Archived: My Wedding Stationery Design Process

Deciding on your wedding stationery can be overwhelming. There are SO MANY options online. But every wedding has its own style and every bride has her favorite color.

By hiring an invitation designer, every piece of your stationery can be customized to fit your wedding style. Each piece of your stationery is crafted with a labor of love. The best part, you don’t have to go through hundreds of designs on multiple different online shops to only find out they don’t have exactly what you are looking for.

With Sierra Dyer Co’s design services you can keep your entire wedding invitation suite consistent to your wedding’s look and feel – from save the dates to invitations, to programs and bar signs, I can bring together your wedding colors and style within your details.

Here’s what the wedding stationery design process and experience looks like:

Step 1 – Set up a Design Consultation

We’ll meet at my home studio or grab coffee. I’ll bring my portfolio and paper samples and you’ll be able to touch and feel the paper and get inspired by past wedding suites I’ve crafted. I’ll also be able to get a feel for your style. Are you more modern, classic, rustic?

Step 2 – Quote

Once I have an idea of what you are envisioning, I put together an estimate of what it will cost for design and printing. Once the quote is accepted, I can put together a timeline for sending out your invites.

Step 3 – Milestone Timeline

After your quote is accepted, I’ll put together a timeline of when each piece of your wedding stationery should get mailed out, including when I will need content and inspiration from you by so that I have plenty of time to design and get your feedback before going to print. My rule of thumb for when to mail out/complete each piece:

Save the Dates: 8-12 months before the wedding
Wedding Invitations: 3-4 months before the wedding
Programs & other signage: 1 month before the wedding
Thank You Cards: 1 month after the wedding

Step 4 – Inspiration

If you’ve been pinning to a Pinterest board of ideas, I love to take inspiration from these mood boards. Images of invitations you like, your ideal wedding bouquet and flowers, and your color palette. I’ll also take any photos or swatches you have of your dress and your bridesmaid dresses. These all help me collectively determine your wedding style and bring it all together through your invitations.

Step 5 – Concepts

From your inspiration, I will begin designing and send over concepts. From these concepts, I’ll get your feedback and we’ll work through any changes you might have. Typically, I deliver 1-2 different concepts for save the dates, and 1 concept for the wedding suite. More often than not, your style and inspiration will change between the time of designing your save the dates and your wedding invitations. I also put together mock-ups of your invitations so that you can digitally visualize the complete set.

Step 6 – Samples

These are a must for me. After we’ve decided and perfected your design, I will order a sample to be printed and delivered to you. This allows you to see the actual product before officially going to print. And, if there are any changes needed, we can make them before ordering.

Step 7 – Print

It’s time to print! I handle all of the ordering and shipping, and you get to relish in the sweet anticipation until your prints arrive.

Step 8 – Payment

Once I’ve ordered your designs, I will send over an invoice through your client portal that details each cost. For large orders, I usually request payment before ordering your prints.

Step 9 – Assemble & Mail

Call in the assembly line! Assemble your invitations and mail out to your guests. Be sure to check with your post office if your invitations have some weight to them, or include ribbon/twine that make them a bit bulky. You may need extra postage.

Want to see recent wedding stationery designs? Click here.