How it Works

A Guide to Your Custom Stationery

All of the illustrations and artwork I use within my designs are drawn by me. The majority of these are drawn by hand mainly using a mix of watercolour paints, pencils and pen, depending on the style you are looking for.

These illustrations are then digitalised and paired with a mix of fonts and finishes to create your stationery designs and match the style of your wedding.

Below is a guide to the different steps I follow when creating wedding stationery designs.

It all starts with you!

Initially we will discuss what elements you want to make up your suite, and your ideas you have for the design.

This could be anything from colour scheme, flowers, the venue or a particular image or theme you want included.

Creating your designs

I will keep you regularly updated during the creative process of designing your stationery, sharing sketches, layout and style ideas, acting upon your feedback and making any changes you require until you're happy with the final artwork and design.

Customising your suite

With all the artwork and design element completed, I will begin applying the style to each element you want including within your suite. 

Once you're happy with how each element looks we will move to the printing process of your wedding stationery suite.

Producing your suite

Once your designs are finalised, I will organise producing your designs through a trusted outsourced printing company.

I work closely with the printers to ensure everything is produced to the finest quality, making sure that the paper, finish and feel is in line with the style and theme of your wedding.

Finishing Touches

Once all the elements of your suite have been produced & any final personal touches completed, your suite will be securely posted or delivered to you.

And that's a wrap!

More information

What Stationery do I need?

What you include within your wedding stationery is completely up to you.

To help give you some ideas, here are some of the most frequent stationery items I design:

Before the Day:

  • Save the Dates
  • Invitations
  • RSVP cards
  • Envelope liners
  • Maps

On the Day:

  • Table Plan
  • Table Signs
  • Place Cards
  • Welcome Sign
  • Order of Service
  • Wedding day Timeline
  • Guestbook

After the Day:

  • Thank-you cards.

If you don't know everything you want or may need for the day straight away, that's absolutely fine. I'll be able to add items to match the style and design to your commission up to 3 weeks before your big day.

Time Frames

Each couple is different in their approach and there is no set process for when you need to have your stationery ready, but from experience here is a rough guide for the timeframes people often work towards:

Stage One - Save the Dates:

Generally sent a year in advance of the wedding, or as soon as possible, depending on how much notice you need to give guests to make arrangements.

For weddings taking place abroad, you may need to give your guests additional notice to ensure they can book travel and accommodation.

Stage Two - Wedding Invitations:

These are usually sent out 3 - 6 months ahead of the big day.

This can vary if the venue or caterers require more notice on numbers or if you're waiting on particular information from your guests to provide the venue with.

Stage Three - On the Day Stationery:

These are generally ordered 10 - 14 days ahead of the wedding, once you have all the details finalised, guests confirmed and timings for the day.

How much time do I need?:

For the process of drawing and creating your initial designs, please allow between 2 - 3 weeks from agreeing to work with me.

Any stages after that I will factor into my working calendar based on the above rough timeframes and the level or work required to meet your design brief.

Pricing

As each stationery set is custom designed, please email with the following information for a tailored quote:

  1. - An overview of the theme/ideas you have for your wedding suite design.
  2. - An idea of the different stationery pieces you're interested in having.
  3. - An idea of the quanitites for each you require

Email: chris.millard.creative@gmail.com or you can message me via my Contact page.

Payment

We all know that the cost of weddings can add up, so that's why to try and help I split the payments for your stationery into stages.

Deposit:

To secure your booking I will take deposit of £100 (or 50% of the fee if it's a small order).

Save the Dates/Invitations:

The deposit will be taken off the remaining balance for your initial stationery order (be it Save the Dates, Invitations or a standalone Day Stationery commission).

The remaining balance will need to be paid at the time of ordering your finished designs.

Any additional items:

For any further stages from your initial items, you will pay the balance at the point of ordering.

For a guide on when people usually order these items, please see the Time Frames section above.

Additional Information

Personalisation:

Personalisation to invitations, place cards and other items is available for an additional cost.

If you need this, such as your venue has requested each guests food choices are printed on the back of their place card, let me know & I will be able to quote you for these.

Envelope Writing:

If you require your invitations to be addressed to your guest on your behalf, then I am able to do this for you, just let me know and I can again quote for this based on the number of invites required.

Finishing Touches:

Likewise, I can apply and final finishing touches to your stationery designs, from tying bows and ribbon, to envelope liners and any other special flourishes you which to include as part of your design.

Just let me know what you have in mind and I'll be able to let you know the costings accordingly.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to get in contact either via email: chris.millard.creative@gmail.com or via the Contact Page.

Make sure you check out my Portfolio page, where you can see more examples of my designs and examples to inspire your wedding planning.