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The MOSCOW Rules

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Planning your wedding should be a fun and exciting time for both of you.  There are so many things to remember and it can sometimes get a little overwhelming.  However, there various tips you can follow to ensure that not only does your planning run smoothly but most importantly your wedding day.

 Not enough emphasis is placed on wedding stationery when in fact this is a really important area of your planning and wedding day.  If you don’t have invitations, you won’t have any guests for a start.  There is though, the tendency to get carried away with making sure everything looks nice but little thought is given to the actual contents of the invitations. 

Annabelle Invitation

Following the simple MOSCOW rules will ensure that you have the invitations that you want containing the information that your guests needs and clever RSVPS slips that ensure you get back the information that you need from them.

 The MOSCOW rules are simple: -

M = Must haves

S = should haves

C = could haves

W = would likes

 Must Haves

 The ‘must haves’ cover all of the essential information that you should include in an invitation such as,

  • Name of Bride & Groom
  • Name of guests being invited
  • Date of Wedding
  • Time of Wedding
  • Church and/or Venue full address which includes the post code
  • Contact details for the RSVP
  • Clear date of when responses should be received by

 
Fern Gully InvitationFern Gully Invitation

 Should Haves

 The ‘should haves’ cover your secondary information that may be relevant to you particular wedding and therefore would be useful for your guests to know, these cover things such as,

 Accommodation details of the venue – if any

  • Accommodating details of local hotels
  • Gift information – even if you’re not asking for gifts it’s wise to put a note in telling your guests this otherwise they’ll be calling you to ask and that’s not what you need
  • Menu choices if the venue has the facility to let you choose
  • Transport details, this could either be details of transport, such as a bus, that you’re providing or telephone numbers of local taxi firms to get your guests home.
  • A returnable addressed RSVP slip
  • A note on the RSVP asking your guests if they have any food allergies. After all you don’t want any of your guests going into anaphylactic shock from the strawberries now do you!

  Dior Bow Pocket Invitation

 Could Haves

 The ‘could haves’ cover information that you could put on the invitations but are not essential; these cover things such as,

  • Contact details for alternative accommodations
  • Dress code
  • Wedding Website details

 Flying the Flag Bookfold Invitation

 Would Likes

 The ‘would likes’ cover what I call the ‘fluffy’ bits, so these are things that might enhance in the invitation and make it look nice but they are not essential to have, such as,

 A full colour map

  • A flier from the venue detailing its facilities
  • Detachable keepsake embellishments
  • Local facilities in the area

 These rules are not set it stone but they might just help you get the information to your guests that they need and subsequently the information you need from them to ensure that both your needs are met on your wedding day.

 Traditionally the wedding was paid for by the Bride’s parents so the invitations were from them, not the bride and groom themselves.  However, as this is not the norm anymore couples like for the invitations to come from themselves, so there is no strict rule to stick to for the wording of the invitations. 

There are so many beautiful designs for stationery out there, but remember, the bigger and bulkier your invitations are, the more likely it is that you will fall into the ‘Large Letter’ postage category which means you will need to budget for extra postage.  If you are unsure of what postage to put on your invitations, ask at the Post Office.  You don’t want to under pay which would result in either the invitation not being delivered or your guests having to pay the extra which is not a great start for them on their journey to your wedding.

 Pearl Passion Pocket Invitations

Matching stationery is great for setting the scene, and your chosen theme can run from your Save the Date cards right through to your Thank You  cards and cover such things as the Seating Plan, Table Names, Guest Books, Place Name Cards to name but a few.

 It is also worth remembering that your wedding starts and finishes with your Stationery from the Save the Date Card right through to the all-important Thank You card, so make it memorable.

Festival Day Invitations

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