Of all the things needed to do when planning a wedding, if you forget to invite the guests, it won't be much of a celebration. Even in this high tech age of instant communication, a wedding is not something that has translated well to the email or voice mail notification. Even the most radical wedding ceremony still requires wedding stationery just to stay recognized as decent people.

Wedding stationery is simply the specialized, printed paper goods for your wedding. This can include invitations, thank you notes, all the envelopes, RSVP cards, formal writing paper, even napkins and coordinated note cards and name tags. The two most important pieces of wedding stationery however are the invitations and the thank you cards.

Many family and friend relationships have been damaged over who was invited to a wedding, what was purchased as a gift, and if that gift was acknowledged with a formal thank you. A marriage is not the time to make a statement and care must be taken not to leave anyone out that should receive a wedding invitation. Be certain to check with family members and especially parents of both the bride and groom. Parents can offer a surprising number of people to a wedding celebration that could be offended if not invited.

Many people who you invite will usually be people that may not even attend. Even if you know they can't attend due to living out of state, etc. it's still important to invite them. An invitation shows consideration for that friend or family member. It also gives them the option to send a gift [smile]

Thank you cards also are critical as every gift must be acknowledged. It's considered quite crass and rude not to send, through postal mail, a hand written, personal thank you for any gift received. A good thank you note would acknowledge the gift specifically by name, is hand written, and hand addressed. This says a lot about you as a couple and should not be minimized. Sending email, leaving voice mail, even thanking the gift giver personally by telephone doesn't remove the obligation of a formal, written thank you.

Wedding stationery is usually printed with specific information about the marriage date, people involved, etc. Because of this customization, you will need shop around and select the stationery well in advance of your wedding. Wedding stationery and invitations are not something to leave for the last minute. It will take some time to decide just the right paper, layout, and font for your stationery.

Your wedding invitation and accessories set the tone for your special day firmly establishing your style and taste. It is the first official message about your wedding that a guest will receive from you, so make it special. If wedding etiquette is important to you, then make a start with your wedding stationery.