With all of the wedding planning you have to do before the big day, knowing when to send out save the date cards, wedding invitations, thank you cards, etc can be a huge hassle.  Here’s a handy guide to fill you in on when, what and how to handle all of your stationery needs.

Save the date
Sent up to six months in advance of the wedding, these cards can be a fun way to kick off your engagement and wedding plans. If you’re planning a destination wedding, these cards are essential heads-up notices to guests who’ll need some lead time for making travel plans. The look of these cards can hint about the style and formality of the coming wedding or not–it’s up to you.

Wedding invitation
A wedding invitation is often not just a card in an envelope but a small suite of cards, enclosures and envelopes. The idea behind this more-is-more strategy is two-fold. First, the more information your guests receive to help make their wedding day experience wonderful, the better their chance of having a great time. Second, those little extras (the inner envelope, the matching enclosures) help create that this-is-something-very-special feeling.

A classic wedding invitation includes

The invitation A lined inner envelope for the invitation Enclosure cards – These might include the invitation to your wedding reception, a valet parking notice, a pew card (for certain guests for whom you’ve reserved special seating), etc. If you’re having a destination wedding, use these cards to invite guests to other pre-and-post-wedding get-togethers, too. The response card – This is the ‘RSVP’ for your guests to fill out and return to you. This card should be enclosed along with an envelope pre-printed with your address and stamped. Note: don’t stamp those response card envelopes going to guests living outside the US. Map card – These helpful cards can be printed on the same paper as your invitation with the same ink to match the invitation. The outer envelope – This should be printed with your return address. Then you write out, by hand, the addresses of your guests or hire a calligrapher to do it for you.

Informal notes
Many stationers offer informal notes–essentially extra cards the same style and size as your wedding invitation’s response card with matching envelopes. These handy blank cards can be used for thank you notes, gift enclosures, and, importantly, for special hand-written personal notes for special guests. You may want to enclose one of these cards in the invitations you send to your parents, your future in-laws and everyone in the wedding party, for instance.

At home cards
These cards bear the address of your new home and when you’ll be moving in. They can be enclosed with your wedding invitations.

Wedding programs for the ceremony
Shaped like a large card, a brochure or a booklet, these programs are given out to guests at the wedding ceremony. A wedding program usually contains a schedule of the ceremony but can also include special notes about the members of the wedding party and other information that might help make your guests’ ceremony experience all the better. If your ceremony will be conducted in a language not all your guests are familiar with, consider adding a translation of the important parts. The wedding program doesn’t have to match the look of your wedding invitation but it should reflect the same formality and theme.

Place cards and menu cards for the reception
These cards give you the opportunity to add a stylish flourish to every place setting at the reception. Again, these cards don’t have to match your wedding invitations but they should reflect the tone of your overall wedding theme.

Thank you notes
You’ll be using these practically from the moment you announce your engagement. Consider getting two styles of notes. Order a set that matches your wedding invitations for sending thanks for wedding gifts from guests. Order a second, uniquely designed set for shower gifts and sending to all those wonderful people who made a special effort to make your day unforgettable.

Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, but visit GetMarried.com for the best wedding planning ideas including real wedding videos, blogs for brides, wedding invitations, wedding dress galleries and so much more.  Visit Get Married online at http://www.getmarried.com or tune in and watch on Lifetime at 7:30 EST Monday through Friday with your host Colin Cowie and co-host DeAnna Pappas.

I cannot begin to count the number of brides who spend the final weeks of their planning process fighting with their attendants. Unlike your family, you CAN choose your bridal party. You should feel no obligation to include those who expect that they should be included or those that you feel you should include ‘just because.’ Having an unruly bridal party can put a real damper on your planning process. But don’t fear, bridesmaid drama is 100% avoidable.

The Purpose of Maids

Being a bridesmaid does not only consist of looking pretty and posing for pictures. A bridesmaid, and especially a maid of honor, is a close friend or family member, a supporter of the marriage, someone that you trust and someone who is willing and able to help you plan your wedding. Anyone who does not meet each and every one of these requirements should be crossed off your list. This is not the time to reach back to childhood/high school/college friends with whom you’ve lost contact. Nor is it the time to take suggestions from others on who should be in your wedding party. This is a decision that you should take seriously from the beginning.

Maids not Slaves

Of course, it is expected that bridesmaids will help in the planning process. This could consist of attending vendor meetings, dress shopping, working on the DIY assembly line (creating invitations, favors, etc.), running errands and a host of other wedding related duties. Being a bridesmaid also requires a financial commitment to buy a dress and contributing to showers and other festivities. While this is all expected, you should act with appreciation and understanding. This means not selecting a $600 bridesmaid dress knowing that your maids cannot afford it. It means not demanding that your maids give up all of their free time to help you. And it means always saying thank you and showing your appreciation. Your maids are there to help you, not to work as indentured servants. Treating your maids with respect and appreciation will ensure that you have a loving, great relationship with your bridal party on the wedding day. Acting as a slave master could lead to resentment and ill feelings that could take away from your day.

Booting a Maid

If you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having maid drama, you may consider asking the problem attendant to leave the party. This is a dilemma that I see often. Somewhere around the 60 day mark, a frantic bride will call me and ask what to do about a jealous, controlling or uncooperative bridesmaid. There is really no easy way to handle this. You have three options. One, you could sit the unruly maid down for a heart to heart and tell her how her behavior is hurting you. Ask that she be more mindful of her actions and try to make your wedding pleasant. Two, you could ask your maid of honor, or another bridesmaid, to run interference for you. Lastly, you could ask her to leave the party. Most experts recommend against this, but in nightmarish cases, this may be the only option. Know that it will almost certainly be a fatal blow to the friendship and it will be difficult. You could say something like, “I am so grateful that you agreed to be in my bridal party, but I see that this has become a burden for you. You are dear to me and our friendship is very important. I would rather have you as a friend than a bridesmaid.” You will need great communications skills to handle this – but hey, you are getting married and this is perfect practice for the artful communication necessary to sustain a marriage. Good Luck!

It doesn’t matter if you’re building a Target bridal registry or a registry at Bergdorf Goodman, the same etiquette principles will always apply. You should provide your guests with a range of price points, options and variety that reflect you and your personal style.

To learn more about what you should and shouldn’t be putting on your Target bridal registry, along with some simple registry etiquette rules and answers to your frequently asked questions, keep reading.

How much should I register for?

It may feel greedy, but you should actually register for slightly more gifts than you think you ought. Your guests will like that they have a range of choices and budget options from which to choose rather than being constrained by a seriously limited wedding registry. Before you set out, have a mental number in your mind that includes the number of wedding guests or couples who will be bringing gifts and the guests at your shower.

The best way to approach it, though, is to only choose items that you will love, use and cherish. Guests would rather give you cash than buy something you’ll never touch.

Should Target be my only registry?

Just having a single registry at Target will certainly make your life simple, but you might also find that they don’t have the full selection you’re looking for. Many brides will register at a store like Target for everyday items and then a more expensive merchant for items like fine china or stemware.

Can I have too many inexpensive items on my registry?

It is. The basic rule of thumb is to give guests a range of options. You want a sprinkling of high-end, expensive items and then an equal number of mid- and low-priced options. Having a few higher-end items on your registry allows close people like your grandparents or parents to buy a larger gift.

That said, inexpensive items are an essential part of a registry and make a great pool for shower gifts. When you do pick lower-priced items, be sure to choose gifts that people will actually want to give.

When should I send a thank you note?

Thank you cards can start going out as soon as gifts are received. In fact, writing your thank you cards in small batches will help you get a handle on a major time task and help keep track of who gave what gift.

That said, according to traditional etiquette rule, you have up to one year from the date of the wedding to write and send your thank you cards. It’s also acceptable to send one card for both the wedding and shower gift, but you should mention both items in your note.

How do I tell guests that I’m registered at Target?

The most important rule is to never include the information with your paper invitations – it’s considered to be in poor taste. Instead, you can include a link to your Target bridal registry on your wedding website or simply rely on your maid-of-honor, best man and parents to spread the word.

When you are planning your wedding I know that you want everything to turn out perfectly and in exact accordance with not only tradition but also with your dreams and hopes for the night. If you are going for a beautiful white wedding with all the classic symbols of love, purity, and eternity then there are a lot of options that you have but you need to remember to also make sure your personality shines through it all and that everyone at the wedding reception can see that you put a lot of time, effort, and affection in to picking out everything from the wedding invitations that your guests get before the event and the favors that they take home when everything is all done. The wedding favors are actually a really important part of the ceremony and reception because they can bring together the whole theme and they are also the last impression that your guests have of the night. You can really make them personal, memorable, and unique as long as you plan the right way and look at all the right sites and stores that you can buy from. Even though sometimes it is frustrating you need to remember that everything takes time if you want it to come out the right way.

Calla lilies are really delicate and are symbols of purity and love because of their pristine color and fragile features. Also, flowers are symbols of eternity, which speaks about the bond that you and your spouse have just entered into with each other. Your guests will be impressed by both the aesthetic value and meaningful inclinations of these beautiful wedding favors that you are offering to them. The great thing is that there are a lot of different types of party favors that you can find that all involve calla lilies. These include things like candles to set the perfect mood, vases that can be used as centerpieces, and place card holders that can tell all your guests where to sit when they come in to the party.

There are also a lot of different ways in which you can display the favors. Here are a couple examples of what you can find by doing a little bit of online shopping and research and simply getting creative with mixing your personality and all the classic elements of a wedding into the perfect dream day for you, your spouse, and each and every single individual guest.

Calla Lily Candle Lamp:

This is a six inch lamp with an intricately designed base. The base includes calla lilies that all lead up to a delicately placed tea light in a frosted lamp shade. These candles will cast an ethereal glow over the entire night and all your guests will be basking in a beautifully romantic candle light that will make everything much more emotional and enjoyable. Also, the great thing is that these add a lot to your tables so they are functional decorations and wedding favors for all of your precious guests.

Invitation Cards and Birthday Invitations for All Party Invitations Occasions

For those special events in everyone’s lives, Party Invitations, http://www.invitations-instyle.com/party-stationery/party-invitations are often necessary. For example, no one can attend a celebration without receiving Birthday Invitations, http://www.invitations-instyle.com/party-stationery/birthday-invitations first. That’s just a given. But the question most hosts face is where to purchase invitations party and invitations birthday celebration. That decision just got easier thanks to Invitations inStyle. The company specializes in invitation cards and invitations printable for all of those moments in life when a party is called for and when guests need to be invited.

The Perfect Party Invitation

With a huge selection of party invitations, the company delivers every type of Party Stationery, http://www.invitations-instyle.com/party-stationery/ a party planner might need. From birthdays to graduations to anniversaries, the right party invite for any occasion is available on the site. Plus, all of the party invites are custom designed by an in-house team of artists so they don’t look like every other card on the market.

Celebrating with Birthday Invitations

Nothing calls for a celebration like a birthday, but before the guest of honor can blow out the candles the host needs to choose a birthday invitation fit for the event. For those throwing a grown-up party, the company’s selection of 40th birthday invites or 50th birthday invitations might be the perfect fit. Younger birthday boys and girls might need the 30th birthday invite for the guests at their gala event.

Exciting Kids Birthday Invitations, http://www.invitations-instyle.com/kids-birthday/kids-birthday-invitations

Adults may love having a fun party, but they are no match for children. For these celebrations, a kid birthday invitation needs to match the overall theme of the event. The Invitations-inStyle web site offers a large selection of cards just for children birthday invites. Party planners can also find first birthday invitations for the most special celebration, at least for the parents. Most of the kids will be looking forward to the invitations child birthday when they turn 16, 18, or 21.

Customizing Birthday Party Invitations

Just as no two guests of honor are identical, no two invitations birthday party should be either. The good news at this site is that when someone chooses a birthday party invitation, they have the option of personalizing it with photos, different colors and styles of font, and even a unique message. Adult and Kids Birthday Party Invitations, http://www.invitations-instyle.com/kids-birthday/can become something wholly original to be enjoyed by the guests.

Delightful Kids Invitations

Another advantage of choosing to shop at www.invitations-instyle.com is that the children can help pick their Kids Invitations, http://www.invitations-instyle.com/. After all, the party is for them and unless it is intended to be a surprise there’s no reason why the birthday boy or girl shouldn’t help select invitations kids birthday. By shopping online, however, hosts save time and money because they don’t have to travel all over town looking for the perfect kid party invitations.

Picking Invitation Cards and Invitations Party

No matter what the occasion an Invitation Cards party needs to be something special, but also something affordable. The company knows this and keeps its prices lower than the competition while also offering great deals on parties invitations. Free shipping is available for many orders and customers can receive 10 free cards when they place an order for their invite party.