When it comes to wedding planning, there’s a surprising amount of paper items you need to consider. From invitations, to menus, to place cards, you don’t want to forget anything important, especially when it comes to your budget. I’m providing a guide about items you need vs. nice-to-haves, and when you should be ordering.

6-9 Months Out

Save the Dates - These can be sent electronically, or in paper form. Lots of people go for a more casual vibe with the save the date.

If you opt for an online version, I love Paperless Post. It’s user friendly, it’s free and it has so many design templates. They also allow you to collect addresses from recipients & export to an excel doc, which comes in handy for invitations!

For hard copies, consider some outside of the box options! Postcards are great to save postage (and paper by nixing the envelope). You could also send a cute little gift, like enamel pins, fortune cookies, or magnets.

What to include - Names, City (an exact venue isn’t necessary at this point) and Date

Bridesmaids - It is by no means mandatory that you send your bridesmaids a note in the mail, but if you are going to, it’s a good idea to give them a lot of time. Some people just write handwritten cards and others prefer to send a gift box. It’s also totally ok to ask them in person or over the phone!

What to include - If you’ve already sent your save the dates, you’re just asking them to be part of your wedding day at this point. No timing information is necessary.

4-5 Months Out

Invitation Suite [Invitation, Reply Card, Directions/Itinerary] - You’ll want to choose and order your invitations at the 4 month mark as it can take some time to actually receive them. For a very easy online experience, try Minted.

Some of my favorite calligraphers and invitation designers are: Wide Eyes Paper Co, Luna Lynn Creative and Vidhi Dattani.

Once you get your invitations, take a full suite to the post office to weigh it. You likely need more than one regular stamp.

What to include - Names, Parents’ Names (when applicable), Date, Time, Location, Dress Code

When to send - 8 weeks in advance, and ask for RSVPs by the one month out mark

Six Weeks Out

Menus - By no means a requirement unless you are doing a plated dinner with choices. For a buffet meal, often times the caterer will provide tent cards. For family style, you can opt to do one menu per table, or allow the catering staff to announce what they’re serving when they drop the items.

Menus can typically be created by your invitation designer if you’re looking to keep the design consistent, or for a less expensive option, you can create your own in Canva.

4 Weeks Out

Seating Assignments - You’ll have to do decide whether you’ll be doing individual place cards, or something stationary like a table board. Again, this is another place to get creative. You can use it as an opportunity to give a keepsake like figurines that represent your heritage, or seed packets for guests to grow their own flowers.

Alternatively, you can print all the assignments on a big board, or by table on an item like wine bottles.

Either way, since you’ll have gotten all of your RSVPs in at this point, you’ll be able to do your seating chart and print accurately.

Table Numbers - Once you’ve created your seating chart, you’ll know how many tables you’re going to have. If you want to get creative by naming tables (say your favorite foods or places you’ve traveled), just make sure it’s very clear and readable.

Your day-of coordinator will have a copy of your floor plan and will be able to direct people.

Signage - Speak with your venue and ask what is most helpful for directional signs. For example, if it’s not obvious where the bathrooms are, you may want to get some signs made.

Other popular signage pieces are: no phones during the ceremony, guest book instructions, where to leave gifts, and sweet quotes or pretty initials that act more as decor. Companies like Blushtype can create these items for you.

If you don’t know where to start, ask your wedding planner. We planners love to brainstorm creative ways to showcase you as a couple in any form, including paper! Many wedding planners even offer invitation and RSVP management as an a la carte service. If you’re in New York and could use some guidance, I’m here for you.