- By Lauren Griffith, CTW Features
- Category: Invitations, Stationery, Program, Gifts & Favors

If you think through your checklist of wedding day stationary, your mind probably goes to the invitations, save the dates, and pre-wedding needs. But don’t forget to prepare your day of wedding stationary too!
If you think about the different aspects of your wedding while considering stationary, there are many more places for a placecard than you may have previously thought!
So, you’ve sent out your Save the Date cards and your corresponding invitations. You’ve found the perfect stationary design that corresponds with your wedding theme and colors. But you’re not done yet!
According to Brides.com, there are many options to consider if you’d like to have stationary AT your wedding, not just sent out before the event.
Stationary flat lay photos are also important to consider as far as a wedding photography plan, so if you want to have beautiful flat lay photos with you and your fiancé’s name on them, you’ll need stationary at your wedding (in addition to the invitations.)
Welcome signs
While not necessary, many couples prefer to place a welcome sign for their guests at the entrance to their ceremony, reception, or both! This may be helpful if your ceremony is within a larger venue to signify to your guests that they are indeed in the right place to celebrate the correct couple! You can go big with these by doing an installation-type sign or printing one on a large foam poster board that sits atop an easel. You can also opt to go smaller and just place a small “welcome to our wedding” sign near your guest book at the entrance.
Ceremony programs
First of all, think about if you want to have programs for your wedding ceremony. This is more of a traditional aspect of the ceremony, but they make great keepsakes and are wonderful treasures to keep for your memories as well.
Wedding programs can be as long or short and sweet as you’d like, but this is one of the first places that you’ll see you and your partner’s names together in official print, especially if you’re changing your last name to match his.
If you’d like, feel free to get creative. Having an outdoor wedding in the summer? Wedding programs that double as fans are always appreciated by guests in the heat. Want to make your wedding “newsworthy?” Create a program that resembles a newspaper, which can include background sections about your love story, and some additional information about your wedding participants.
Seat assignments
If your reception includes assigned seating or tables, you will need to have a seating chart or a way of communicating with your guests where they are supposed to sit. There are many ways of doing this from the simple large sign which includes everyone’s table numbers, to escort cards where your guests find their name (whether it is just a tented card, attached to a fun trinket or atop a champagne glass) and bring their card to their seat.
If you are doing specific assigned seats, you will need to place individual place cards at each person’s seat or table setting.
Food & drink signage
Additional reception-related signage are to educate your guests on the food and beverage offerings they have. Whether your event is buffet-style, stations or a sit-down meal many couples provide menus on each table so guests know what they’re about to indulge on.
If you are having catered serving stations or a buffet-style meal, you could also consider displaying the food options at the forefront of each serving table, so they know what is there.
This can even include marking which types of desserts are at your dessert bar, the flavors of cake to choose from if there are options, etc. Think about what may need clarification and how stationery fits into that.
Your bar is another place you may want to place a menu so guests know what specialty drinks you may be serving, which beer and wine options are available and even the specific brands of liquor are offered, if any.
Additional touches
Beyond informing your guests about your various food and beverage offerings you have available at your reception, day of signage also includes any custom cocktail napkins, drink koozies, drink stirrers or anything else your mind can imagine.
If you have any special experiences for your guests, make sure they know about it by leaving a sign out for them. You can create one for your photobooth that says, “snap a pic!” or if you are having one of those audio guestbooks you can have one that reads, “leave us a message!” The possibilities are truly limitless.
Of course, all these stationary options are, well, OPTIONAL. You do not need table place cards or menu cards if you let guests choose their own seats or select their meals before the wedding as they RSVP. But it is important to consider all the options, their roles, and how they fit into the flow of your reception.
So, we’ve covered your stationary needs for the ceremony and the reception. Now, let’s think about favors and gifts and post-wedding needs. Do you need tags for gift bags or favors? Do you need thank you notes? These are also important options to consider and plan for as it’ll be easier to order all your coordinating stationary at once from the same vendor!
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