The Journal · 5 min read

The Wedding Stationery Checklist (UK): What You Need, What’s Optional and How Many to Order

By Beth, founder of Graceful Studio · Updated 20 October 2026

The short answerMost UK couples need invitations with RSVP cards, plus a seating plan and place cards if guests have set seats. Save the dates, details cards, menus, table numbers and reserved seat tags are optional extras. Order invitations per household, not per guest, and place cards and menus per guest.

Grace wildflower wedding invitation suite with a main invitation for Charlie and Jessica, an RSVP card and an ‘It’s in the details’ card, styled with peach silk ribbon, wax seals and a ring box

Search “wedding stationery” and you’ll find a list as long as your guest list. The truth is, very little of it is compulsory. Most of what you order depends on three things: how formal your day is, whether your guests have set seats, and how many of them are travelling. This checklist sorts every piece into must have, worth having and happy to skip, then shows you how many of each to order.

The checklist at a glance

Quantities are based on households (one invitation per address) and guests (one per person at the meal).
Stationery	Do you need it?	How many
Save the dates	Worth having for summer, bank holiday, December and destination weddings	1 per household
Invitations	Must have	1 per household, plus a few spares
RSVP cards	Must have, unless every guest will reply online	1 per invitation
Details card	Worth having if guests need travel or hotel information	1 per invitation
Envelopes	Must have for anything you post	1 per invitation, plus spares
Seating plan	Must have for a seated meal	1
Table numbers or names	Must have with a seating plan	1 per table
Place cards	Worth having for a seated meal, and essential if you’re serving menu choices	1 per guest
Menus	Worth having, especially for a formal dinner	1 per guest, or 1 per table
Reserved seat tags	Worth having for the ceremony front row	Usually 2–6
Order of service	Must have for a church ceremony, optional for a civil one	1 per guest or 1 per couple
Thank you cards	Optional, but guests love them	1 per household

Before the invitations: save the dates

A save the date is simply a heads-up: your names, the date, the place, and “invitation to follow”. You don’t need both save the dates and invitations for every wedding. They earn their place when guests need to plan ahead, so send them 9–12 months before if your wedding is on a summer Saturday, a bank holiday weekend, in December, abroad, or if lots of guests are travelling a long way.

Planning a small, local wedding less than six months away? Skip them and put the money towards your on-the-day pieces instead. Only send save the dates to people you’re sure to invite, because a save the date is a promise of an invitation. Our when to send wedding invitations guide has the full timeline.

Pink floral illustrated save the date card surrounded by pink flowers, vintage stamps, a ring box and silk ribbon — Our [pink floral save the date](/shop/save-the-dates/pink-floral-save-the-date): names, date, place and “invitation to follow” is all it needs.

What goes in a wedding invitation suite

The “suite” is everything that arrives in one envelope. A typical UK wedding invitation suite has three cards, and only the first is truly essential:

The invitation. Who’s hosting, your names, the date, the time, the venue and the dress code if there is one. Keep it uncluttered; everything else can go on the other cards.
The RSVP card. A reply-by date and a simple yes or no, plus space for dietary needs or menu choices. One per invitation, because a household replies together.
The details card. Accommodation, parking, timings for the day, your gift list and your wedding website. Worth including if guests are travelling or staying over; skip it for a short, local day.

Add envelopes (one per invitation, plus a few for mistakes), and finishing touches like a ribbon, vellum wrap or wax seal if they suit your style. Not sure what to write? Our wedding invitation wording examples cover every situation, from parents hosting to adults-only weddings.

What wedding stationery do you need on the day?

On-the-day stationery is where the checklist really depends on your wedding. The simple rule: if your guests have set seats, you need a seating plan, table numbers and place cards. Everything else is a lovely extra. Here’s what each piece does.

Seating plan

Essential for any seated meal. It’s usually the first thing guests look for once drinks are poured, so place it where people naturally gather and order it big enough to read from a few steps back. List guests alphabetically under each table to stop a queue forming.

Table numbers or table names

If you have a seating plan, you need table numbers (or names) so guests can find their table. One per table, tall enough to be seen over the flowers. Table names, like places you’ve travelled or favourite wildflowers, are a sweet way to avoid anyone feeling they’re on “table 12”.

Meadow wildflower table number 6 on a gold stand beside a pastel flower arrangement, candles and crystal glasses — [Meadow wildflower table numbers](/shop/table-numbers/meadow-wildflower-table-numbers) on gold stands.

Place cards

Do you need place cards as well as a seating chart? If guests chose their meals in advance, yes: place cards are how the catering team knows who ordered what. Otherwise they’re optional, but they stop guests swapping seats and settle everyone quickly. Order one per guest, including children with their own seat.

Wildflower wedding place card with a floral border and the name Jason Davies in cursive script, surrounded by blue, pink and white flowers

Menus

Do you need menus at a wedding? Not strictly, but guests love knowing what’s coming, and a menu on each plate makes a table look finished. One per guest is the most generous; one or two per table works perfectly well if you’re keeping costs down. A menu can even double as the place card, with the guest’s name on it, so you only order one piece per setting.

Dusty blue oval wildflower wedding menu tied with a blue satin bow on a cream place setting, with white peonies and blue delphiniums — A [dusty blue oval menu](/shop/wedding-menus/dusty-blue-oval-wildflower-wedding-menu) with the guest’s name, so it works as menu and place card in one.

Reserved seat tags and ceremony stationery

Reserved seat tags keep the front row free for parents, grandparents or anyone who needs an aisle seat. Most couples need between two and six. For a church ceremony with hymns and readings, an order of service helps guests follow along; for a civil ceremony it’s optional.

Blue wildflower reserved seat tag for the Father of the Bride, tied to a wooden cross-back ceremony chair with a blue ribbon — [Reserved seat tags](/shop/ceremony-chair-tags/blue-wildflower-reserved-chair-tag) keep the front row free for family.

How many of each should you order?

The most common mistake is ordering invitations per guest. Invitations, RSVPs, details cards and save the dates go one per household: a couple or a family living together shares one. Menus and place cards go one per guest. Always add a few spares: for the addresses you forgot, a smudged envelope, and one for your keepsake box.

Here’s a worked example for a wedding of 90 day guests from 42 households, seated at 10 tables:

Spares cover late additions, writing mistakes and a copy for you to keep.
Stationery	Rule	Order
Save the dates	Households + spares	45
Invitations	Households + spares	45
RSVP cards	1 per invitation	45
Details cards	1 per invitation	45
Envelopes	1 per invitation + a few extra	48
Seating plan	1	1
Table numbers	1 per table	10
Place cards	1 per guest	90
Menus	1 per guest	90
Reserved seat tags	Front row family	4

Inviting extra guests to the evening only? Count them as separate households and order evening invitations in the same design, sent at the same time as your day invitations.

What you can happily skip

If you’re trimming the list, these are the pieces guests are least likely to miss:

Save the dates for a local wedding less than six months away.
Details cards if everything is on your wedding website (put the link on the invitation).
Printed RSVP cards if your guests are happy replying online.
A menu at every place. One per table still looks lovely.
Separate place cards if your menus carry each guest’s name.
An order of service for a short civil ceremony.

How much should you budget for wedding stationery?

Budget depends far more on quantities than on any single design, which is why getting your household count right matters so much. Price your invitations per household, your menus and place cards per guest, then add postage. Heavier suites with wax seals often need Large Letter stamps, so take one finished invitation to the Post Office before you buy stamps for the lot.

The easiest way to save without anyone noticing: combine pieces (a named menu as the place card), share menus across a table, and let your wedding website do the job of a details card. If you’d rather not spend evenings writing envelopes, we can print your guests’ names in the same font as your invitations.

Dusty blue envelopes printed with guest names in calligraphy script, with white flowers, vintage inkwells, stamps and wax seals

When to order each piece

Stationery	When to order
Sample pack	As soon as you’re choosing a design (samples are sent within 4 days)
Save the dates	Once your venue and date are booked, to send 9–12 months ahead
Invitations, RSVPs and details cards	About 6 weeks before you plan to post them, around 4 months before the wedding
Seating plan, place cards, table numbers and menus	As soon as your RSVPs are in, ideally 4 weeks or more before the day

Every order is designed for you and proofed before anything is printed. Your digital proof usually arrives within 7 days, and making takes 1–4 weeks once you’ve approved it. Full timings are on our delivery and lead times page.

Start with a sample pack

The best way to tick the first box on this checklist is to hold the paper in your hands. Our sample packs show you the invitation, RSVP and details card together, so you can see the colours, feel the card and decide on your suite before you order.

Frequently asked questions

What wedding stationery do I actually need?

Invitations with RSVP cards and envelopes, plus a seating plan, table numbers and place cards if guests have set seats. Save the dates, details cards, menus, reserved seat tags and thank you cards are optional and depend on your day.

Do I need both save the dates and invitations?

Not always. Save the dates are worth sending 9–12 months ahead for summer, bank holiday, December and destination weddings, or when guests are travelling. For a small local wedding less than six months away, invitations alone are fine.

How many wedding invitations do I need?

One per household, not one per guest. A couple or family living at the same address shares one invitation. Add a few spares for late additions, mistakes and your keepsake box.

What goes in a wedding invitation suite?

The main invitation, an RSVP card and, if guests need travel or hotel information, a details card, all sent in one envelope. Ribbon, vellum and wax seals are optional finishing touches.

Do you need place cards if you have a seating plan?

If guests chose their meals in advance, yes, because place cards tell the catering team who ordered what. Otherwise they’re optional, though they stop guests swapping seats. A named menu can double as the place card.

Do you need a menu for every guest?

No. One per guest is the most generous, but one or two per table works well and keeps costs down.

When should I order on-the-day wedding stationery?

As soon as your RSVPs are in and your guest list is final, ideally at least four weeks before the wedding, so there’s time for your proof and for making.

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