LUCY BERTIE, GEE BROTHERS LONDON www.geebrothers.co.uk Send your invites out six weeks to two months before the date of the wedding. You might want to allow longer if your date is during peak times of the year When working out how many invitations you need, always consider couples and families – you won’t want the same number of invites as the number of guests you’re inviting Always budget for 10 to 20 extra invites when you order. This’ll mean you’ll have some spare in case of any mistakes, lost invitations, or if you decide to send a second wave out. In printing, smaller, second runs are usually more expensive per invitation and take the same amount of time to print Check with your printer and order your invites allowing enough time for the design and printing process, but also time for you to write and post them too Information sheets included with your invites are useful to fit lots of extra details such as timings, addresses, locations, and dress code. This’ll help keep the invitations clear of all but the important stuff for a beautiful design A large, folded invitation with a raised script font, often printed with thermography or engraving, is the most traditional option for invitations, with an accompanying reply card. For a more modern twist, you could opt for a coloured ink, and matching tissue lining or incorporate a motif or monogram in your design For a luxurious design, foiling, letterpressing and edging can make your invitation stand out. Metallic or coloured foil can sit on top of a coloured card, for a bright and eye-catching design, whilst letterpressing is more understated, but creates a lovely textured indentation. Coloured or foil edging adds a striking finishing touch If you’re considering a floral design, digital or four-colour printing allows for a bright finish. This works beautifully with hand-drawn or painted designs, particularly using watercolour. For best results, make sure your design or image is provided as a high-quality file One of our top tips for the reception or day-after party invitation is to create a design that’s bold and playful. For example, why not flip your wedding colours on their head? Choosing a card colour that’s similar to your invitation ink colour and opting for foiled text in white or gold can create a real contrast, whilst still keeping the same colour combinations, or you could go for something entirely the opposite TRANSPORT Work out how large your wedding party is to establish what type of transport you’ll need and how many vehicles Many London venues have good transport links. It’s a good idea to include the nearest tube stations or even consider putting on a coach to help your guests get to your venue Think about your bridal party when it comes to travelling from the ceremony to the reception – it’s nice for you to all arrive at the same time A current trend is for the newlyweds to travel with their guests via a vintage bus or similar. This starts the celebrations early and helps with timings as everyone gets there together Good transport suppliers will check out routes before they collect you to make sure they avoid any roadworks or traffic delays Consider your dress when it comes to choosing your transport – a two-seater sports car might not be the best option if you’re going all out with a ball-gown design If you want to surprise your partner on the wedding morning, you could hire their favourite car to pick them up for the ride to the ceremony STATIONERY 48
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