Everything You Need to Know Before Purchasing Wedding Invitations

Other Stationery

Programs

Are not necessary, but nice to have, particularly if you are having a religious ceremony, or one that incorporates cultural rites that some of your guests may not be familiar with. Programs should not be long, or contain biographical information on everyone in your wedding party. They should include the processional, elements of the service, and brief explanations of any components of the ceremony that may be unfamiliar to some guests.

Place Cards

For a seated lunch or dinner reception for more than 20 people, place cards are necessary to help guide guests to their seats. You can arrange them on a table, usually outside the dining area, in alphabetical order for guests to pick up on their way in, or you can have ushers with a complete guest list direct them to their tables where their place cards are already in place.

Announcements

If you choose to send them, they should be sent to friends, relatives, co-workers, or acquaintances who were not invited to the wedding but with whom you'd like to share the news. They should not be sent to guests who were invited to either the ceremony or reception. Announcements should be sent after the wedding, within the first few weeks, but preferably the first few days. The wording is similar to that on an invitation.

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Anderson
Have the honour of
Announcing the marriage of their daughter
Stacey Elizabeth
To Samuel J. Lowell
Saturday, the tenth of April
Two thousand and four
San Francisco, California

Thank You Notes

Some couples choose to have thank you notes and other personal stationery printed along with their invitations with their monogram, or to match their invitations. It's a good idea to do all together to save money on set-up fees.