. Favours so often can get left behind on wedding reception tables, so try to think of things that won’t go to waste – edible or drinkable options are always a winner!
Click here for 7 eco friendly wedding favour ideas
Bespoke signs for your wedding reception
There are all kinds of bespoke wedding signs that you might need as part of your wedding reception stationery:
- In memory signs
- Sweet cart signs
- Wedding hashtag signs
- Bathroom toiletries signs
- Cards and gifts signs
- Guest book sign
To name a few.
Bespoke wedding signs can be any size from A6 (postcard) to A1. The smaller sizes, up to A5, can be made as freestanding tent cards, or to put into frames. Larger, A3 and upwards, wedding signs are printed straight onto eco mountboard and will need an easel to display them. All of them can be made to match your other wedding reception stationery and will add those little extra finishing touches around your celebration.
Click here to see what bespoke wedding signs do you need for your reception
Other fishing touches as part of your wedding reception stationery checklist
The list of stationery that you can have for your wedding reception is pretty much endless and far too long for me to cover in depth here. So to finish off this list here’s a quick summary of some of the other stationery pieces I’ve made in the past, for your inspiration:
- Wedding guest books
- Wedding post boxes
- Wedding ice breakers – like a chatterbox or eye spy games for the little ones
- Personalised tags for sparklers
- Personalised bags for sweet carts and tables
That’s your complete wedding reception stationery checklist.
7 things you should definitely consider as part of your wedding stationery package.
- wedding table plan,
- personalised place cards,
- table name or number cards,
- wedding menus (either for the table or each guest),
- wedding favour tags or labels,
- all your bespoke wedding signs
- and any of those extra little finishing touches you might need.
To keep your theme consistent throughout, have them all designed and made together along with save the dates, invitations and wedding ceremony stationery.
This blog is part of my Wedding Stationery Guides series, read more of them here:
Click here for my Complete Guide to Wedding Invitations
Click here to see what on my Wedding Ceremony Stationery Checklist
Click here to download your complete printable wedding stationery checklist
If you’d like to talk more about how I can help you with your wedding stationery from save the date cards right through to thank you cards, get in touch – I’d love to chat!
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