Tranquil Designs - Bespoke, unique, hand-made wedding stationery

Frequently Asked Questions

Here at Tranquil Designs we know wedding stationery is an important part of every couples wedding day.  From save the date cards/invitations, right the way through to the thank you cards your wedding stationery should leave a lasting impression.  

The save the date cards/invitations are normally the first communication guests receive and should allude to the theme and colour of your day and announce to all just how special your day will be.  

Just think of all your family and friends who will keep a copy of all your stationery as a memento and will, in years to come look at it and be reminded of your special day.  

When should I order my wedding stationery?

We recommend that you start to think about your requirements and theme as soon as possible and be looking to order your wedding stationery six to eight months before your day.  No matter what you plan to send as your first communication to guests either save the date cards or invitations the best rule is to always plan ahead.  

To avoid colour variations/discontinuations of products from our suppliers, we advise all our customers to order all the required wedding stationery at the same time allowing us to ensure continuity within all materials is guaranteed.   

We understand that it is too soon for you to have finalised the wording and even the guest list for all your stationery.  Please provide this as early as possible.  Tranquil Designs will require electronic copies of the following:

• Order of Service insert
• Menu insert
• Table Plan details (table groups)
• Table Names/Numbers
• Wedding Breakfast guest list (for place cards)
• Thank You card inserts
• Information Pack

How much wedding stationery do I order?

Some wedding stationery can be calculated to the exact number, for example ‘Order of Service’, Table Names/Numbers and Menus.  But it is difficult to have final numbers for other wedding stationery so we suggest you order five spare copies for those that may go astray in the post or for any guests you may have forgotten.  Why not keep a copy for yourselves as a memento.

Wedding Stationery Information:

Save the Date Card
These cards are a great way to announce your wedding date to guests especially if your wedding is planned further in advance, for many venues weddings are booked 18 to 24 months in advance!  It is also a way of avoiding disappointment when you send your invitations and receive those unfortunate regret cards.

Wedding/Evening Invitations
As a general rule we advise sending invitations to your guests three to four months in advance.  You can then give your guests a six week RSVP date.  It also gives you plenty of time to give your venue and caterers’ final numbers, as well as that all important table plan.  

Wedding/Evening Information Pack
Information packs can be sent with wedding/evening invitations and are perfect to communicate the finer details of your wedding day to your guests.  For example: church/venue details, including directions and maps, timings, parking restrictions, local cab companies and hotel/bed & breakfast for guests having to travel.  Also, if you haven’t compiled a ‘Wedding Gift List’ you can include your choice of wedding gifts, for your guests convenience.

RSVPs
We always recommend sending RSVPs with your invitations to encourage your guests to reply promptly it is also an opportunity for your guests to let you know of any dietary requirements.  All our RSVPs come with a self addressed envelope – all your guests need to do is affix a stamp and post it.

Order of Service
Used during your church service or civil ceremony so that your guests know the running order of the service and enables them to join in (i.e. prayers, readings and hymns).  Copyright permission must be obtained for the printing of some hymns from the copyright holder.  Tranquil Designs take no responsibility for obtaining such permissions.

Menus
Menus are an essential part of your stationery to feature on your wedding breakfast tables; we would recommend having two menus per table.  The menus will only be completed once you have your menu confirmed by your caterer.

Table Plans
Table plans are always a focal point of any wedding; guests are excited to see what table they are sitting at and with whom.  Table plans can be as traditional or as adventurous as you want them to be, and can be designed to continue your wedding theme, or take the theme set by your table names.  We recommend either an A2 or A1 table plan.  We understand that some venues do specify the size to fit the board supplied and we are happy to meet venue requirements.

Table Names/Numbers
Whether you go with tradition and use numbers or have table names Tranquil Designs will be happy to design these to match your personal choice.  Again we are aware that some venues suggest suitable sizes for your table names/numbers and we are happy to meet with those requirements.  These can either be made as a free standing card or can be designed to easily fit into a stand, please advise Tranquil Designs when ordering. 

Place Cards
We recommend that place cards have first names and surnames of your guests to avoid any confusion at the wedding breakfast.  These can come in any style and size to fit the theme of your wedding.  

Favours
We have favour boxes incorporated into our wedding stationery which can match your design.  We are aware that not all favours fit in boxes so we are happy to accommodate your requests.  For example we had one bride who gave the men ties as their favours and she asked us to create ‘For You’ labels which were attached to a ribbon holding the ties together and for the ladies she gave them decorative hair clips and we created a ‘Butterfly For You’ label on which the clip was placed and acted as the body of the butterfly.

Guest Books
What a wonderful way for your guests to leave their personal message.  A lovely keep sake for you both to treasure and look back at in years to come.

Thank You Cards
Thank you cards can be sent out up to three months after your wedding day.  Guests like to receive a personalised thank you card and you can enclose a card with information of where they can look at your wedding photographs but more importantly to thank them for their kind wedding gift.  You provide the text and Tranquil Designs will be happy to print the thank you card inserts.