wedding invitations printed on plantable seed paper with a watercolour meadow flowers design

When to order wedding invitations and stationery

When to order wedding invitations and stationery? How far in advance of the wedding should we do it? Yup, they’re a couple of those questions that I get asked ALL THE TIME. And, like many of the questions about bespoke or handmade wedding stationery, there isn’t a simple answer. I’ll explain why.

First though, I need to highlight that this blog isn’t about when to SEND your wedding invites or even when to send your save the date cards. It’s about when to ORDER wedding invitations and all your other stationery, so that you have them ready to go when you need them.

So when is the right time to order wedding invitations and stationery?

Wedding stationery covers a lot of items, and you won’t need all of them at the same time. You might need up to three batches of stationery: save the dates, invitations, and stationery for ‘on the day’. Now, you could order each of these batches as you go along, at the right times during your wedding planning journey. Order save the dates up to two years in advance, invitations 8 to 12 months out, and then on the day stationery 6 to 8 weeks before the big day. But wouldn’t it be great if you could get it all booked in one go and then not have to worry about remembering what to order and when?

Well, I have the solution for you – and I call it “booking your wedding stationery production slots”. I use this phrase all the time, and someone pointed out to me recently that I probably need to explain better what it actually means and why it’s a great idea for you when you’re planning your wedding. I’ll also tell you when you can do it and how.

modern calligraphy style wedding invitations with 'we do' at the top in rose gold foil

What’s all this about booking production slots in advance?

Well, simply put; you pay a deposit to secure the time in my schedule to make whatever invites or stationery you need when you need them. You will need up to three separate production slots for your wedding stationery, one each for 

  1. save the date cards
  2. invitations – day and evening
  3. ceremony and reception stationery (order of service, table plan, place cards, that sort of thing).

You don’t need to have all the finer details, designs or quantities finalised to book a slot. You just need to know when you’re getting married, a broad idea of what stationery you might need or want, and a rough estimate of the number of guests you’ll be having.

wedding place card with a greenery eucalyptus design

WHY should we book our wedding invitations & stationery in advance?

Most importantly, booking production slots for wedding stationery gives you peace of mind, knowing you have secured the right person (me!) to make your save the dates, invites, and more exactly when you need them.

But there are a whole bunch of other advantages too:

  1. When you book a slot with me I send you a link to an exclusive section on my website where you have access to all kinds of guides and templates to help you get all the wording and content right for your stationery.
  2. You’ll receive a personalised production timeline based on the dates you need each part of your stationery.
  3. And to keep you on track, I will schedule emails to remind you exactly when all of that information needs to be supplied and numbers confirmed so that each part of your stationery is ready at exactly the right time.
modern blush pink wedding order of service and order of the day timeline

When to order wedding invitations and stationery with me at By Jo

As soon as you have decided that you would like me to design and make your wedding stationery, you can book your production slots. Remember, that booking your slot just means that you’re holding a space in my production schedule to make each part of your stationery at the right time. You don’t need to know exact numbers, wording, guest names or even have finalised a design with me. All those details will all be confirmed and double checked with you at every step of the way. For now, we’re just ‘saving the dates’ in my schedule.

You can book production slots in my schedule up to 2 years before the big day.

wedding invitations with an autumnal floral theme printed onto plantable seen paper

Okay, so HOW do we get booked into your schedule?

Well, first of all, you need to be sure that I am the right designer to create your wedding stationery. Get in touch and arrange a chat with me about what you need, be it save the date, invitations, or stationery for on the day. We can meet in person at my studio in Taffs Well (just outside Cardiff) or over a phone or video call – whatever works.

6 questions to answer before ordering your wedding stationery

After we’ve met, chatted, or exchanged emails I’ll send you a fully personalised quote and production schedule for your wedding stationery. Don’t worry, you don’t need exact numbers at this point just your best estimate of what and how many you need and when you want them (I’ll help you with working all this out).

Then, if you’re happy with all of that, you pay a small deposit for each of the production slots you want to reserve. Remember, you’ll need up to three different slots depending on what stationery you want me to make for you:

  1. save the date
  2. invitations
  3. on the day stationery

You can put down deposits for all three slots or just one or two – completely up to you. If you want to book one, and then add another one at a later date – that’s fine too!

elegant white luggage tag style wedding breakfast menu for an intimate cardiff wedding

Woop, you booked your stationery, what happens next?

Once your deposits are paid you’re in my schedule. Your production slots are secured and you can sit back and relax knowing that your stationery is all under control. About 3 to 4 weeks before each production slot, I’ll send you friendly reminders about what details I need. Remember, you’ll have access to my exclusive online ‘library’. It has all kinds of ideas for wording, inspiration for gift poems, and templates for collating names and addresses.

Once I have the details from you, I’ll send digital proofs that you’ll need to approve before I print anything. The balance for each batch of stationery will be invoiced after you’ve approved the proofs and confirmed exact numbers. I’ll need payment before I start work.

So that’s it, that’s the what, when, why, and how of booking production slots for wedding stationery. I do hope you’ve found it useful. I have a really handy guide and checklist that you can download if you want to kick start your wedding stationery journey. You can print it out and put it in your wedding planning binder. Or save it straight to your phone for an eco-friendly option.

Get your free wedding stationery checklist and guide here

Ready to get started on designing and booking your wedding stationery? Come and see me in my Taffs Well studio, just north of Cardiff in South Wales if you’re local. Or, if you’re further afield, we can meet over the phone or video call.

Check my online calendar and book a call or meeting with me here

I really hope you’ve found this blog useful. If you have any questions about booking your wedding stationery then just give me a shout. You can email me, DM me on Instagram or Facebook, or pick up the phone if you want to go old school! All my contact details are on that link above. I hope we get to chat soon!

Jo