When we think of wedding stationery, we think of it as a ”suite” of many paper elements with a unifying tone or design motif. But the suite doesn’t have to use the same exact design over and over again. The magic is in the subtle variations on the theme and how all the pieces of the suite come together to tell a story. But what’s in today’s “wedding stationery suite?” Most commonly, at The Papery of Philadelphia we see the following list of wedding stationery items: save-the-dates, wedding invitations, ceremony programs, seating cards (escort sets), dinner menus, favor tags, thank you notes and welcome basket tags or letters. Generally, our bridal couples are selecting a more formal look for the main stationery elements: the wedding invitations, menu cards, ceremony programs and escort sets. Yet, for the most part, the save-the-dates, favor tags, welcome notes, table numbers and thank you notes get a more light-hearted styling of the same overall design. Very rarely are the save-the-dates as formal in tone as the wedding invitations.
One of our recent client’s chose to keep their entire wedding stationery suite classic and elegant from start-to-finish using ecru, gold and pewter. A nod to tradition, yes, but with modern styling and contemporary exaggerated calligraphic fonts. Beginning with the save-the-date, the over-sized flowing script became the strong design concept that was used throughout the Papery suite for continuity. The soft, romantic white, gold and pewter colors found in the wedding papers were inspirational to their event designer, Evantine Design, who used modern lush displays of ivory flowers and vintage gold accessories throughout the wedding setting. Everything from cocktail napkins to menus and signage reflected back to the wedding invitation design. But no matter what you do, like Caroline and Keith, make sure to end as beautifully-appointed as you began: with elegant thank you notes that will remind your guests of the wonderful event they attended.
