With so much choice on where to buy your wedding stationery, which designs to choose and what price to pay, it is important that you don’t forget the basic rules of etiquette and guidelines when it comes to all of your wedding stationery, including your save the date cards.

It is very important that your save the date cards include information which can affect your guests – such as a date which conflicts with a public holiday, a weekday event, or the ceremony’s venue which may mean that people have to travel a long distance.

Save the date cards are the earliest warning that you can give all of your guests as to what you have in store, and can help to facilitate a smooth operation when it comes to your wedding day.  Don’t underestimate how early you will need to send your save the date cards out either – just look at your own diary right now and I bet you’ve already pencilled in possible dates for holidays and other events.

Timely sending out of your save the date cards, coupled with the right information will ensure that you are as prepared as you can be at this early stage in planning for your wedding.

There are so many ways to remember your wedding – the photos will play a large part in this, but don’t forget about the part that your wedding guest book can play in giving you a book full of happy memories from your loved ones.

Many of your guests will take great care over what they write in your wedding guest book so make sure that you allow plenty of time for all of your guests to write something special.  Leave it out for the whole day in a prominent place, and this will ensure that everybody gets to see it and has time to write their special messages.

Your wedding guest book should match the theme of your wedding so buy one which ties in with the rest of your wedding stationery such as invitations and table plans.  With many specialist providers of wedding stationery available online, couples really do have a world of choice available at their fingertips when it comes to choosing their wedding guest books.

Okay, so we know that this is a difficult area of expertise!  Everyone’s family and friendship setup is different and there are step-parents to consider, half-siblings, best mates from Uni and best mates from school…it’s a difficult area to navigate but the concept of the wedding table plan is still a useful tool in planning your wedding.  So, here’s a few things to think about when trying to draw up your wedding table plan…

Don’t forget about the singletons!  It’s taken for granted that guests who have a plus-1 are seated together.  It isn’t helped by the fact that tables often have an even number of seats, a little awkward when you sit two singles next to each other (especially if they are of the opposite sex) and before you know it you are being accused of playing cupid!  Yes, you are loved-up and the world is happy for you but it isn’t always the best idea when it comes to your wedding table plan!  Which leads on to the ultimate rule when it comes to inviting single people to your wedding  – don’t have a table set aside purely for single people.  Cringe…

If you’ve got circular tables, it’s a good idea to use the traditional boy/girl/boy/girl format.  If you have opted for rectangular tables, it’s usually best to seat couples opposite each other and then you can still position alternate boys and girls along the length of the tables.

The tables which are positioned closest to the Bride and Groom on the top table should be reserved for close friends and family.  This is especially true with extended families as you are usually restricted by the size of the top table but don’t want anyone to feel left out.  Keep them close and they’ll still feel special.

Always label the tables and seats with a clear naming or numbering system to help guests find their seats quickly.  Theming the tables with certain names which are significant to the couple are a good idea (for example, naming the tables after Blockbuster movies if the couple are film fanatics).

We know that we can’t cover every eventuality here, but hope that we’ve given you a few tips to get you on your way to devising a successful wedding table plan.