When Should I Hire a
Wedding Stationer?
Designing custom wedding paper is a thoughtful process that deserves time, attention, and collaboration. It’s so much more than choosing fonts and colors—it’s about taking the essence of you, your partner, and your love story and turning that into something tangible. But when is the right time to reach out to a designer for your custom wedding invitations? Below we’ll chat more about realistic timelines, the creative stages, and why giving this process ample time can make all the difference.
In a world of two day shipping and lightning speed turnaround times, it’s a common misconception that designing custom wedding invitations can be a quick process. But the reality is that creating something deeply personal that captures the spirit of your event takes time! This requires a bit of a mindset shift—instead of thinking of your wedding paper as something you simply order, start to think of the process as a custom art commission (because that’s what it is!). You are commissioning a designer to create a whole suite of coordinating art pieces that are one-of-a-kind and made just for you. It’s a unique process that requires adequate time to ensure a seamless and stress-free experience.
At Jubilee Paper, we start every new project with a mood board phase. This is a crucial first step to set our visual north star and help everyone get on the same page quickly. Having a great mood board ensures that your wedding paper will be cohesive from the save the dates all the way to the reception menus. I’ve found that the more time and effort we invest in this stage, the smoother the design process goes for the rest of the project.
So what is a realistic timeline for creating custom wedding invitations? The short answer is anywhere from 6-12 months (or earlier) before your wedding day. The long answer is: it depends on what we are designing! Our typical turnaround time from a client’s project start date to putting their save the dates in the mail is 8-10 weeks. Here are some example timelines for custom paper projects with varying scopes:
Save the dates, Invitations, and Day Of Paper
It’s best to reach out 12 months in advance, or as soon as you know your wedding date and venue.
Invitations and Day Of Paper
Reach out 5-8 months before your wedding date.
Day Of Paper Only
Reach out at least 3 months before your wedding date.
These timelines allow room for several proofs, last minute adjustments, or unexpected delays. That way you won’t feel rushed through the design process and can actually relax and have some fun! So many of my couples have shared that our stationery meetings were a bright spot in the wedding planning process that they really enjoyed and looked forward to. With just a little planning and forethought, you can avoid a last minute rush to find any wedding invitations and instead enjoy a creative collaboration with extraordinary results.