Wedding Cards & What To Do With Them After The Big Day (a Katie Leamon guide to wedding greeting cards)

Wedding cards - before the event:

When it comes to wedding stationery, the first thought usually goes to wedding invitations, and while their design and function are extremely important (we could pen multiple blog posts on this subject alone!), there’s a lot to be said for beautifully designed wedding greetings cards, and the various guises that they come under.

Bridesmaid cards - what are they and do you need them?

Even before you’ve decided where you want your wedding to take place, you most likely already know who you want to be involved. Heck, most of us already know our top table before we even know who we are marrying. Mark the occasion and make the recipient feel extra special with a will you be my bridesmaid card. No one needs to be left out of the wedding party, with card designs for ‘Will you be my maid of honour, flower girl and even a page boy, it means that everyone involved can get that little thrill of excitement, ages before the actual day.

RSVP cards

It is totally up to you whether you include a pre-made RSVP card with your wedding invitations, or if you leave it up to your guests. However, by providing it yourself, you are heightening the chances of you getting it sent back to you with an answer in a timely manner - making guest list numbers one less thing to stress over in the run up to the wedding. Wedding season is upon us once more: days filled with flowers, beautiful fabrics, plenty of cake and glasses of effervescent bubbles, not to mention the parties! But let’s not ignore the fact that weddings can be stressful events, from both sides of the altar. While we can’t proclaim to help out with the hundred and one stressors on the day; we can help out with getting your paper-based items sorted. We have multiple brides opting for one of our beautiful notebooks as their wedding planners, but we thought we’d lend a hand too, in the wedding card department. We’ve put together this guide on all things wedding card related, from ‘will you be my bridesmaid’ cards, all the way through to what to do with wedding cards after the big day. Just one more reason for the day itself to be full of whimsical, beautiful things rather than stress.

Wedding cards - on the day:

Unique wedding congratulations cards

Whether you could attend the event or not, gifting a card is de rigueur in the world of weddings, and shopping for them can be a pleasurable task within itself. Do you match the design to the couple or the wedding’s theme? Are you swayed by the image on the cover or the words inside? There’s the luxury of a minimal design; or the fun of a gold foiled dottie print; elegant faux calligraphy or simple, powerful typographical designs. Whatever your style, make it your own. If you’re not a fan of the traditional wedding card - either for the imagery or the text - you could always opt for an arty card with blank internal pages. We love the idea that someone likes the card so much that they choose to keep hold of it forever, either in a frame or tucked between books on a shelf. Such was the thinking behind our new range, a collaboration with Ciao Chiara - to create little pieces of art that can also be used to carry a message to those you care about. Plus, they are blank inside - allowing you to craft your message yourself - and the designs can be used for whatever occasion you see fit: such as a wedding!

Wedding cards - and they lived happily ever after

You’d think that once the vows have been said, cake has been consumed and cards have been exchanged, that your job is done. Unfortunately, not so in the world of weddings. But, let that be an excuse to invest in yet more beautiful wedding cards - let’s take a look at what comes next:

Wedding thank you cards

We are huge fans of any way of extending the fun (and aesthetic!) of a wedding day and, as well as being a polite thing to do, pretty thank you cards sent to your guests and gift givers can be just the thing to do this. For an elegant, straight-to-the-point option, you can’t go wrong with our ‘thanks for coming to our wedding’ thank you card, featuring our signature scalloped edging. You can also make the job less of a chore by opting to use a smooth running rollerball or ink pen, both for pleasure and to help stave off the dreaded writer’s cramp.

Wedding anniversary cards for husband & wife

Let the romance live on, year by year, by opting for a beautiful wedding anniversary card for your wife or husband. Use it as a chance to remember the magic of the day and with so many designs to choose from, there really is something for every taste, every husband, and every wife.

What to do with wedding cards? Keepsake Ideas

After the dust has settled and all of the glitter is packed away, what do you do with the wedding cards you have been given? Even those of us that aren’t fans of scrapbooking and craft projects are likely to want to keep mementoes from the day. Even more so when they contain the heartfelt notes from our nearest and dearest. So what is there to do with wedding cards after the event? Let’s take a look:

• Ring binder

If you have a large number of cards and want to keep them in a place that is easy to access, you could opt for a ring binder. Some are designed specifically for this, or wedding themed at least, but you could also get a plain one and alter it to match your particular aesthetic or the theme of your wedding day. Inside you have two options: hole punch the cards themselves or put them in sleeves. The former is easier but the holes may cut into the text or cover design, so always check before punching.

• Keepsake boxes

The most obvious way to keep your wedding cards for future readings is to keep them in a box. But you can do so much more to preserve them than shoving them in a plastic container and pushing them under the bed to be forgotten about. Opt for a box that goes someway in matching your wedding theme such as a vintage wooden box or a cardboard box in the same colour as your bridesmaids’ dresses. You could also put in other items from the day - such as your choice of confetti, a copy of the order of service, your handwritten vows - making it a type of memory box. Be mindful of organic materials however (flowers, we are looking at you!), as they can mould and affect the condition of the items next to them, such as delicate paper and card.

• Frame favourites/most meaningful ones

As much as you love every single person who attended your wedding (probably), there will be those whose cards you hold that little bit dearer, or whose designs are just too good to hide away. Card design has come a long way from the saccharine or cliche imagery of the past, meaning that many would not look out of place as artwork around the home. Plus, when framed and placed among an arrangement of wedding photos, they can be a fantastic way to break up the imagery, whilst still being relevant and capturing the essence of the day for years to come.

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Wherever you are on the wedding planning journey, as a guest or bride-to-be, there will undoubtedly be a card that needs filling out and sending. You can always rely on Katie Leamon to provide luxury hand printed cards that are as pretty to look at as they are good for the environment.