the great stationery debate

Is DIY worth the bother? Are bespoke designs too expensive? We asked stationery suppliers themselves for their honest opinions on each method, here are the results

DIY Stationery

FOR

• Can be cost effective, although cards, envelopes and other components can start to add up
• Specialist shops now make this option easier, and stock a huge variety of materials
• You can have exactly what you want because you are in control
• Works well if the bride is naturally ‘crafty’ or help is at hand
• You can put your heart into them and be creative, using unusual materials and matching colours
• Potentially a great sense of achievement

AGAINST

• Lack of experience can produce a less professional product so you might not get the finish you hoped for
• It's the guests’ first impression of the wedding so it’s important to get it right
• You’ll pay more in the long run if you get it wrong
• It takes a lot of time and effort and time is priceless to brides. Any saving may be considered not worth the effort when weighed against time required
• Stationery designs are copyrighted and are therefore the intellectual property of the designers and/or manufacturers. Some manufacturers pursue anyone found to be copying designs

Retailer / Shop-Bought Stationery

FOR

• Easy to order with no hassle. All the work is done for you
• The choice of designs is huge
• Because the stationery is produced in large quantities, the unit cost can be very competitive
• Designs are professionally produced, involving manufacturing processes not available to DIY: embossing, texturing, detailed cutting, foiling etc

AGAINST

• Your invitations will be purchased by lots of other people so you don’t something that’s individual
• Less flexibility in terms of colour schemes and the style of wording etc, but this isn’t always the case. If you order from Clinton Cards (for example) you'll get a choice of three-four albums, whereas if you go to a specialist wedding stationers, they'll have dozens of albums including ranges by many specialist manufacturers who allow card colours, shapes and designs to be altered
• Some companies charge high prices for mass produced designs
• You need to write out all the details yourself, which can be untidy
• Sometimes the shop does not carry enough stock for a large wedding and you have to wait until they reorder as they don’t do individual orders
• Some stationers only supply in multiples of ten – bad news if you require, say, 51

Designer / Bespoke Stationery

FOR

• You get a unique design and can give it a personal touch. A bespoke design can be produced to complement your wedding theme/tone
• They give you the wow factor
• Your invitations will possibly be of a higher quality, using more unusual materials and more professional crafting abilities
• Not all designer cards are expensive, compared to mass produced invites
• All the work is done for you with minimal time required on your part
• The invitations should come appropriately packaged to ensure safe posting
• Sometimes designers provide co-ordinating items such as favours and guest books
• Weddings are stressful and having a trusted stationer who can adapt to changes is valuable

AGAINST

• A possible downside is price, although this can vary quite dramatically between designers
• Some suppliers can take longer to produce as they are individually made to order
• Is everything described as ‘bespoke’ really based on an original design? One stationer said: "‘Stationery designer’ is a posh way of saying someone produces hand-made cards. But look at many designers’ work and you’ll spot a common theme or look that they won’t stray from. If you like it, fine. The very best designers can produce stunning stationery but to do this properly costs a lot of money for what is, in printing terms, a very small production run."