Your wedding invitations are more than just pieces of paper — they’re the first moment your guests get a true sense of your celebration. At Dear Kathryn, every invitation suite is designed with care to reflect your story, your style, and the tone of your wedding day. The experience is collaborative, well-organized, and stress-free from start to finish.
Here’s what you can expect when ordering wedding stationery and how the process works.
how booking works
Choosing the right design path
Dear Kathryn offers both custom and semi-custom invitation options, depending on your timeline, budget, and design needs:
- Custom wedding invitations
A fully bespoke experience with hand-drawn artwork and design created specifically for your wedding. - Curated / semi-custom suites
Pre-designed invitation collections that are personalized with your wording and print color selections — ideal for shorter timelines or couples wanting a lower-cost option.
Did you decide to move forward with semi-custom? Great!! You can place your order here through my website and we’ll get started on customizing your suite!
Moving forward with custom? Continue your journey below!
Start with an inquiry
Once you’ve decided you want wedding stationery that feels personal, elevated, and art-driven, the first step is to reach out through the inquiry form. You don’t need to have every detail finalized — whether you have a clear vision or just a general direction, we’ll walk through it together.
If you prefer to hop on a call first, let’s do it! Email me at hello[@]dear-kathryn.com (remove those pesky brackets – this is to avoid the bots!).
Reserving your spot
Once I have your design vision, you’ll receive a proposal outlining the details. A 50% retainer and signing the design agreement officially books your place on my design calendar and allows the creative process to begin.
I’ll send you a timeline of important dates, along with a questionnaire to gather all of your wedding details and things that are most important to you as a couple. This questionnaire is what helps me get started with your sketches!
Your sketches are a very important step in the process – this is what helps me determine what artwork is needed, where it’s going, and how much time to budget for artwork. It’s also where you start seeing your Save the Date or invitation come to life! You’ll get 3-4 sketch options, we’ll refine your favorite, and then it’s off to the races!
As a one-woman studio, you’ll work directly with me throughout the entire process — from concept to final delivery — ensuring a truly personal experience.
When to Reach Out
Reaching out early allows for a smoother design timeline and more flexibility when it comes to paper options, printing, and embellishments.
General timing guidelines:
- Save the Dates: Reach out about 5–6 months before you’d like them mailed
- Wedding Invitations: It’s best to inquire several months before your desired mailing date (invitations are typically mailed 6–9 weeks before the wedding)
For custom stationery in particular, contacting me as soon as your date and venue are secured helps ensure availability and avoids feeling rushed later in the process!
what clients can expect
A guided, collaborative experience
From your initial questionnaire through sketches, proofs, and final production, every step is designed to feel intentional and collaborative. I’ll help refine your ideas into a cohesive stationery suite that complements your wedding vision beautifully.
Clear communication and guidance
You’ll receive guidance on wording, etiquette, and stationery best practices as needed. You’ll always know what step we’re on and what’s coming next!
Production handled for you
Once designs are finalized, printing, assembly, and mailing are taken care of by me. For couples who opt in, RSVP tracking is also available (for mail-in RSVPs) — including managing returned cards and organizing responses into an easy-to-read spreadsheet.
What are clients saying about this process? Dear Kathryn clients describe it as reassuring, thoughtful, and enjoyable — a creative part of wedding planning rather than another task to manage!
what’s included (and what’s not)
What’s typically included
Your custom design package includes:
- Custom wording tailored to your wedding details
- Envelope addressing (guest and return, depending on the suite)
- Unlimited artwork and proofing to ensure everything feels just right
- Material and print method guidance, production coordination, assembly, mailing, keepsake suites, and photo-ready extras for your photographer
- Optional RSVP management (for mail-in RSVPs)
Semi-custom and curated suites include invitation cards, RSVP cards and envelopes, optional details cards, main envelopes, personalization, and a set number of revisions.
Optional add-ons
Enhancements such as wax seals, silk ribbon, envelope liners, vellum wraps, belly bands, and day-of paper goods (menus, signage, place cards, etc.) are available as upgrades and can be added based on your vision and budget.
I’ll always present options that I think would fit within your design aesthetic, and you can choose to include the upgrades or stick with the original plan!
What’s not included
- Other than your Save the Date and invitation mail date, multiple trips to the post office are usually not included, but depends on the situation. There may be an additional fee for re-mailing suites outside your original mail date.
- Complete design overhauls: I have never had this situation come up before, but if we need to do multiple design overhauls after your sketches and artwork have been completed, there will be an additional design fee. A design overhaul is when we completely scrap what we’ve already done and start over from scratch.
All costs, timelines, and inclusions are clearly outlined upfront so there are no surprises!
final thoughts
Ordering wedding stationery should feel thoughtful and well-supported — not overwhelming. From the moment you reach out to the day your guests open their envelopes, the goal at Dear Kathryn is to create a process that feels calm, personal, and intentionally designed around you.
ready to begin?
If you’re dreaming of wedding invitations that feel personal, artful, and thoughtfully designed, I’d love to hear more about your celebration. Whether you already have a clear vision or are just starting to explore ideas, reaching out early allows us to create a stationery experience that feels calm, intentional, and truly reflective of your day.
Inquire now to reserve your place on the design calendar and begin the process of creating wedding stationery that sets the tone for everything to come!
Availability is limited each season to ensure every client receives a high level of care and attention.
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