FAQ’s

We believe that you can only really appreciate the true quality of our stationery by seeing it in the flesh so our website has been designed to make ordering samples simple (and free) - we have a wishlist that is designed to be your personal 'Pinboard' - when you see something that you love, be it an invitation style, a diamante buckle or a shade of ribbon, click the ‘Pin It!’ button and it will be added to your Pinboard. To use this service you’ll need to create an account or be signed into one but this only takes a few seconds. You'll be prompted to log-in or register with your first 'Pin It!' click or you can do so via the buttons next to the search box at the top right of the website

When you’re done pinning, click ‘Samples Please’ at the bottom of your Pinboard page and hey presto! – your Pinboard will be emailed to us, helping us design a selection of samples tailor-made for you. (Please note, we won't send you everything on your Pin Board - it's designed to give us a sense of the style and colours you would like). Don’t forget to ‘pin’ your favourite colours and patterns too and we’ll use combinations that work beautifully together.

Alternatively you can call (01227 455500) or email and we’ll be delighted to take a sample request over the phone.

We exhibit at the Designer Wedding Show in Battersea, London in February and October each year. The next show will be 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2012. We would be delighted to see you there. If you would like to have a meeting to discuss your stationery in more detail you are very welcome to make an appointment with us for those days (Fridays are best as they are less busy than the weekend). Please contact us to arrange.

When the invitations are ready we will liaise with you regarding your preferred delivery date and address. Items are sent in boxes, well packaged and clearly labelled. Packages are usually sent on a next day express service (within the UK) via UPS or UK Mail couriers (or in some cases Royal Mail Special Delivery). Delivery is charged at a flat rate of £20.00. If you prefer to collect your stationery in person there is no charge. Packages are tracked and insured. Timed delivery (e.g. before 10am) and Saturday delivery services are available but will incur a small additional cost. If you would like a delivery arranged for a Saturday or before a certain time in the day please let us know.

The website has been designed to give you an idea of what is possible. The designs that you see are examples and are by no means an exhaustive list. The website is designed as a tool to make ordering samples simple and more effective using our My Pinboard service. The idea is simple - add things that you love to your Pinboard as you go through the website, so that you create a collection of styles, colours and patterns that represent what you would like. Your 'Pinboard' will store an image of anything you 'pin' to it. You add items to your Pinboard by clicking the green 'Pin It!' buttons found beneath the description of each item. Your Pinboard can then be emailed to us so that we can create a set of highly customised samples tailored made just for you.

In the Choose Your Invitation and On The Day Stationery we explain the designs and the advantages of each so you can compare and contrast and choose the best style for you. This is complemented by the Colours and Patterns section which is a complete list of ALL the ribbons, paper patterns, diamante colours, pearls and diamante buckles that we use.

The Other Occasions section showcases stationery for births, parties and corporate events as well as our bird notelet gift boxes.

About Us is a collection of useful information and notably includes our recent press features in wedding magazines / blogs and our testimonials from past clients in addition to a stationery checklist and little black book of wedding suppliers that we know and love.

The Pin it! buttons add things you see on the site to your personal Pinboard, creating a visual wish-list of styles and colours - so when you see something that you love, be it an invitation style, a diamante buckle or a shade of ribbon, click the ‘Pin It!’ button and it will be added to your personal Pinboard. With the Pin It! buttons you can put together a list of designs, paper patterns and ribbon colours that can be stored in your account and added to when you please, printed for your wedding planning folder and emailed to friends, florists etc.

Most importantly when you’re done pinning, you simply click ‘Samples Please’ at the bottom of your Pinboard page and hey presto! – your Pinboard will be emailed to us, helping us design a selection of samples tailor-made for you. (Please note, we won't send you everything on your Pin Board - it's designed to give us a sense of the style and colours you would like). Don’t forget to ‘pin’ your favourite colours and patterns too and we’ll use combinations that work beautifully together.

To use the Pin It! buttons you’ll need to create an account or be signed into one but this only takes a few seconds. You'll be prompted to log-in or register with your first 'Pin It!' click, or you can do so via the buttons next to the search box at the top right of the website.

You can choose different ribbons, colours, buckles, diamantes, motifs, mount colours, fonts, invitation wording and other enclosures detailing accommodation, directions, custom designed maps etc., to create a bespoke invitation that will reflect your wedding day style and create the first impression of the occasion to come. Read the descriptions of the Invitation and On The Day Stationery styles for details of precisely what can be customised and if there is something particular that you have in mind please ask.

The invitations are designed with two envelopes, (see Why do the invitations need two envelopes?), eliminating the need to write the name of your guests on each invitation (their names are written on the inner envelope instead). This means that any mistakes when you are addressing are less costly - a new envelope rather than a new invitation! However, should you prefer to have your guests’ names on the invitation itself, that is not a problem.

We can format the invitation to include a line for you to write on, or we can individually print each insert with your guests’ names included. This process of printing each invitation with your guests' names takes considerably more time, since each insert is individually printed and proofed and so is charged at £0.75 per invitation. You could also choose to have your guests names written in calligraphy (see Addressing and calligraphy)

Better protection - the invitation is better protected inside two envelopes - the outer envelope is designed to be strong and generously sized so as not to crush bows and to protect buckles, whilst the inner envelope holds everything neatly together. The outer card envelope is particularly important for invitations with buckles as these might tear through a thin paper envelope during the postal process.

Envelope Linings - only the outer envelope is sealed, the inner envelope remains unsealed, so if you have chosen a lining, your guests simply lift the envelope flap revealing the beautiful lining inside, rather than having to tear it open and ripping the lining.

No need to write on the invitation - the invitations are designed so that you don’t need to write on the invitation itself - guests’ names go on the inner envelope instead. If you are inviting children to the wedding their names will go on the inner envelope. Similarly, if you are not inviting children to your wedding, this should be clear to parents when they read only their names on the inner envelope.

The small envelopes (for rsvp cards, small save the dates, escort cards etc) can be printed with names and addresses. All rsvp cards come with a pre-printed envelope, addressed to whosoever is receiving the rsvp cards, typically the couple, parents hosting the wedding or a wedding planner.

The two main invitation envelopes are supplied blank for you to address, as, due to their size and thickness, we cannot print on these. If you prefer not to address the envelopes yourself we have two alternative addressing options:

Printed address cards - these are small cards (the same size as the rsvp card), that can be printed with your guests’ names and addresses and fixed to the front of the outer envelope. The inner envelope would be left blank.

Calligraphy - both envelopes can be hand-addressed in elegant script with name and address on the outer envelope and guest names (usually first names only), on the inner envelope.

See Addressing and Calligraphy for more details.

The invitations will require at least a large letter stamp and we recommend taking your invitations to a Post Office to have them weighed since different invitations may fall into different weight brackets. Royal Mail offer beautiful stamp collections at different times of the year and it is worth investigating the designs as you may find a stamp in keeping with your wedding colours or theme, e.g. flowers, trees, butterflies etc. You can even get 'Smilers' - stamps with your photo on them for a quirky personal touch.

The short answer is maybe. It depends on the image and where you would like to feature it. A small image at the top of the invitation insert such as a motif or a monogram you have had designed can certainly be incorporated. A full size photograph on a thank you card unfortunately cannot. The pearlising on our paper makes it unsuitable for large images with heavy coverage to be printed. If you would like us to use an image it is best to get in touch by phone or email and we can advise whether our stationery would be suitable.

If you love the idea of an image but don't have one to use we can design one for you - again just contact us to discuss your idea.

We appreciate how important it is to follow a theme through, and so we have a large collection of reception / on the day stationery that can be custom designed to co-ordinate with your invitations. There are several shapes, sizes and styles available for each piece of stationery so items can be tailored to your individual preferences. For example, if you are having a short ceremony you might like a simple card to list the running order of the day, but if your ceremony is longer you might prefer a more traditional booklet with several printed pages. Read the descriptions of each style for detail of precisely what can be customised. We can create orders of service, place-cards, menus, table plans, escort cards (alternative to a table plan), table number/name cards, bencheer booklet covers, signs, readings, reserved seating cards; confetti cones, favour and cake boxes, thank you cards and custom items. See On The Day Stationery.

The short answer is maybe. It depends on the image and where you would like to feature it. A small image at the top of the invitation insert such as a motif or a monogram you have had designed can certainly be incorporated. A full size photograph on a thank you card unfortunately cannot. The pearlising on our paper makes it unsuitable for large images with heavy coverage to be printed. If you would like us to use an image it is best to get in touch by phone or email and we can advise whether our stationery would be suitable.

If you love the idea of an image but don't have one to use we can design one for you - again just contact us to discuss your idea.

To place an order simply call or get in touch via e-mail and we will take you through the next steps. The process is usually quite straightforward... once you have decided on the design and colours you would like simply e-mail your invitation wording, (we can help with wording suggestions and etiquette advice) and then we create your proofs. These are e-mailed to you (as a pdf document) to check and then any amendments you would like can be made. Once perfect, we send a hard copy to you so you can exactly how your stationery will look for final checking and your approval.

• Orders of service - one per guest, or one between two
• Escort cards - one per guest
• Place cards - one per guest
• Menus - individual menus - one per guest, larger booklet menus for the table - two or three per table
• Favour boxes/cake boxes  - one per guest
• Confetti cones - enough for all the girls

Traditional etiquette dictates that wedding invitations should be sent six to eight weeks before the wedding day. However these days, they can be sent up to 12 weeks in advance and even earlier if the wedding is abroad or on a popular wedding date. Should you have any guests unable to attend, sending in plenty of time also allows you to send a second wave of invitations before you send your evening invitations - saving the embarrassment of 'bumping up' an evening guest to the main event!

In some cultures it is the norm to send invitations very close to the event, but the general rule is that invitations to the day and the evening should be sent with at least six weeks notice. You can send Save The Date cards to ensure that guests literally save the date for your wedding up to eighteen months in advance - a great option if you haven't yet confirmed details such as the time of your wedding that would be needed before printing invitations.

• on a week-day (so guests can book the time off work)
• on a Saturday in the summer holidays
• on a bank holiday weekend
• at Christmastime
• abroad (you might consider including travel and accommodation details with a save the date for a wedding abroad so that guests can organise their trip)
• if you won't be able to send wedding invitations 3 months ahead (because you are not able to confirm essential details (the time of the wedding for example)

Each invitation is handmade whether you are ordering 50 or 500 so although we are not able to offer the same level of discount you might receive from a traditional printer, if you require 150 or more invitations (this would be in approximately 200 - 300 guests) please contact us for a quotation as we do offer discounts for larger quantites. We are extremely practiced in our art and have handmade over 2500 invitations for a single order in an unreasonably short space of time!