Should I get bespoke wedding invitations?
You might have looked around and seen that you can get customisable wedding stationery and bespoke stationery. Life is busy enough with balancing all the wedding planning, so let me break it down for you so it’s easy to make a decision on which option is best for you two and your wedding!
What is bespoke wedding stationery?
Going bespoke means that every element of your wedding stationery suite - that’s save-the-dates, invites, orders of service, signage, table plans, menus, place cards - is unique to you. It’s designed and crafted from the ground up. You can talk with your stationery designer about the look you’re going for on your wedding day. This can be a colour scheme, a theme or just an atmosphere. You might be working with a stylist or planner who has created you a wedding mood board or you might be pulling together your own ideas, through something like Pinterest. If you need help on how to choose a style for your wedding, check this out.
Your stationery designer will chat with you about your vision, and then after a few weeks will be able to present you with several ideas to get the ball rolling. You collaborate to define the elements you like and those that you don’t, and then they can refine it all until it’s perfect. This is usually done digitally, with them sending you designs to look at on screen. They may also send you paper samples or even printed ‘proofs’ of a design so you can check if you’re happy to go ahead with printing the whole bunch.
You can also discuss bespoke finishes. They might include special inks, like florescent spot inks or specific Pantone colours. It might be foiling or embossing. You can also have ribbons, tassels and fringing and opt to have the paper ‘die-cut’ to a special shape. Then, there’s what sort of paper you prefer, which can include colour, weight (thickness) of the paper stock and it’s texture, too.
Example of florescent inks by KT McCrossan
Example of place cards ‘die-cut’ into semicircles, with a tassel to finish the look.
Example of embossing and debossing
Example of foiling via Awesome Merch
What is customisable wedding stationery?
Customisable stationery is a suite of all the invites, signage and place cards listed above that has already been designed, but you get to change the colours to make it yours. Each stationer will have a different way of working but the basics are - you choose your fave design of their collection, you tell them your colours, details and finishes and they create your dream stationery.
It’s a more economic option than bespoke as you don’t pay the premium for having something completely unique (where the cost covers more of the designer’s time). Don’t worry though - it won’t feel generic or mainstream! You can really see a massive difference in style between two colourways in the same design.
Here are a few examples of how colour can change up a suite -
Time After Time in 2 colour ways: One playful and bright and one retro pastels -
Touch The Sky in 2 colour ways: One funky 70s and the other in smart monochrome -
Castaways and Lovers in 2 colour ways: One with a boho desert vibe, the other bright and tropical -
You can check out all 5 designs in my customisable collection here!
What’s the process if I choose bespoke wedding stationery?
You’ll share your visual inspiration with your stationer. It might be a series of images, a movie you love, a colour palette or other stationery you’ve seen. I find it’s really useful to use Pinterest to collate it all together, plus it’s easy to share with your stationer (and florist, cake baker and anyone else who needs to see it!)
Example of a Pinterest board for a retro-inspired modern wedding
I personally then come up with 3 ideas based on the inspiration so we can use them as a springboard for tightening up the design. It usually takes me 1-2 weeks to get this over to a couple. Other stationers will work in different ways with varying timelines, so make sure you’re clear on when to expect things to look at.
When you and your partner are happy with the design, you choose papers and finishes and it gets printed, crafted and posted to you!
How much does bespoke wedding stationery cost?
This can vary based on your chosen specific papers, finishes and the quantity of items you’d like and which stationer you use. I charge a flat fee for a bespoke design, which is currently £300.00 (January 2022). This is based on an hourly fee of £30.00 based on my 12 years of experience as a graphic designer and the rough estimate that bespoke work takes about 10 hours.
I then charge per item - so the more invites/menus/place cards you want, the more it is. These are usually a few pounds each as standard, and can cost more if you add foils, tassels and other special finishes, as the materials are more expensive and take extra time and care to get right.
When you enquire with me, I’ll create you a quote, regardless of whether you choose customisable or bespoke designs. That way you’ll be clear on costs and stick to your budget!
Reasons to choose customisable wedding stationery
It’s quicker
It will take longer to research, ideate, design, print and craft bespoke work. If you’ve got a short engagement, can’t bear to wait or have found me later in your planning journey, then it’s better to go with customisable. This can be designed, printed and posted within 3 weeks. Bespoke work can take up to 5 or 6 weeks.
It’s less expensive
If a tight budget - or just wanting to spend your money on other wedding elements - is a big concern for you, then customisable might be the way to go. I will say there’s always a way to make bespoke affordable, for example by having fewer elements, but if you want the full shebang of a stationery suite, go customisable. The flat fee for my design time here is £150 as it takes about 5 hours.
Reasons to choose bespoke wedding stationery
It’s unique and sentimental
When I design something for you two, it’s my mission to capture the vibe of your wedding AND something that’s special to you two. It will never get reused or repurposed for anyone else - it’s something just for you. It can be as slick or wild as you like and you have full creative freedom and control.
It’s more fun
I promise that working with me as your personal graphic designer will be easy, fun and enjoyable. It’s my role to get you to where you want to be but also to guide and advise you when you’re not sure or when I can see another option will make things even better. You’re not clicking a ‘Buy’ button and waiting to see what it’s like when it turns up. It’s collaborative, flexible and creative, with you two at the centre!
It’s up to you which route you take. If you’re still unsure, want to order or you want to discuss the option of doing a semi-bespoke design based on my collection, just get in touch! Carly x