Event Planning

There are no set rules, so you can get creative as you wish or stick to tradition. Here are some ideas.

Writing an evening wedding invitations can be challenging. Here are some helpful ideas and examples to inspire your own invitation wording.

Some guests only attend your evening reception, while others attend your ceremony. So who should receive Save the Dates?

One of the queries we receive is how much time should you give guests to reply to a wedding invitation? We’ve created a blog to help you out!

We’re diving into common wedding invitation sizes and what goes into the decision making process.

Many people are told that you only need 3 songs at your wedding ceremony, but this isn't true!

After selecting appetisers, main courses and puddings, the next step is to choose your menu. There are endless options to suit your theme!

Here we give you some inspiration on extra touches that make all the difference to your wedding from ceremony to reception!

Save the date cards are a super useful way to announce your wedding date in style! Their purpose is to include key information about your wedding day that guests need to know months in advance. While it may be tempting to include all the little details on your cards, these are not necessary and should be saved for the wedding invites! Here are a few things to consider:

1) Names

Featured Product: Watercolour Eucalyptus - Save the Date Magnets

Don't forget to include your names! While this seems obvious, forgetting to include your names has happened before. We also recommend you include your last names if inviting people you're not that close with, just to avoid guests' potential confusion.

2) Date

Featured Product: Botanical Heart Save the Date Cards

Sending guests your wedding date is the purpose of save the date cards, so make sure you include this! It is also important to consider when you are sending out your save the dates in relation to your wedding date. We recommend you send save the dates approximately 6-9 months before your big day, as this allows people to book time off work and plan other social events around this date. If you are marrying in a busy season or period, such as over Christmas, or marrying abroad, aim to send your save the dates up to 12 months in advance.

3) Etiquette

Featured Product: Metallic Hearts - Foil Save the Date Cards

While we are big fans of wedding etiquette here at Dotty about Paper, save the date cards have a less formal feel than the rest of your stationery. This gives you a great excuse for being a bit more creative with it! While save the dates are a great way to announce a theme, you could always pick a design that's a bit more outgoing than your chosen wedding theme.

4) Guest List

Make sure you are certain on who you want to invite to your wedding before you send out save the dates! Save the dates imply that you will invite the recipient to your big day, so they will expect an invite. It is also advisable not to send save the dates to guests you only want at your evening reception, unless you specify that this is an evening-only reception on your save the date cards.

Also consider that if you send a save the date to someone, they will probably assume their partner or family are also invited. You can clarify this through writing their names on the envelope. This will limit confusion. Here are some examples below:

Single Guest:

Miss Nicola Goddard

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Guest with a Plus One - Add 'and guest':

Miss Nicola Goddard and Guest

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Unmarried Couple - Use both first and last names as well as “Mr.” or “Ms.”:

Mr. James Owen and Ms. Nicola Goddard

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Married Couple - Use the husband's first and last name after 'Mr. and Mrs.':

Mr. and Mrs. James Owen

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Same-Sex Married Couple - Use both first names with joint surname at the end:

Mrs. Lucy and Mrs. Nicola Owen

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Married Couple with Kids - Use the plural form of the family name or:

The Owen Family

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

5) Location

Featured Product: Tropical Beach Scene Save the Date Magnets

Unless you are getting married abroad, it is not essential to include your wedding location. This makes a great surprise for your wedding invites instead! If you are marrying abroad, try and give an accurate location, as this will help guests book travel in advance. However, if you are not yet sure, just include the country and inform guests later on.

6) "Formal invitation to follow"

Featured Product: Rustic Mason Jar Flowers Save the Date Cards

At the bottom of your save the dates, you should inform guests that a formal invitation will follow in case they mistakenly think this is their invite.

7) Proof

Before ordering any stationery, make sure you check it in advance to allow for errors. We also recommend ordering stationery a few weeks in advance, too.

Wedding venue styling can be daunting for many couples! Here's our advice.

When you're getting married, you may be unsure of who should receive a wedding invitation. Does every individual guest get one? Do couples and families share an invitation? We've written a quick guide to help you out:

Individuals

If you are inviting a friend to your wedding who is single, you will just need the one invitation for them. Featured Product: Botanical Heart - Wedding Invitations Make sure to mention if your friend is allowed to bring a plus one or not, or you might end up with surprise guests on the day!

Individuals with a plus one

If you have a larger budget, or are wanting a larger wedding, you may want to let your guests bring someone else to your wedding, too. Specify that they can bring a plus one by adding 'and guest' after their name, e.g. 'to Lucy and guest'. Featured Product: Ornate Heart - Tri Fold Wedding Invitation & RSVP If they have been seeing someone for a while, you may want to write both of their names on the invitation. It is only polite.

Couples

If you want to invite someone with a partner, it is common etiquette to invite their partner too, if they have been together for a while. For couples, you can share an invitation between the both of them, e.g. 'to Lucy and Liam'.

Couples with children

For couples with younger children, add their names onto the invitation, e.g. 'to Lucy, Liam, Harry, and Emily'. If their children are aged over 18, you may want to send them their own invitations, especially if they don't live with their parents. Featured Product: Rustic Mason Jar Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP However, if you are on a strict budget, don't worry too much about sending everyone an individual invite. For child-free weddings, you will also want to specify this on your invitations or guest information cards. We hope you have found this blog useful! We have blogs for all of life's occasions - take a look.