A wedding theme is a must for you special day. But don't worry, I don't mean that you need to be having a Star Wars inspired day, or similar. A theme can be as simple as chosing the colours that you would like. Your wedding invitations should be your first expression of your theme, they will give an indication to your guests of what to expect on your special day.

Take a look at my previous blog post 5 Factors When Choosing a Wedding Theme for inspiration.

Once you have decided on your theme, contact your stationery designer to discuss your ideas, they may have some suggestions that will help.

Most wedding stationery suppliers offer samples (I do for most of my items, and they're free!).

If you find a design you like, order a sample so that you can see and feel exactly what it looks like before you commit to spending a large amount of your budget.

I know you have a million and one things to do right now, and you're tired, but please check and check again your wedding stationery design drafts.

When I'm designing stationery I will let you know if I think that something is spelt incorrectly, but with people's names, this is out of my control. Please don't worry about taking your time or asking for alterations, we dont mind. We would rather everything is perfect for your special day then print everything and realise that something is wrong.

If you can, ask someone else to check over the designs, sometimes others can spot something you've missed, especially if you've been staring at the same thing for some time.

...and envelopes.

There will always be people that can't attend and there will always be people on the 'waiting list', who you couldn't make room for on your main list. if you have spares you can easily send out a second round of invitations. And spare envelopes are a must, because you know you're going to mess up someone's address!

Always order your spares with your main order. Printing works out cheaper with a larger order. If you decide that you need an extra five invitations later down the line, this is going to cost you a lot of money for such a small print, and unfortuately there is nothing we can do to reduce this cost.

This is an element that often sneaks up on people.

If you're sending Save the Dates and invitations, postage can end up being pretty expensive. Consider sending a digital Save the Date to save on postage, or don't have a save the date at all, just send your invitations out earlier.

Also consider the size and weight of your invitations. If you have lots of inserts with details of hotels, gifts, food requirements etc, then this will be quite a thick invitation and may end up costing you the price of a large letter.

And finally, consider your guests. Weddings can end up being quite expensive for your guests, with new outfits, travel, hotels and gifts. Do you really need to make them pay for replying to your wedding too? If it's within your budget include a pre-stamped address envelope, or better still set up an email address for your rsvps so that it's free.

Don't be scared to speak to your designer. We know that everyone's wedding day is different and we know that sometimes everything is a little overwhelming. We can help. We can talk through your ideas with you, help you achieve what you want within your budget.

And don't be afraid to ask for something bespoke or request a change to an existing design. It doesn't have to cost a fortune. We want to make sure that everything is perfect for your special day.