STATIONERY 101, Volume 22: Stacking Invitation Pieces

Do you have a skill or task that you do so often you could literally do it with your eyes closed? For me, it's making coffee, cooking Sunday sauce, knotting the perfect bow, and assembling wedding invitations. There's a good chance that, unless you're also a stationer, the two latter skills might not come as easily to you.

I've actually had brides tell me they've watched YouTube videos on how to tie a bow, and that they've googled how to properly stack the pieces of their wedding invitation. I've had other brides email me and ask me for an assembly how-to. At first I felt like when friends ask me how I make my Sunday sauce. Um. Uh. You just throw a bunch of tomatoes, meat, and herbs into a pot. Easy, right?

Alright, alright, there might be a bit more of a science when it comes to wedding invitation assembly. There's no real right answer, but my general rule of thumb is to go from the largest piece to the smallest. More specifically, here is how I like to stack pieces.

THE INVITATION goes on the bottom, face up (meaning the wording is facing up).

INSERT CARDS get layered on top, from largest to smallest. All face up.

REPLY ENVELOPE goes on top of the insert cards.

REPLY CARD gets placed under the reply envelope flap.

TAGS or SMALL CARDS would then go on top of everything (remember, the suite gets assembled largest to smallest).

RIBBON or BELLY BAND can be used to hold everything together. If you're putting a tag or small card to fasten the ribbon or belly band, you would assemble it so that the seam of the band is fastened behind the tag. This way the tag hides the seam.

See, it's not too complicated! Here are some photos of beautifully assembled suites.