Going bespoke for your wedding stationery doesn't necessarily need to cost the earth. Infact whatever your budget is, I'm all about being savvy to get the most out of it and making sure your stationery not only looks great and adds personality to your day but is also working hard to earn it's place within your budget!
Here are my top tips for maximising your stationery budget, whatever it might be...
Make the most of how you use your commissioned illustrations...
Commissioning new illustrations is often the most expensive part of the bespoke process but if you're clever about what you commission and plan ahead for all the uses, then a little can go along way.
I only charge once for the creation of illustration no matter how much you use it across your stationery suite, so considering what you want to commission at the start can really help make the most of your budget.
For example...
If you have a floral theme for your wedding and would like to commission me to paint 3 or 4 florals or foliage species, these are illustrations that can then be used as a theme across any items of stationery you want, from invites, to welcome signs to menus and thank you cards.
Re using illustrations in this way also gives your wedding a visual language and ties your whole day together from the moment your guests open their invites through to the big day.
Or
If you want to commission a venue portrait or map for your invites, think about how that venue or the locations from the map could appear again on your on the day items, perhaps the church could be featured on the front of the Order of Service or your venue could appear on your table plan.
Let me know your budget...
Often people aren't sure at the start how much they want to spend and need to gather a few quotes but if you've done the numbers and have a figure in mind, let me know! Because my stationery is completely bespoke and couples go for all sorts of different sizes, finishes, illustrations and amounts of stationery it's hard for me to provide a exact pricelist but my bespoke stationery fee starts at £350 plus printing costs and goes up depending on the complexity of your stationery.
Sharing details of money and budget can feel abit vulnerable but I want to makes sure you get the most out of yours, so if you feel comfortable letting me know your budget, then do and we can discuss how to make the most of it!
Choose standard sizes and finishes
It might be a obvious point but it's worth noting that special finishes such a gold or silver foiling, embossing, as well as bespoke sizing, concertina and z-fold invites all come at an extra cost, if you fancy pushing the boat out for that extra special finish then why not!
BUT if your trying to manage your budget then opting for something without the extra bling and in a standard size will help you keep costs down. Standard sizes and finishing doesn't mean standard in terms of quality, your items will still be beautifully designed and printed so there's no comprising in that department!
I can advise on all finishes and sizing- standard or not so just let me know if this is something you want to chat through more. You can also see my basic pricelist with helps breakdown the cost of some of the most popular printing options.
Think of clever ways to double up your stationery items
I love this idea and it's something I do often with my couples, are there some items of stationery that can do the job of two things for the price of one?
For example, one of my most popular stationery requests is for illustrated menus, they look beautiful as part of your wedding décor, adding colour and originality to the table design but could they also work as name place cards too? Saving you the cost of creating table place cards by simply having your guest name printed at the top of each menu.
Or another favourite is the Welcome Sign meets Order of the Day. Welcome signs are really popular but once they've done the job of welcoming your guests to your venue they can seem a bit redundant so what about adding your Order of Day timings to them too. Guests always want to know what's happening and when, so it's really useful to have a practical timeline somewhere that people can refer to, so why not make it a beautiful talking point too and something that adds to your décor!
Prioritise the important and meaningful bits FOR YOU and do them well...
I think this is a really big one and can apply to all elements of your wedding planning. Right at the start have a think about what it is that really matters to you and put your budget aside to do that and do it well. It's much better to channel your budget into the things that are the most meaningful FOR YOU than to spread yourself (and your budget) thin across everything and not manage to do any of it how you really want to. You'll end up feeling not satisfied with any of it and resent spending on the bits you don't really love.
The great thing about weddings now is there's so much flexibility to do things how you want and break away from tradition if it doesn't suit you or your budget. So lean into that freedom, are there elements of your stationery that you could do digitally like save the dates or guest information? You might still want to send an invite in the post but if you can do a digital save the date then this might mean you've got a bit more to spend on having your dream menu illustrated later down the line.
Or perhaps you are most excited about your personalised cocktail hour, but are having a super simple ceremony so could forego a 8 page Order of Service and swap it for something more streamlined?
The thing I love about creating bespoke stationery for weddings is that, there are no rules and for lots of elements there are cheaper, digital or free options. Which might sounds like I'm talking myself out of a job but actually I want to give you the freedom to choose what it is you WANT and to spend your money on bits you love!
If in doubt- ask! I am here to help, guide and advise you through designing your stationery, I've got lots of experience in putting together beautiful, unique stationery suites so if you're struggling with the visuals just let me know!
If your not sure that going bespoke is within your budget, then don't forget to check out my shop where I have a range of cheaper customisable and semi-customisable stationery available to purchase too.