How to match your wedding stationery to your wedding venue

There is naturally a reason why you have chosen a particular venue to hold your wedding. It could be because it holds special memories for you or is a place you always wanted to go to. Whether it’s a building whose architecture you’ve always admired, or a country where you were brought up, whatever the reason may be, the venue has special significance for you.

Incorporating and reflecting your wedding venue into your wedding stationery is an effective way to create an overall look of harmony to your wedding. Your save the date card will create an immediate impression of the style and venue of the wedding as your guests eagerly anticipate the unfolding of the big day!

Ananya is delighted to offer you some examples of how to reflect and incorporate your wedding venue in your stationery.

If you are planning a destination wedding, you could have a flower symbolic of the country designed on your save the date, for example a lotus for an Indian wedding. This will conjure up in the recipient’s mind the country and its allures.

If it’s a tropical destination, choose lush colours or motifs from the region. If it’s by the ocean, try soft watercolours and pastels to reflect the waves.

Image: Tell Your Story

Think lemon groves for Italy or the lavender fields of Provence. You could even scent your stationery with lemon or lavender to give your guests an aromatic and immersive experience on opening the invitation!

If your wedding venue has a particular feature that you adore, then incorporate that feature into the stationery. It could be different aspects of the feature, such as majestic arches, a stained glass window, period features or fine art, which you could incorporate in the various items of stationery.

If it’s a distinctive country mansion you may want to incorporate the colours or a motif from the wallpaper and interiors.

You can reflect the surroundings of the venue in the stationery. If it’s surrounded by nature, then bring nature in, for example, through seasonal flowers and colours or floral illustrations.

Give it a distinctly urban feel if it’s a city wedding in an industrial building with clean and simple lines – let the venue inspire your stationery design.

Envelope linings can be a great way to emphasise an aspect or feature of the venue, for example, a motif symbolic of the destination.

Envelope seals with a sprig of dried lavender or an olive leaf embedded into the seal would look stunning and complement the overall look of the venue or destination.

Above all, remember that your wedding stationery is a perfect opportunity to represent you, your personality, culture(s) and heritage as a couple. 

I hope we have given you food for thought as you plan your wedding. If you would like more ideas and suggestions for incorporating your wedding venue into your wedding invitations and stationery, please reach out to us. Or if you need help with your invitation wordings, we would be delighted to guide you.

Until next time,

Vaishali

Colour Infusion by Ananya; our latest wedding stationery collection

Ananya is delighted to unveil its newest collection called ‘Colour Infusion’ to showcase the beauty of the marigold flower and its symbolic significance at weddings. This collection with its unique combination of bright marigolds on one side and brush stroke pattern in gold on the reverse, is distinctive and beautiful; ideal for the 2019 Spring/Summer wedding season. The collection was officially launched at Kensington Palace.

The entire marigold design, including the leaves and lines, was hand drawn. The printing too, was hand printed using a screen printing process. Various elements were added and moulded to create the perfect balance between foreground and background. It is this hand drawn element that gives the design its intricacy and delicate richness, and which allowed us to control the spacing of the leaves.

The golden blooms of the marigold and the leaves on twining branches are set against a background choice of four different jewel tones; exuberant pink, auspicious orange, joyful yellow and sophisticated teal. These jewel tones set off beautifully the sumptuous gold of the marigold design for an overall look that is simply stunning! The reverse side is bordered in matching bright colours with generous brush strokes of gold, giving the stationery a luxurious look with an Ananya twist; combining tradition and modern.

The marigold flower with its lively colours echoing the beauty, warmth, and the life-giving power of the rising sun has a long history of symbolism in several cultures, both in the East and West. Sometimes known as the flower of the soul in India, the saffron coloured marigold is considered sacred and pure and is used on many occasions. As love charms, representing passion and auspiciousness, it is incorporated in weddings. This marigold design is a beautiful nod to our Indian heritage.

In Indian culture, wedding invitations to close family members and friends are traditionally sent with an item of food, e.g. dry fruits and nuts, such as almonds, cashews and dates; but at Ananya, our aim has always been to give traditions a contemporary twist and a 21st Century appeal. And so was born the idea of this specially commissioned chocolate bar. We worked with an artisan chocolatier to create this high-quality handmade chocolate bar. Its iridescent pops of colour make this sweet treat a distinctive accompaniment to the bright and cheery marigold flowers of the Colour Infusion collection, and a delight for the taste buds!

At Ananya, we love coming up with imaginative ways to combine our designs with other items which could make perfect wedding favours, or to accompany invites, such as our artisanal chocolates.

Please do get in touch to discuss how we can create bespoke stationery for you.

The Art of Good Manners and the Essential Guide to using Etiquette Stationery

Manners and etiquette it seems are making a comeback.  Whilst they never disappeared in ‘polite society’, there is a quiet rebellion taking place. In this age of mindfulness, we are at last remembering to say ‘thank you’.

So, manners and etiquette are at the forefront of conversation in the office here at Ananya. The wedding season is starting up, and the great British ‘season’ is just around the corner. Not a day passes without someone receiving an invite to a big seasonal event. So, statement hats and striped blazers aside, it’s essential to respond to an invite in style. And, once you’re at your event, know what to expect. Be the perfect guest, from meeting and greeting, through to dining and dancing!

Photograph by Scott-Wood Photography

Making a distinction between manners and etiquette:

“…Manners as the principles, which are eternal and universal, etiquette as the particular rules which are arbitrary and different in different times, different situations, different cultures.”

  Judith Martin

Accepting the invite

It goes without saying that one should always RSVP to an invite of any kind. And, whilst it is tempting to reply by text or e-mail, don't do it! 

Elegant stationery goes a long way towards creating the right impression. And that's before you even arrive at your event. If you are lucky you will receive an RSVP card with your invite, with which to reply. If not, reply with a simple handwritten note on good quality notepaper.  In these days of e-mail and text, your writing skills may not be as good as you would like, but don't worry. At Ananya we love to receive handwritten cards and letters!

Saying thank you

Saying thank you for being entertained should be something that you do personally.  After all, your host has taken the time and effort to organise and invite you to special event. Taking ten minutes to write a thank you note yourself isn't a lot to ask. And it might just put you at the top of the invite list for the next event.

You don't have to write a small novel when you're saying thank you. Just express your gratitude, and how much you enjoyed meeting everyone. Perhaps mention what was most memorable for you about the event. A note card is perfect for saying thank you. And, a monogrammed set made just for you is incredibly chic. It will certainly make you stand out from the crowd.

Planning your own event

It may be that you’re lucky enough to be planning your own summer soirée or event. Perhaps you’re hosting guests at the opera with pre-opera champagne and canapés. Or, maybe you’re entertaining guests aboard a classic yacht at Cowes Week. Whatever the occasion, make your stationery something that guests will love to receive. 

Photograph by Holly Clark Photography

Bespoke stationery reflecting the nature of your event is perfect. Stuck for ideas? At Ananya we love to design something that’s truly unique to you. For example, if it is a Cowes week event, excitement, glamour and colour come to mind. For colour it could be hues of blue against a white background. The design could be something that brings to mind the elegance of sailing. Your guests will be clamouring to accept your invite. And of course, they’ll reply to you on one of your beautiful RSVP cards! Carry everything through with complementary place settings and menus for such a special event.

Photograph by Amanda Karen Photography

And finally, a few interesting points on perfecting good manners. They may make you smile, but do try them. We checked our knowledge with the masters of etiquette, Debrett’s. Meet, greet and eat with confidence!  

-                    When someone enters the room for the first time, do stand. It’s considered polite to do so. Traditionally, men stood when their ladies entered the room. At Ananya HQ, one of our team remembers almost swooning the first time someone stood for her. We think it helped that he was in army dress uniform, and very handsome. Ultimately though, it’s considerate to stand, regardless of age and gender.

-                    And if you are the host, you should always stand to greet your guests. It's considered impolite to offer your hand to someone whilst you are sitting down. 

-                    Don’t know how to eat certain foods? Here are our favourite ‘rules’:

o    Asparagus season is almost here. So, remember to eat asparagus with your fingers, darling! Dip the asparagus tip into the sauce accompaniment and enjoy. Leave the woody part of the stem neatly to one side of your plate when finished.

o    Eat soup by pushing the soup spoon away from you to collect it on the spoon. Use the side of spoon to funnel the soup into your mouth. No slurping, and use the right spoon! One of our team remembers a friend of hers getting quite vexed at being given a soup spoon in the wrong setting. Her calming skills resolved the issue before any ‘soup spoon rage’ incidents occurred.

o    Scones are not cut with a knife. Use your hands to break them. Use a spoon to put cream and jam onto the plate first before putting onto the scone. Taking afternoon tea in Devon? Apply the jam before the cream. But if you’re taking tea at the Tate in Cornwall, apply the cream first. Either way, enjoy this most delicious of summer treats!

So there you have it, our mini guide to modern manners and etiquette. For more information on personalised and bespoke stationery do contact the team at Ananya to discuss your ideas. We’d love to be part of your manners revolution. Contact us on +44 (0)20 7242 1877 or e-mail us on info@ananyacards.com  

Planning a Spring Wedding? Let the Colours of Nature be Your Inspiration

Planning on getting married in the Spring? Then you really need to look no further than the colours that Nature can offer you.

Spring Wedding Colours Marry in March, April and the early part of May and you'll be surrounded by inspiration.  Just think of the delicate beauty of pink camellias; purple grape hyacinths, pink blossom on the trees and sunny golden daffodils. Springtime colours work together beautifully and create a natural palette of shades to choose from that are perfect for a wedding. Your wedding cake could be full of the joy and exuberance of Spring, like this one from Cakes By Krishanthi.

spring wedding cake, flowers

You'll want your wedding invitations to announce the mood and style of your wedding day. Look at Ananya's wedding stationery which comes in Springlike shades of purple, ombré, blue and pink.

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You can also order wedding stationery designed to your personal design - this might be the perfect time to commission a monogram for you as a couple.

Have you created a moodboard for your wedding day yet? It's a great place to gather together all your thoughts; put together ideas for dresses, shoes, invitations, flowers, a venue .... Have a look at the Ananya Weddings moodboard on Pinterest. Plenty of inspiration for you there. Follow us to keep up with our latest finds.

Ananya weddings on Pinterest

You'll also find a free moodboard tool at Dessy which is really easy to use. You just drag the images you like onto it and play about until you have a Spring wedding theme that you're happy with.

green wedding moodboard

blue hair accessories in spring wedding colours

yellow bridesmaid dress by Dessy

Think bridesmaid dresses and accessories in fresh, springtime colours .. What colours have you chosen for your wedding theme? Are you letting the season inspire you or do you have another idea? How about a country garden theme? We'd love you to share your wedding thoughts on our Facebook page and post a photograph! Photo credits: Flower images by Wilde Thyme. Wedding cake by cakesbykrishanthi. Wedding invitations byAnanya.  Green moodboard, bridesmaid dresses and accessories byDessy.