The second part of our Standard Design Sizes blog series is all about planning for wedding and event stationery! Whether you're thinking of DIY-ing your own invitations or hiring a graphic designer like us to create stationery for you, knowing the sizes of common elements used for weddings and events is helpful when it comes to planning ahead and creating the look and feel you want for your special day.
Each stage of wedding and event planning requires different types of stationery, and knowing what to expect with each stationery element will go a long way in giving you a realistic picture of how everything will work together. Some examples of when stationery elements are used are:
Before Event - Save the Date, Invitation, RSVP/Reply Card, Enclosure Card
During Event - Program, Menu, Place Card, Event Poster, Table Number
After Event - Thank-You Card
Some of our favourite wedding and event stationery suites that we've seen over the years, were done using non-standard design sizes to give the stationery elements a unique look. Of course, by not choosing standard design sizes for your wedding or event stationery project, you could run into a variety of issues such as:
You may be unable to find envelopes in the right size (if you're choosing to design a custom sized invitation/save the date/reply card size)
You may not convey information in a legible/suitable manner (if the size is too small/large)
You may incur additional costs for postage (due to the weight or size of larger elements)
You may incur additional costs for printing due to choosing a custom size (depends on printing company and type of paper/material being used)
You may be unable to use some add-ons/embellishments such as stationery pockets* (if not sized correctly to fit inside each pocket flap) - *stationery pockets are used to hold your invitation suite together and present it in a visually appealing way
Keep in mind that issues such as the examples above can be resolved quite easily and shouldn't deter you from choosing an alternative project size or layout that differs from the norm if that's the route you want to go.
A list of common stationery elements for weddings and events can be found below (please note that all sizes are in decimal inches):
Save the Date – 4 x 5.5 in / 4.25 x 5.5 in
Invitation (Standard) – 5 x 7 in
Invitation (Large) – 5.5 x 7.5 in / 6.5 x 8.75 in
Invitation (Square) – 5.25 x 5.25 in
RSVP/Reply Card – 3.5 x 5 in / 4.25 x 5.5 in
Enclosure Card – 4.25 x 5.5 in
Printed Belly Band – 1.75 x 11.5 in
Program (Card) – 4 x 9 in
Program (Bi-Fold) – 8.5 x 5.5 in (Folded) / 8.5 x 11 in (Flat)
Place/Escort Card – 2 x 3.5 in (Folded) / 3.5 x 4 in (Flat)
Table Number – 4 x 6 in
Menu – 4 x 9 in
Event Poster/Sign – 24 x 36 in
Thank-You Card – 4.25 x 5.5 in (Closed/Flat) / 5.5 x 8.5 in (Open)
Thanks for reading! We hope this list of standard design sizes helps you with your current or upcoming project(s)! You can read the other parts of our Standard Design Sizes series here:
Have a question or comment? Please reach out to us via our contact page or directly through email at hello@laurenbakerpd.ca - we can't wait to hear from you!