Getting married should be a fun experience. Your wedding stationery is the first impression your guests will have of your wedding. Your guests are the people closest to you and with whom you chose to share your special day. You want it to reflect the two of you perfectly!

When choosing your wedding stationery try to keep the number of guests in mind, a common and costly mistake is ordering the same number of invitations as guests; i.e. ordering 100 invitations instead of 50-60 for a sit down meal of 100, so be sure of the exact number of invitations before you order.

When writing the names of the couple, ladies always go first. The first and last name for the bride, middle names if required. It is always best to put the groom’s name in full and also include his title before the name.

In wedding invitations, the date, time and location of the wedding ceremony is stated in full. However, sometimes numbers can replace multiple words when there is a shortage of space. Start with the day, followed by the date, month and year, and lastly the time. This can immediately be followed with an “at” and the location of the ceremony.

Example a: on Tuesday, fifth of July, two thousand and eleven at one o’clock at St. MacDara’s church, Carraroe, Co. Galway

Example b: 
on Tuesday, twenty-sixth of July, two thousand and eleven at half past five at the Ardilaun Hotel, Taylor’s Hill, Galway.

Example c:
 on Saturday, 5th of July, 2011 at 11 a.m. at ……

Please remember that all our invitations are supplied to you fully personalised with envelopes. Our stationery can be made to suit the colour scheme of your choice (where available), and matching accessories including RSVP’s, thank you cards, place cards and order of service booklets are also available. We hope we can be a part of your special day.

If you wish you can make an appointment to visit our office where we can show you through our range of invitations, accessories and papers and we can also work with you to create something that you want . . . something special, something that reflects your individuality as a couple, and most importantly, something that makes you happy.

Sending out invitations. 
You should start to address your wedding invitations approximately three months before the wedding. Ideally, wedding invitations are sent 8 weeks before the wedding – allowing guests a few weeks to make travel arrangements and if necessary schedule time off from work, before sending their RSVP back to you. You will need to get them back in advance so you make final head counts, etc. Request an RSVP date 3 weeks before your wedding, if you send them on time. At a minimum, send them out six weeks in advance, and set an RSVP date of 2 weeks before the wedding.

Tips On Sending Invitations:
Make your complete list of invitees before you order the invitations.

Order 10-20 more invitations and envelopes than you think you will need (to cover mistakes in writing, addressing or to cover last-minute “must haves”).

You’ll want to print or order your wedding address labels at the same time. You may even consider ordering your address labels for your thank you cards too!

Type/print the list of names with the appropriate titles: Mr., Mrs., Dr., Ms. etc.

For children over 18 and living at home, they receive their own invitation or are listed separately on their parent’s:

If inviting two people sharing a home or living together, or a married couple with different names, use both full names: Dr. Mary Morris & Mr. James Lydon

If inviting children under 18, their individual names (or/and Family) are listed alongside their parents’ names: Mr. and Mrs. Smyth, Ann, Barry and Amy

If you’ve ordered “thank you” cards for your wedding gifts you can write, seal and stamp the thank you card as the gift is received, but do not send out before the actual marriage ceremony is performed. (Writing the “thank you’s” as gifts are received is much easier than doing them all at once. Just mail them after the wedding or on your return from your honeymoon.)

Special wedding stamps are available from www.irishstamps.ie or at your local post office.

WEDDING CHECKLIST
8 – 12 months before
· Imagine the style of wedding day you want and decide on a budget.
· Decide on who is paying for what.
· Choose a wedding date and time.
· Do out a rough guest list for reception numbers.
· Book ceremony and reception venues.
· Reserve accommodation for guests.
· Choose your bridal party.
· Decide & book what type of entertainment you want. A soloist for the church, harpist, string quartet, a DJ, or band?
· Research and book your vendors -photographer, videographer, band or DJ, florist, wedding planner
· Bride: Order your gown.
· Decide on a colour scheme.

6-8 months before
· Order bridesmaid dresses.
· Choose bridal accessories, shoes etc
· Buy accessories i.e. shoes for Bridesmaids.
· Book florist.
· Start planning and book honeymoon.
· Send save-the-date cards.
· Buy wedding rings.

4-6 months before
· Send notification of intent to marry
· Attend pre-marriage course if required.
· Decide on readings and mass.
· Order invitations.
· Order Mass booklets.
· Order favors.
· Book transport: limousines etc.
· Decide on a cake, and sample some.
· Buy unity candle.

3 months before
· Order wedding cake.
· Hire a calligrapher, if you would like for your invites.
· Bridesmaid fitting for dresses
· Groom’s party fitting for suits.
· Buy honeymoon clothing
· Start writing and addressing your invitations.

2 months before
· Post your invitations.
· Purchase attendants gifts.
· Book make-up trial.
· Book hair trial.
· Book hair and beauty consultants.
· Try out a tanning product.

1 month before
· Bride: Have final gown fitting.
· Collect bridal gown and bridesmaids dresses..
· Confirm menu with reception venue
· Make last-minute adjustments with vendors and confirm their services.
· Agree on photo’s to be taken with the photographer.
· Confirm your music list with your band/dj.

2 weeks before
· Review final RSVP list and call any guests who have not yet sent a response.
· Plan reception table seating if applicable.

1 week before
· Give reception venue final guest head count.
· Call all wedding vendors and confirm services.
· Attend rehearsal with ceremony officiant.

2-3 days before
· Bridal gown may need to be pressed.
· Groom collect suits.
· Provide relevant vendors with a contact number of bestman or chief bridesmaid for the wedding day.
· Don’ t forget to relax
· Get false tan done.

Day before
· Deliver cake, favors, etc to the reception venue..
· Sort out payments, and give them to your bestman to sort out.

Night before
· No much can be changed now, so wind down and enjoy your evening.

Day of
· Groom get hot shave
· Bride go to hair/beauty appointments.
· Take in every minute of the day
· Assign a bridesmaid to be the photographer’s contact so he knows who is who, and ensure he /she is not asking you.

Post Wedding
· Arrange someone to pick up and return grooms attire.
· Get bridal gown cleaned.
· Write and send thank-you notes to your guests, priest & vendors.
· Preserve Bouquets

TRADITIONS
The top tier of your wedding cake should be an Irish whiskey cake which is saved for celebrating the christening of your first born.

A bottle of champagne should be saved from the reception so that it can be used to toast the child at the christening. This is called “wet the baby’s head”.

Irish brides used to carry a real horseshoe for good luck. (Turned up so the luck won?t run out).

Flowers. In the old days, many Irish brides wore a wreath of wildflowers in their hair; they also carried them in bouquets.

Magic Hanky. This charming custom involves having the bride carry a special hanky that with a few stitches can be turned into a christening bonnet for the first baby. With a couple of snips it can be turned back into a hanky that your child can carry on his/her wedding day.

Make-up bells. The chime of bells is thought to keep evil spirits away, restore harmony if a couple is fighting. Also remind a couple of their wedding vows. Giving a bell as a gift has become an Irish tradition. You could also have your greeters hand out tiny bells to your guests to ring as you process. (You might want to let them know when they?re supposed to be rung – perhaps mention it in your program along with an explanation of the custom). Guests could also ring their little bells at the reception in lieu of clinking glasses.

Irish Dancers. Consider hiring a group of Irish dancers to hand out your programs before the ceremony. Dressed in their full regalia, it would add a wonderful touch of pageantry and color. They could also dance at the reception later.

The Irish Wedding Song. Very popular at contemporary Irish weddings. Have two friends sing this while the newlyweds cut the cake. (You could have had the lyrics typed up and placed on the tables so that everyone could join in).

Old Wives Tales:
A fine day meant good luck, especially if the sun shone on the bride.

Those who married in harvest would spend all their lives gathering.

A man should always be the first to wish joy to the bride.

It was lucky to hear a cuckoo on the wedding morning, or to see three magpies.

It was said to be lucky if you married during flowing tide?.

If the brides mother-in-law breaks a piece of wedding cake on the brides head as she enters the house after the ceremony, they will be friends for life.

Wedding Anniversaries
1 Paper
2 Cotton
3 Leather
4 Fruit/Flowers
5 Wood
6 Sugar
7 Wool
8 Bronze
9 Pottery
10 Tin
11 Steel
12 Silk/Linen
13 Lace
14 Ivory
15 Crystal
20 China
25 Silver
30 Pearl
35 Coral
40 Ruby
45 Sapphire
50 Gold
55 Emerald
60 Diamond