Wedding Invitations - 10 Things NOT To Do!

Your invitations are the shop window for your wedding day. When that beautifully crafted envelope drops through the letterbox of your guests, it speaks volumes about the sort of wedding you've planned, the style, the mood, and even the venue. So, it’s essential to ensure your wedding invitations are absolutely right.

It’s not just about perfecting the design; timing, wording, and etiquette all matter, too. For those planning a luxury wedding in cities like London or Dubai, for example, attention to detail is key.

So here's our list of 10 things you shouldn't do when it comes to your wedding invitations.

Photo credit: Valery Studio

1) Not sending a Save the date card

Gone are the days of simply sending invitations a couple of months in advance. With people living abroad, travelling frequently, or juggling busy jobs, Save the date cards have become more important. For destination weddings, especially in luxury hotspots like Italy or Dubai, it’s essential to give guests enough notice.

While it's ideal to send a physical card (matching your wedding stationery style), digital options like e-save the dates are fine. But whatever you do, do give people notice of your wedding date well in advance if you want to be sure that they're going to be free to come.

2) Leaving your invitations until the last minute

While off-the-shelf stationery may seem convenient, bespoke luxury wedding invitations are more impressive and personal. Give your stationery supplier as much time as you can to create your custom invitation design. Allow yourself time to address envelopes, track down where the invitees are living and get the whole lot posted so they arrive about 2-3 months before the wedding celebrations. For more tips on timing, check out our blog Wedding Stationery Timings: A Useful Guide.

Photo credit: Martina H.

3) Not including RSVP details

Always ensure you include clear RSVP instructions. Whether it’s via post with a reply paid card, email, or a wedding website, your guests need to know how to respond and who to contact. For destination weddings, it's especially important to provide this information upfront, as guests may need to make travel arrangements and accommodations well in advance.

4) Forgetting to stamp your envelopes

It does happen! Your invitation may get to its destination if you're lucky but your invited guests will have to pay postage which isn't a good start. Same goes for underpaid postage - check how much it's going to cost for your invitation to reach its destination, bearing in mind its weight, size and how quickly you want it to arrive.

Always check with the post office how much your invitations will cost to mail. Having your guests pay for underpaid postage at their end does not set the greatest first impression of your big day!

Photo credit: Martina H.

5) Not putting guests' names on invitations

People need to know who is invited - can they bring their partner or not? Otherwise they might just turn up with a plus one. In addition, it's correct etiquette to send children over 18 their own wedding invitations - don't just put 'and family' - they are adults now and deserve to be treated as such.

6) Not proofing the invitations properly

Check, check and double check your spelling, capital letters and grammar. Typos or missing information can be disastrous for luxury wedding stationery. Ask somebody else to proofread the invitations if this isn't your forte. Oh and make sure you've included the date, time and venue details. Seriously, people have forgotten this crucial information.

7) Ordering one invitation per guest

It's standard practice to send one invitation per household, not per individual (although see note 5 above re young adults). So you don't need as many invitations as there are guests, although we always recommend at Ananya Cards to make sure you have 10% extra invitations on hand in case of last-minute changes or additional guests.

8) Not mentioning a dress code

Whether you’re having a black-tie affair in a 5 star London hotel or a more relaxed celebration at a Dubai beach resort, always specify the dress code. If you're having a multicultural wedding, different traditions may call for specific attire, like morning coats or traditional Indian dress. It's important to clarify the dress code so your guests don’t feel out of place and won't enjoy your wedding as much as you want them to. If you'd like tips on planning for multicultural weddings, check out our blog on the subject.

9) Addressing the children question

Tricky one this. You may not mind having children at your wedding or you may want it to be a child-free zone. For multicultural weddings for example, different traditions may have varying expectations for children attending. You can politely mention this on your invitations and reach out to guests who might have concerns, inviting their children or explaining that it’s an adults-only event. Consistency is key - don’t allow some guests to bring their children while asking others not to.

10) Thinking you can DIY all your wedding invitations

It's a lovely idea but a real time commitment, especially for larger Indian weddings. Maybe if you're having a small wedding of around 30 guests. But do you really want to be handcrafting 300 invitations yourself. Seriously?

For luxury weddings with 100+ guests, DIY invites can quickly become overwhelming. Instead, entrust a professional wedding stationer to handle the design and print, ensuring the process is smooth and stress-free.

If you’d like to explore your wedding stationery options, whether you're in London, Dubai, or beyond, please feel free to contact us. We specialise in bespoke luxury wedding invitations that will set the tone for your special day, right from the moment your guests receive them.

Until next time,

Vaishali x

Who should you buy gifts for at your wedding?

Weddings don’t just come together overnight, they’re celebrations that take a lot of time and effort to plan. This is especially true if you opt for a large event, as is often the case with Indian and multicultural weddings or multi-day celebrations.

Throughout it all, you’ll hopefully be supported by your family and friends, who will band together to help you create decorations, table plans, choose your outfits, plan your hen/stag/mehendi party and generally listen to you as you prepare for this big stage of your life.

It can therefore be a delightful gesture to get certain people a gift to say thank you for the role that they’ve played in bringing your dream celebration together. But who should you give gifts to, and who gets a thank you note? Let’s take a look.

Stationery by Ananya Cards at The Hilton Dubai Palm

Bridesmaids and groomsmen

Members of your wedding party are likely to play a big role in bringing the day together and helping you keep calm throughout the planning process. They’ll probably have been some of the first people you told about your engagement, and so you’re likely to have already discussed with them different colour palettes, wedding stationery themes, and which traditions and cultural elements to include.

On the day, they’ll get you where you need to be and make sure you look fantastic, as well as taking care of smaller details like checking your parents are happy and that everyone feels welcome and catered for.

Since they’re probably your closest friends, it should be relatively easy to buy something meaningful for them. If you’re stuck for ideas, a bracelet or cufflinks marked with the date of your wedding, or a beautifully calligraphed poem or favourite quote can be a beautiful, long-lasting memento.

Image: Fiona Kelly Photography | Gifting and stationery by Ananya Cards

Children with special roles in the ceremony

If you, your siblings or close friends have children, it can be a lovely idea to have them participate in the ceremony in some way. Not only will they look super cute, but many children like to feel included, especially if their parents are featuring in the wedding party. They can act as flower girls and boys, hand out order of service sheets, be ring bearers or even act as ‘unofficial photographers’ if they’re old enough.

Gifts for children often depend on their age. For little ones, cuddly toys are a popular choice, whereas older children may appreciate a similar gift to the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen, such as a bracelet or a watch. You needn’t spend too much money on children’s gifts – the important thing is for them to feel special and included.

Monogram design: Ananya Cards

Each other

It can be easy to think about everyone else when you’re planning your wedding – what your guests want, what music they like, and what food they would like to eat. But your wedding day is all about the love you share for each other as a couple.

Take time before the day to buy a special present for your other half, and keep it as a surprise until the morning of the wedding. Use this as an opportunity to show each other how much you’re looking forward to spending your lives together.

No matter who you decide to buy for, it’s good to remember that a gift doesn’t need to be extravagant – it’s more important that it’s thoughtful and culturally significant. They’ll be sure to appreciate the fact that you recognise the support they’ve given, and that’s the key thing.

Get in touch if you would like to discuss how to elevate your wedding stationery and gifting.

 Until next time,

 Vaishali

Viva Magenta – Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2023 revealed

As lovers of colour and design, every year our team here at Ananya looks eagerly forward to discovering the Pantone colour of the year – and 2023 promises to be a fabulous one!

WHAT IS THE PANTONE COLOUR OF THE YEAR 2023?

For those of you who may not have heard of this before, there is a really exciting annual process whereby the experts at the Pantone Colour Institute thoroughly research and uncover new colour trends within fashion, travel, art, new technologies, entertainment, film, social media, and much more – and select one that they feel is most representative and influential in the current times. The colour chosen is then announced, which often leads to the tone showing up even more within wedding and design trends, and becoming even more popular!

Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2023 is Viva Magenta 18-1750, a fearlessly joyous colour which combines pink, red, and purple tones. It is a shade of red with its roots in nature, and is an empowering colour that represents exuberance, strength, bravery, and positivity. It has the power to influence, make a statement and be a mode of self expression. This electrifying colour is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest in the world.

At Ananya we love this colour – and in fact, it’s the colour of our own logo!

Viva Magenta wedding invitation for a destination wedding by Ananya

VIVA MAGENTA FOR WEDDING STATIONERY

Here at Ananya we believe in the power of colour – and how impactful it can be when used in a meaningful, intentional way. Magenta is a stunning tone to use as an accent colour with gold or silver, or as a primary colour, and delivers a bold and luxe feel which is perfect for cultural and multicultural weddings. We particularly love it as a hero colour for your reception stationery paired with hues of blue, as the deeper tones set an inviting, rich, captivating mood.

You could incorporate this colour into your stationery as the primary backdrop of the paper itself, as the colour of the patterns or text, or as an accent through finishing touches like magenta calligraphy, wax seals, or ribbons. Agate also comes in a gorgeous magenta tone, which makes it a unique choice for elevating your table settings.

Viva Magenta agate place cards hand scribed in calligraphy by Ananya

Wedding stationery where Viva Magenta is present will lift the spirit and make a statement of the bridal couple’s personality and the strength of their bond - a commitment to go boldly on their new adventure!

VIVA MAGENTA FOR WEDDINGS

Magenta is a stunning accent colour for wedding colour palettes, and works surprisingly well both as a base and as an accent.

You can steer firmly into rich berry and jewel tones for all the elements of the wedding, and combine magenta with other bright red, purple, and pink tones. Alternatively, you could use magenta as a single pop of colour to liven up an otherwise muted palette of blush pinks, dusty blues, or gentle lilacs and grey tones. It also looks stunning when paired with shades of green, which means it will stand out beautifully against any foliage your florist will be using! For example, some flowers which bloom beautifully in this tone are dahlias, hyacinths, calla lilies, orchids, carnations, roses, anthuriums, anemones, camellias, daisies, cosmos, sweet peas, bougainvillea, ranunculi, and peonies – just to name a few! It’s a colour very well suited to tropical, lush, punchy florals that make a statement wherever they are used.

Wedding cake By Yevnig with fresh florals by White Lilac

This colour adapts itself beautifully to fabric as well, which means it is a showstopper option for outfits – whether that be one of the bride’s dresses, the groom’s menswear, or for fabulous guest attire. It can be a gorgeous base for your bridesmaids dresses too!

There are lots of delicious fruits that pair well with this fuchsia-meets-red colour family - like raspberries, pomegranates, figs, and so on – which makes these perfect decorations for a fresh, fruity cake, or scrumptious raspberry macarons.

You can also use magenta as an accent for your tablescape, by adding gorgeous red and pink tones to your linen and/or napkins. We love the use of patterned linens with a pop of pink! Pairing magenta linens with more neutral accents, like rattan chargers or light ceramic for example, can help create a sense of balance. Also beautiful paper flowers can be added to your table settings as a timeless and sustainable keepsake.

Handmade paper roses by Ananya | Kate Nielen Photography

We hope this has inspired you to infuse this hot new colour in town into your wedding, your home decor, and your wardrobe next year – we sure will be!

Until next time,

Vaishali

Essential Etiquette for Wedding Thank You Cards: 10 Key Tips

As November begins, the UK wedding season wraps up, while Dubai’s is in full swing with stunning celebrations. At Ananya, we love supporting our clients in designing, ordering, and printing little paper parcels to spread the love and share their gratitude. Whether you're winding down from a summer wedding or just starting festivities in the UAE, we're here with design inspiration, etiquette tips, and support every step of the way!

Here are some of the key topics surrounding wedding thank you cards:

1. Are wedding thank you cards necessary?

One of the most common questions is: are wedding thank you cards really necessary, and why write a thank you card? The answer is that they are not strictly necessary, but they are a thoughtful, personal way of letting your friends and family know how much it meant to have them as part of your special day. I personally feel that, when it comes to stationery, aside from your invitations, there is nothing more important than thanking your guests for attending!

Today, many couples are opting for sustainable thank you cards made from recycled materials or those that contribute to environmental causes. This not only reflects their values but also resonates with guests who appreciate eco-conscious choices.

Physical cards are particularly well-received for destination weddings, where guests travel long distances or contribute to a donation fund or extensive gift list. Instead of needing to reach out to guests individually and adding time-consuming tasks to your post-wedding to-do list, preparing these cards in advance allows you to send thank you’s to friends and family whenever you are ready: this might be before the wedding, as and when you receive gifts, or immediately after the celebrations and honeymoon.

2. Do wedding thank you cards have to be personalised?

Should thank you notes be handwritten and personalised? This really depends on you, your lifestyle, and the size of your guest list. For more intimate weddings, couples will often choose to send personalised, handwritten cards to each of their guests – often with mention of the specific gift received from that person, or the unique way that that guest contributed to the wedding planning or atmosphere of the day. If this makes you happy and is something you would like to do, wonderful! But as lovely as this is, please don’t feel obliged - it may very well be that this is simply not feasible with the amount of downtime you have in your life, especially for celebrations with large groups of guests. In the latter case, it is also perfectly acceptable and equally thoughtful to send a printed card that expresses your gratitude and perhaps shares a little bit about how you feel about this new chapter of your lives together, and as a family. For more tips on personalisation, check out our article on personalising your wedding stationery.

Alternatively, digital thank you cards have gained popularity in 2024 (and will continue in 2025), offering a quick and affordable way to express gratitude while maintaining a personal touch. These can include fun elements like videos or links to wedding photos, making them a modern choice for tech-savvy couples.

3. Do wedding thank you cards have to match the invitations?

Wild Grove notecards by Ananya | Elizabeth Mitova Photography

If you’ve decided that you would like to send thank you cards, then working with the same designer or company that printed your invitations is a really effective way of carrying on that theme or aesthetic that you had lovingly chosen for your wedding. It will make them feel more seamless, sophisticated, and cohesive, and immediately remind your guests of the joy of being there with you. If you had a monogram, colour palette, or cultural motif in your save the dates and invitations, then this can be easily and very beautifully integrated in your thank you cards too. If you tied the knot abroad, why not include the words “thank you” in the language of the country you chose? Anything you can do to make the card feel more personal and unique will be noticed and joyfully appreciated by your friends and family.

4. Ideas for wedding thank you cards

As most couples choose to send wedding thank you cards after the wedding, there is usually the very fun opportunity to include an image from your day as part of the card design. If this is something you would like to do, it’s definitely worth mentioning it to your photographer ahead of time, so that he/she knows to send you an edited preview as soon as they can. Another really fabulous idea is to include a QR code which links guests to something that reminds them of your wedding: this could be a small gallery of images, your wedding video if you have this already, or even a playlist of the songs you played on the day!

5. How to write wedding thank you cards

Once you’ve chosen your design, the next step is deciding the wording for your wedding thank you cards. My advice is to keep it simple, short, and meaningful – there is no need to fill the page! A concise and heartfelt message will go a long way, particularly if it is personalised to the recipient. Mention the moments that made your wedding so special: share a few sentences about how joyous the memories of the day are, how you enjoyed any particular cultural traditions, how happy it made you to share the celebration with them, and express your appreciation for the gift they sent. You can also say a few words about your honeymoon adventures, or something exciting happening in your lives (like a new home, business, or baby!).

6. When to order and send wedding thank you cards?

My advice is to send thank you cards within three months after your wedding. This way, you’ll have had a chance to receive the gifts from your registry, you’ll most likely have returned home from honeymoon, and your photographer and videographer will have had a chance to edit some teasers you can share! I generally recommend that my clients order their thank you cards at the same time as their invitations, to ensure they can be sent in a timely manner following the day.

7. How many wedding thank you cards to order?

The number of thank you cards to order should be fairly similar to the number of invitation sets you ordered. My advice would be to review your guest list, count the number of households attending, then add enough cards to send to all your wedding vendors, and then add an additional 10% spare to send to guests who might not attend but will send you a thoughtful present or message.

8. Who to send wedding thank you cards to?

There are three main categories of recipients for wedding thank you cards: the guests that attended (whether or not they bought you gifts); the guests who were not able to attend, but whom still sent you a nice card or gift; and then your wedding vendors.

9. What size are wedding thank you cards?

Most couples choose A6 wedding thank you cards – which is the same size as a standard card you might buy in a stationery store.

 10. How much do thank you cards cost?

When ordering these off-the-shelf from a high quality online retailer, you might expect to pay around £3 per card; the investment will be higher when working with a designer to create something bespoke to you. Ananya thank you designs start at £5 per card.

I really hope this overview on advice and tips for your wedding thank you cards has helped, and encouraged you to spread the love in a way that is right for you. If you would like any support in brainstorming, designing, and printing some personalised cards, we would love to hear from you! If you want to explore the latest trends, check out this article on 2025 Wedding Trends.

Until next time,

Vaishali

YOU'RE ENGAGED: YOUR ESSENTIAL WEDDING STATIONERY GUIDE

UPDATED FOR 2024 WEDDINGS

Photography: Ami Louisa Photography

Wedding stationery tips

Congratulations on your engagement! This wonderful new chapter has started, and it might feel like there’s something to learn about wedding planning everywhere you look! The most important ‘to do’ on your list as a newly engaged couple is to enjoy it, and to take your time making decisions as and when you’re ready to, for your dream 2022/23 wedding. Here is our Ananya essential wedding stationery guide, for those of you looking to turn your attention to stationery:

• Start researching any stationers whose style you love! Have a look at our Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram platforms for inspiration as well as looking at communities such as #dailydoseofpaper on Instagram. Also walk around craft markets or wedding fairs near you to discover some local indie suppliers and artisans you might never have come across otherwise.

• Consider whether you might like to send out an engagement announcement, perhaps a bespoke card showing one of your favourite photos from the proposal day – or an engagement shoot you’ve done. Here at Ananya we love creating personalised engagement cards and invites to engagement parties, which are definitely becoming more popular.

• We appreciate that in these current unprecedented times, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding dates. Once you do know the date of the wedding, you can start sending out save the date cards – best to give more notice if you're getting married in the summer or at Christmas, or if you’re planning a destination wedding. Remember that at this stage you can give as much or as little information as you like: the key is to share date and location, and of course if you already know it will be a certain type of celebration (for example, multiple-day if a cultural or multicultural wedding) that’s something you can let guests know now.

• When you’re ready, you can send pretty Will You Be My Bridesmaid cards to ask your best friends if they'll share in the celebrations with you. They'll need to put the date in their diaries! These cards can make beautiful keepsakes, and paired with a heartfelt, personalised gift.

• Don’t set anything in stone about the design of the stationery suite until you know more about the decor, the style, and the colour palette of the wedding. Your stationer will be able to echo these features in order to give your guests a first taste of the event, and tie everything together into a unified aesthetic narrative.

• Do start thinking about how you would like the invites to feel – do you resonate more with wax seals and ribbons, or something minimalist and sleek? Both options can be deeply personal and luxurious, and your stationer can help you design everything in between. Consider also whether you’d like the wording to be formal or more colloquial, and whether you’d like your parents’ and grandparents’ names to appear there too, for example.

• Think about the timing of your invitations. Most of our couples send invites out somewhere between 6 and 12 weeks before the wedding date, depending where and when the wedding is, what their guest list is like, and whether they want to have time to send out additional invites after having received back some of the RSVPs.

This is a stationery-centric perspective, and of course you’ll have the joy of bringing together the rest of your wedding supplier team in this time too! You can always ask your suppliers for ideas and recommendations. We are proud to create award-winning wedding stationery here at Ananya and we love giving our couples stationery guidance and advice during their wedding planning journey. We can assist you with your invitation wording, especially if there are cultural traditions such as in a multicultural or Hindu wedding.

For any questions about your exclusive wedding stationery, whether you are having a UK wedding or are looking for destination wedding stationery, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Until next time,
Vaishali

Historic Royal Palaces partners with Ananya

Historic Royal Palaces choose Ananya as sole stationery partner as they launch Multicultural Events and Weddings.

Hindu Wedding | Photography by Sanjay D Gohil Photography | Historic Royal Palaces

Ananya is honoured and delighted to have been handpicked by Historic Royal Palaces to be their sole recommended wedding stationery partner! We are both proud and humbled by this recognition. To welcome more Asian and Jewish weddings and celebrations, Historic Royal Palaces recently announced an expansion of their dedicated partners list to include Ananya.

Hindu Wedding | Photography by Sanjay D Gohil Photography | Historic Royal Palaces

The new approved supplier list includes specialist Asian caterers, Jewish caterers, Asian theming and décor, and entertainment.

Being a trusted stationery partner with Historic Royal Palaces is a perfect match for Ananya. Their luxurious venues steeped in history, the grandeur, majesty and opulence of the Palaces are in perfect synergy with the exquisite stationery we design at Ananya. We love weaving old traditions into our wedding stationery – whether it’s a nod or going all out and giving them a beautiful contemporary and innovative twist. The Palaces are the quintessential venues to create allure and romance, and for Ananya to weave our own special magic into our sumptuous Indian wedding stationery to celebrate our couple’s most memorable day!

Hindu Wedding | Photography by Sanjay D Gohil Photography | Historic Royal Palaces

Cultural and multicultural weddings have always been important to us at Ananya since we launched the business over 15 years ago. Over those 15 years we have built a strong reputation and gained valuable experience designing stationery for multicultural weddings. Our expertise lies in our design process and the way we harmoniously blend meaningful aspects of different cultures to showcase them in the most beautiful way.

Muslim Wedding | Eye Jogia Photography

The six prestigious palaces of Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens in Northern Ireland have between them been witness to 1,000 years of history.  

Hindu Wedding | Photography by Sanjay D Gohil Photography | Historic Royal Palaces

We are truly excited that Historic Royal Palaces is embracing and focusing on multicultural weddings and events, from Sikh weddings to Muslim weddings, expanding their event supplier list, and are thrilled to be their sole preferred stationery partner.

Muslim Wedding | Eye Jogia Photography

Partnering with Historic Royal Palaces together with the finest industry suppliers on their recent photoshoots at Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace has been an absolute delight. The images shared here in this blog are from the shoots.

Muslim Wedding | Eye Jogia Photography

Interested in commissioning a bespoke stationery design? Do get in touch – let’s see what magic we can create for you!

Until next time,

Vaishali

How to pick a theme for your wedding

Finding the perfect theme for your wedding is an important aspect of wedding planning and one that all couples want to get right. Choosing a theme that you have a personal connection with is key; it means you’ll be able to fondly look back from the future and be thankful for the choices you made when you planned your big day.

We wanted to share some of our top tips for choosing the right theme for your wedding, so you can achieve your own dream vision.

Ami Louisa Photography

 Look for inspiration

There are lots of websites that you can peruse to find inspiration for your wedding theme – perhaps the most popular online platform for this is Pinterest, where you can find a wide collection of images for general topics like 'wedding themes' or more specific topics like 'multicultural weddings'. Sometimes, a single image can spark your imagination and creativity and guide you towards your own individual wedding theme. Your theme could be minimalistic and subtle, or it could be incorporated into each and every detail of your wedding, right down to your wedding stationery.

Your wedding theme should be a reflection of you

Ami Louisa Photography

One of the most important aspects a wedding theme should capture is the essence of you as a couple. You want it to be unique to your relationship and reflect your personalities and mutual interests. Distinct and individual touches add more sentimentality to your wedding and make it memorable for those who share your special day with you. For those couples who are planning a multicultural or cultural wedding, think of the traditions that are most meaningful to you and find imaginative and creative ways to incorporate those aspects into your wedding theme. This is a wonderful way to honour your heritage while highlighting your own identity within your culture.

Personal over popular

Tell Your Story Photography

You may want to avoid themes that are trending while you're planning your wedding – if you opt for the most popular trend of the year, it could become outdated quite quickly! After all, you don't want to look back on your wedding day and wish that your theme was more timeless. By ensuring a personal touch and connection to your wedding theme, it will always retain its romantic and sentimental quality. So look at your own style and vision and you can't go wrong.

A theme that brings it all together

Hayley Gell Photography

Finding your theme can be a great first step to bringing your wedding vision together, as themes have the power to inspire and complement all of the other aspects of a wedding – for example, the venue, the decorations, and even your wedding and engagement rings can all be connected to your theme if you so wish.

Shelby Ellis Photography

We hope that our advice has helped you in your quest to find the perfect wedding theme. If you have any queries, or wish to view our extensive collection of unique, personal, and high-quality wedding stationery, please contact us at Ananya.

Covid-secure wedding stationery: what couples should consider now

With some light and direction for a road map for the future of weddings post-Covid, couples can start to plan Covid-secure weddings which, with a few adjustments, still match their dream day. 

Bespoke multicultural wedding stationery suite by Ananya | Hayley Gell Photography

WORKING CLOSELY WITH YOUR WEDDING STATIONER

Initially, identifying your wedding stationer is the best place to start as you decide which designs (your favourite flower or animal, for example), themes, print techniques and any personal touches (including lined envelopes, wax seals or calligraphy) you may want to include in the stationery suite. Having these discussions early on allows time to plan for different outcomes depending upon current restrictions when it comes to your wedding day. For example, if the venue or date of the wedding changes, your stationer can create a card based upon the design of previous invites to send either digitally or via post to your guests. 

Elephant Royale bespoke wedding invitations by Ananya | Hayley Gell Photography

Personalised touches FOR YOUR WEDDING STATIONERY 

Currently, digital invitations are becoming more popular in adhering to government guidelines and allowing for information to be sent quickly to all, whether they be close family and friends or international. Having a digital invite does not mean to say that they cannot look beautiful and in fact, over the last six months, we have designed several e-invites that incorporated the same colours, patterns and theme of the weddings just as the paper stationery would have been. With an e-invite, you can also include personal elements. This may be addressing each guest personally, adding music or even a Google map/calendar link to ensure the day cannot be missed.

Seizing each opportunity to express your personality and style as a couple is important as this is a day you will always treasure and so we want to make it as memorable as possible under the circumstances.

PRINTED KEEPSAKE WEDDING STATIONERY

You can also print a few invitations for your close family as a treasured keepsake, cherished for many years to come, whilst having digital invitations for the rest of your guests.

If you opt for digital invitations, you can still have elegant printed on the day stationery from placecards and menus to welcome signs and seating plans. This could include personalised favours, bespoke illustrations, or hand-finished touches.

‘Advice for the newlywed’ cards by Ananya | Fiona Kelly Photography

With no print costs to consider with digital, there is room to be creative and put an individual stamp to your digital invitations. Some ideas have been to produce multiple e-cards, which include quirky ones such as ‘advice for the newlyweds’ or a ‘DJ request card’, allowing guests to request for music to be played ready to dance the night away. 

digital, ELECTRONIC WEDDING INVITATIONS

Going digital with a wedding website is also useful as with regular changes to restrictions, this can be a good place to update guests on any changes to the day. Creating a WhatsApp group for weddings with a smaller guestlist can also be a good way to provide any last-minute changes, as well as get guests connecting before the wedding day. 

Digital cherry blossom invitation for a Sikh wedding by Ananya

MAKE YOUR WEDDING GUESTS FEEL INCLUDED

It would also be advisable to include any Covid-specific information to inform guests of the precautions being taken on the day by yourselves and the venue to ensure their safety. It may also be important to highlight to guests that due to the uncertainty of regulations, last-minute changes are likely and so flexibility would be appreciated.

Even with a Zoom wedding, it is important to make your guests feel included and able to share this special day with you. As you are not restricted to numbers, you can invite more people than you may have originally intended and those who may have been unable to travel, whether that is because they are abroad or too elderly to, can now be there to celebrate this special moment with you. Providing your guests with an invite allows for a keepsake – and may become a talking point in the future, of a time when the world went virtual!

Monogrammed multicultural wedding invitation by Ananya | Hayley Gell Photography

How is your wedding planning coming along? For any advice on your wedding stationery, or you would like to work with us here at Ananya, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Until next time,

Vaishali x

Sustainable Wedding Tips - An Essential Guide

In today's blog post, we are delighted to have eco warrior Maya from Sustainer Container, an eco friendly gifting business, give us her top tips for having a sustainable wedding.

Here at Ananya, the sustainability and ecological impact of our work is very important to us - and, as a company working closely with paper, we do take our responsibility to the planet very seriously.

Maya sells eco friendly gift boxes that make the perfect treat for your loved ones and for the planet, find out more about Sustainer Container here.

The Average UK wedding uses 20kg of single use plastic!

With the statistic above indicating the shocking amount of waste that is produced by weddings in the UK, it is unsurprising that sustainable weddings were a big trend in 2020 and this is likely to grow in the coming years. But, with weddings steeped in traditions, it can be difficult to know how to make your wedding more sustainable without abandoning these traditions all together. This article will round up my tips for having a sustainable wedding, including:

1. Choosing a sustainable wedding venue

2. Eco friendly invites

3. Gifts, flowers and favours

1. Sustainable Wedding Tips - Wedding Venue

Ashridge House. Photo Credit: Ami Louisa Photography

So, you’re newly engaged - the first thing on your wedding planning checklist is probably securing a venue. Not only is the venue one of the biggest decisions you will make when planning your wedding, it can also have the biggest environmental impact. Research the venues in advance and prepare questions to ask about their environmental impact - for example, how much single use plastic will be used by the venue to host your wedding? Does the venue reuse decorations? If not, how will these be disposed of? Does the venue support local businesses or do they buy their decorations and produce from further afield?

Photo Credit: Ami Louisa Photography

Alongside conducting your research to find a venue which prioritises sustainability, it is worth considering the location of potential venues. Look for a venue that is close to the area where most guests will be travelling from if possible, to reduce the miles travelled to your wedding. You could also consider hiring a private coach to take guests to and from the wedding, to further reduce miles and vehicles travelling to your wedding and thus helping to reduce the carbon footprint of your ceremony.

With a beef burger using the same amount of water as 60 showers, the menu options offered by your venue can also have a huge impact on how sustainable your wedding is. My next tip for having a sustainable wedding would be to consider having a plant based wedding meal. Or, why not compromise and have a vegetarian starter but offer a meat option for the main course - even just opting for more vegetarian or vegan options will help reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding.

2. Sustainable Wedding Tips - Eco Friendly Invites

Ananya ‘Hues of Blues’ watercolour floral stationery suite. Photo Credit: Tell Your Story Photography

Ananya floral wedding stationery collection. Photo credit Ami Louisa Photography

So your sustainable venue is booked, next on the wedding planning checklist is inviting people to join your celebration. With deforestation becoming a major issue in the fight against climate change, my second sustainable wedding tip involves investigating the eco credentials of your wedding invitation supplier. For example, the invitations made by Vaishali of Ananya Cards are made using recycled paper or cardstock from sustainably managed forests. Plus, Vaishali also plants trees for every order received!! As part of a drive to be as sustainable as possible, Vaishali’s beautiful creations are designed to be more than just an invitation and are designed to be a keepsake that is treasured long after the wedding.

Ananya ‘Enchanted Garden’ stationery. Photo Credit: Xander Casey Photography

For many people, receiving a wedding invitation means one thing - time to go outfit shopping. Now, I love a new outfit as much as the next person, but many of these fancy frocks will be worn just once, with a new outfit being bought for every wedding and event. This cycle of fast fashion and over consumption is hugely problematic for the planet. My next tip might not be for everyone, but what about using your invitations to encourage your wedding guests to outfit repeat and wear an outfit they have worn before? Chances are - nobody will remember that the outfits have been worn before and this is an easy way of reducing the carbon footprint of your wedding.

3. Sustainable Wedding Tips - Gifts, Flowers and Favours

Having spent time carefully planning your perfect sustainable wedding, the big day arrives and you receive gifts that you won’t use and that are packaged in single use plastic. To avoid this consider asking for vouchers which you can put towards a larger purchase or a trip away. Alternatively, pick out some practical sustainable items for loved ones to purchase as a gift that will help you to continue your sustainability journey. For example, our Everything Eco Gift Boxes are filled with sustainable alternatives to your everyday products - why not ask for a gift box each and continue your sustainability journey into your married life.

My next sustainable wedding tip is around flowers - possibly not the first thing you think of when you are thinking about having a sustainable wedding.

“A sustainably sourced flower is a fresh cut flower that is not treated with pesticides and can be found, grown, and sold locally.” (Green Matters)

Try to find flowers that meet this criteria. Floral foam bricks also contain single use plastic, so try to choose flower arrangements which do not require the bricks.

Wedding flowers by Wilde Thyme. Photo Credit: Kate Nielen Photography

Finally, you may want to consider sustainable wedding favours. Since common wedding favours often include little packets of sweets individually wrapped in single use plastic or trinkets that may never be used, wedding favours are not always the most planet friendly. So the first thing to think about is whether you really need wedding favours and whether anybody will even notice if you decide against giving each guest a small gift? If you are determined to have a wedding favour (and I completely understand wanting to follow tradition), perhaps opt for a more sustainable option. One such idea would be seed paper or seed bombs which can be thrown onto any patch of ground by guests to grow bee friendly wildflowers - a lovely touch for a sustainable wedding.

Ananya handcrafted paper flower favours. Photo credit Kate Nielen Photography

From choosing a sustainable wedding venue and eco friendly invites to gifts, jewellery, flowers and favours, these have been my tips for having a sustainable wedding. If you would like to find out more about everything eco, please don’t hesitate to have a browse of the Sustainer Container website or send me a message on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.

Thank you very much, Maya. So many top tips we can use for a sustainable wedding.

Until the next time, Vaishali

The importance of wedding videography

We are delighted to share this interview with wedding videographers Adam and Rachel Galwas of The Wedding Filmmakers. We have admired their work for a while now; their exceptional coverage of weddings and cultural weddings in particular, and the way they capture the most meaningful moments. Having recently worked with them at Ananya, we thought this Q & A would be of interest to our readers and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

When did you first know you wanted to be a wedding videographer? Did you have a eureka moment or was it a gradual realisation?

Adam - It was definitely more of a gradual realisation as I didn't realise that wedding videography could be a proper career initially. My interest in filmmaking started from the age of 14 where I would film extreme sports with my friends as well as documenting my travels abroad. For many years I only saw it as a hobby and decided to pursue a “sensible” career in law, whilst continuing to produce videos as a sideline. After filming a handful of weddings for friends and work colleagues the business quickly spiralled to the point where I needed to quit my job to cope with the workload. At that point I started to take it more seriously and my passion for wedding videography was ignited.

My wife Rachel started assisting me with weddings whilst studying for her textile design degree. She is a natural creative and had an excellent eye for lighting and composition from the very start. After Rachel graduated we decided to set up a business together that was focused purely on weddings/events. We decided to name our company “The Wedding Filmmakers” because we wanted to create emotive wedding films as opposed to the 2 hour long wedding videos that were common at the time.

You have worked on many cultural and multicultural weddings, like we have at Ananya. How did you get interested in different cultures? Has your understanding of diverse cultures influenced your videography? Does it help you in how you capture memorable moments in multicultural weddings or weddings of other cultures?

Great question! One of the aspects of the wedding industry that we love the most is that it has given us the opportunity to meet people from different cultural backgrounds and experience different types of religious ceremonies and celebrations. In fact one of our first bookings was to film a Hindu wedding. Having never attended an Indian wedding before we had no idea what to expect, but it was a feast for the senses with no shortage of incredible moments to capture.  So in a sense you could say that our videography style has been influenced by multicultural weddings from the very beginning.

We have always enjoyed the variety that comes with filming a diverse range of ceremonies and take a lot of inspiration from the way that couples incorporate elements of their heritage into their wedding day(s). This wide range of experience has definitely challenged us and made us better at our craft.

You are quoted as saying “We take pride in producing truly memorable wedding videos which tell the story of your wedding and the story of you as a couple in an artistic and beautiful way.” Can you give us an example, perhaps taking one wedding, of how you did that?

Rather than creating a generic product for each couple we prefer to focus on the moments and elements of the day that really reflect the couple's personality, style and story. Everything from the shot selection, music choices and editing style is considered carefully with each couple in mind.

To give you an example; at a recent wedding we knew that music was very important to the couple and it had played a big part in bringing them together. Their wedding featured some amazing live performances from their family and friends which we incorporated into the film, alongside sections from the speeches, which helped tell their story in a unique and meaningful way.

With large weddings there is a temptation to just focus on capturing the spectacle of the event and the “wow” moments, but it is often during the quiet in-between times where people reveal their true emotions. By documenting the less obvious moments you are able to really capture the personality of the couple and their family members which in years to come may prove to be more valuable than the cliché shots.

Do you do any research on the couple and their background before the big day, especially if they are from a different culture, to help you know the significant moments to capture?

When we have direct contact with the couple we suggest a consultation to get to know them on a personal level and discuss the timeline and any traditions they will be honouring. Weddings are becoming increasingly personal so regardless of the culture we've found that the best approach is to find out what is important to the couple and their vision for the day.

Increasingly our work is coming via wedding planners which often means that we do not have much, or any, contact with the couple. Our natural documentary style is well suited to busy couples that want their wedding to be captured beautifully but with minimal fuss and intrusion. Most of the creative decisions are made either in the moment, or during the editing stage so as long as we have a detailed timeline from the event planner then we will be able to produce an exceptional film for the couple. Wedding videography is much more about capturing the feeling than simply just documenting what is happening, so with time you develop an intuition about how best to capture what is unfolding in front of you.

We at Ananya love your work. What are the important factors a couple should consider when choosing a wedding videographer, and who would be your dream couple to film?

There are so many different videography styles to choose from we would recommend watching lots of different films to get a feel for what you like. Always ask to see examples of the longer films so you have a clear idea of what you would receive as the finished product to ensure that it matches up with the quality of the short website/social media trailers. Once you have narrowed down your choice then arrange a meeting or phone call to find out about the process and see if you are a good fit personality wise.

Word of mouth recommendations from people that have had personal experience of a service is usually the best way to go. Your wedding video and photos will be one of the few lasting memories from the day so choose wisely and pick someone that you can trust with such an important task.

Our dream couple to film would be anyone who is not afraid to be different and express their true feelings and emotions.

Do you have a favourite film where you were most pleased with the results or that you most loved filming?

It's really difficult to pick a favourite as they are all special for different reasons. We really enjoy the creative process and are constantly developing and improving on our craft so if we had to choose then the answer would have to be whichever film that we are currently working on!

Has wedding videography changed much over the years in terms of techniques, equipment or approach?

The industry has changed significantly in the 5-10 years. You are now able to produce incredible, film quality imagery with very small cameras. Thankfully the days of the huge over the shoulder broadcast cameras are long gone, making it much easier to blend in and capture natural moments in a cinematic way.

The public perception of wedding videos has also improved dramatically with many couples prioritising videography very early in the planning process. We are often contacted before the couple have booked a photographer and sometimes even a venue, which was rarely the case a few years ago. 

Adam and Rachel Galwas

Have you thought about having a video at your wedding? We would love to know in the comments below. Thank you very much Adam and Rachel for sharing your story with us today.

If you are looking for beautiful wedding stationery that reflects your personality and style while honouring your cultural heritage, we would love to show you what we can create for you. Please get in touch by sending an email or filling out our contact form.

Wedding Stationery: Useful Hints and Tips

UPDATED: DECEMBER 2023

Wedding wording tips

If you think back to all the wedding invites you’ve ever received, you may have noticed that they’re all uniquely worded in some way – though generally will follow a pattern of invitation traditions.

The good news is that the etiquette rules are actually much simpler than you might expect and are only there to serve as guidelines. The most important rule of all is that you work with your stationer to create a meaningful and beautiful wedding invitation that represents you and your love story.

If you’re wondering where to start, and how to adapt the rules in a way that feels personal and respectful, here are some tips from the Ananya Team.

The host

Traditionally, wedding invitations included the bride’s parents’ names, implying that the celebrations were being hosted by the mother and father of the bride. These days, many couples graciously opt to include both sets of parents (regardless of who is contributing more to the budget), or neither, if that feels right. A friendly, collaborative option would be, for example “Together with their parents, Sonia and Tom request the pleasure of your company...” – and your stationer can help you brainstorm the best combination, especially if any of the parents are divorced (include them on separate lines, for example) or no longer with you (in which case you may want to say, “daughter of...” rather than implying the wedding is hosted by them).

The invitation to join

There are many ways to ask your guests to join you in the celebrations, with different levels of formality: for example, "would love for you to join them" is a little less traditional than "request the pleasure of your presence". This is where you’d also include the names of the bride and groom, especially if they haven’t appeared in the host section of the invite.  Traditionally, the name of the bride preceded the groom's name, including middle names and titles if applicable, though couples now often choose to list them alphabetically or in whichever order ‘sounds’ better, and to omit surnames and titles.

The time and place

For formal weddings, everything would be written out in full (no numerals), but this can be written in whichever way feels most natural to you. You would then also include the name of the location, city and full street address. You might choose to have ceremony and reception information on separate cards if you wish, particularly if held in separate locations. If the location is the same, you can add “reception immediately following” or “followed by dinner and dancing” to let your guests know. Generally, you wouldn’t need to include the time that the reception starts unless you don’t want guests moving from one place immediately on to the next.

 The dress code

Wedding invitation etiquette typically suggests that a dress code should be included on the lower right-hand corner of the invitation. Many couples now omit this information or choose more creative wording, especially for destination weddings (“it’s all about the hat”, “cocktail chic”, or “summertime soiree”, for example). If you don't include a note on attire, expect your guests to take a cue from the style of your invitation.

The RSVP

Many couples choose to include a separate response card for guests to fill out and return in the post. If it feels right for you, don’t be afraid to have fun with the wording, so for example, a positive response might be “I’ll be there with bells on”, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world!”, and so on. Some couples also opt to offer the convenience of digital RSVPs, allowing guests to respond electronically through a dedicated wedding website, in which case you can include the website address.

The gift list

Traditionally, it was deemed bad etiquette to include a gift request in wedding invitations, but these days it is widely done by most couples. This saves your guests the time and effort of contacting the wedding party to find out which gifts are needed or suitable, and also removes some of the pressure from them! You can include a message to say how much you appreciate their company, and that you don’t want them to feel obliged to give you a gift - but that if they wish to, there is a gift registry they can use. Asking for financial contributions to a honeymoon or future project is also very common, and widely acceptable now. In Indian weddings often couples will ask for ‘no boxed gifts’ which means that they would prefer money.

Plus ones

Unless your wedding venue and budget can stretch to allowing plus ones to all your guests, try to come up with a rule when sketching your guest list (for example, couples that have been together for a certain amount of time). Then, make it very clear in your invite whether a plus one is included or not by addressing it appropriately – you can even express that your event is private, intimate or small, so guests get the hint!

Children

If the venue or style of wedding is such that children aren’t invited, do make sure this is very clear, as this will affect families that need to make alternative arrangements. Address your invitations to exactly who is invited, or some guests with children might assume their whole family is invited – and you can add a small note on your invite or wedding website explaining tactfully what the situation is. This can be a sensitive issue for many parents, so do invest time on thinking about what you’d like to express. Also, if you’re allowing children of close family but not others, do warn your guests of this with something like “Unfortunately, as much as we’d love to invite all of our friends’ children, we can only accommodate a few close family children. We hope that you will understand this decision and we very much hope you will still be able to join us on our special day”.

In summary, we would recommend giving your guests as much information as you can in an honest and open way, while not being afraid to make it your own.

For any advice on your wedding stationery, or if you would like to work with us here at Ananya, please get in touch to book your complimentary consultation.

Scented paper rose invitations by Ananya

Ananya is delighted to be partnering with world-renowned floral designer Karen Tran, as she visits London this month for three days of luxury foral masterclasses. The visit concludes with an invitation-only gala dinner.

Taking place at The Savoy on Thursday 18th April, the theme of the dinner is ‘Opulence at The Savoy’, masterminded by luxury wedding planner Jane Riddell from Planned to Perfection, in association with cake designer Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, Karen Tran’s UK support florist WildAbout, and supported by The Function Band.

Ananya was commissioned to create a bespoke stationery suite fitting for such an extravaganza. We created digital save the dates to set the tone for what was to come. This was followed by hand crafting 100 delicate paper roses, demonstrating our exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail.

“Roses are timelessly elegant and embody the universal language of love. Using ivory paper introduces a symbolic gesture towards both opulence and virtue,” explains Vaishali Shah, Founder and Creative Director of Ananya. We wanted to use a floral theme to celebrate Karen Tran’s floral creativity.

“We adore the three-dimensional effect the paper rose creates, which we believe will be a key trend for 2019 and 2020 weddings. It was important to us that guests be able to keep their roses after the event, so we added a ribbon loop to help make the rose an everlasting keepsake”.

The paper rose is echoed in the invitations and menus, which showcase hand-drawn illustrations. Always eager to find new and creative ways to add detail to our stationery, every invitation is scented with floral notes of peony, lily and jasmine before being tied to the paper rose, and completed with a handwritten, personalised gold calligraphy tag.

Flashes of gold, which feature throughout the suite, complement the event’s ‘Opulence at The Savoy’ theme and the colour palette of the venue.

Each invitation booklet containing further details of the event was screen printed in gold. “Screen printing is one of our favourite mediums of printing at Ananya – we love it!” comments Vaishali Shah. “Many of our designs, particularly those that use metallics, are created with this technique. Ink is pressed through a mesh screen using a rubber blade to move the ink across. When the blade is reversed back, the screen touches the paper and the print transfers to the paper. It’s done entirely by hand, making it luxuriously artisanal.”

On the day, guests will be able to see more opulent paper goods created by the Ananya team, including place cards, table stationery and an abundance of romantic paper roses.

To discuss how we can create stationery for your event, please get in touch with us now.

WEDDING STATIONERY TIMINGS: A USEFUL GUIDE

The questions we receive most often at Ananya from our couples typically revolve around timing of their wedding stationery, and the stages of the design process. Of course, there’s no right or wrong, and the details will depend upon what makes the most sense for the kind of event you’re hosting – but we thought it might be useful to provide you with an overview of recommended timescales.

As soon as you’re engaged

Photography: by Lumiere

Start researching any stationers whose style you love – it’s never too early to reach out to them to let them know you would like to work with them, so they can start scheduling you in and give you plenty of time to work with you, especially if you would like bespoke wedding stationery. Many couples like to send out an engagement announcement, maybe with a lovely photo of the proposal!

As soon as you know the date and venue

You can place your save the date order at this stage – and you can give as much or as little information as you like. Date and location are key, but of course if you already know it will be a certain type of celebration (for example, multiple days), that’s something you can let guests know now.

6-12 months before the wedding

This is a typical timescale for sending out save the dates, but of course this will depend on your guest list and venue. If you are planning a destination wedding, giving your guests more notice is advisable, so they can make holiday plans as needed.

6 months before the wedding

Photography: by Lumiere

Start discussing your invitation design with your stationer, particularly if you’re looking for something bespoke or that requires more specialist printing techniques and finishing touches, such as wax seals or calligraphy. Having an idea of your style of décor, dress, colour palette, and flowers, is a great help when deciding on your stationery suite, as it can be a lovely way of setting the tone. Do ask for samples and physical mock-ups when you can, as holding the paper in your hand is very different to seeing it on a screen! When placing the final order, it’s always a good idea to order extra (at Ananya, we advise 10%) to account for last-minute invites, personal keepsakes, and any mistakes during addressing and assembly.

2-4 months before the wedding

Photography: by Roberta Facchini Photography

Start discussing your on-the-day reception stationery, like menus, table numbers, orders of service, signage, place cards, and so on. You won’t be able to place the order until you have the final guest list and menu, but this is a good time to brainstorm the design.

2-3 months before the wedding

This is a typical timescale for posting invitations out, but again, this will depend on what is right for you. If your guest list is large, and you’re thinking of doing ‘waves’ (that is, waiting for some RSVPs to come in before inviting another group) then do try to give yourself a little bit more breathing room.

1 month before the wedding

Typically, your RSVPs would be due by this point, which means you should have a final list of who is attending and their dietary requirements (which means menus can be confirmed, too). You should also have a good idea of what your ceremony structure will be at this stage. This information should be passed on to your stationer as soon as you have it, so they can finalise the on-the-day stationery order. Many couples also order their thank you cards at the same time, so they have them ready for when gifts start arriving, or for when they return from honeymoon.

2 weeks before the wedding

Photography by: John Nassari

One of the elements of the on-the-day that is ordered latest is the seating plan, as this can often be amended quite last minute!

1-3 months after the wedding

Couples often like to send their guests a thank you card within a few months of the wedding, thanking them for their attendance and gifts. Including your favourite photo of the day, or any you’ve received from your photographer at this stage, can be a lovely touch.

We hope this guideline has been helpful in making you better informed about wedding stationery timings. If you have any questions or require further clarification, please get in touch; we would be delighted to assist.

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.

Ananya at the Palace

Invitation designed by Ananya

We are delighted to announce that Ananya will be participating at the prestigious The Historic Royal Palaces Wedding Showcase on 21st November at Kensington Palace. The theme for the evening is ‘Our Canvas, Your Creation’.

Over hundreds of years, Historic Royal Palaces have provided the backdrop to glittering banquets, fabulous celebrations and splendid royal occasions. Today, their unique event spaces across six palaces in London, Surrey and Northern Ireland offer the perfect canvas for luxury weddings. Pick your palace, be inspired and begin to create the perfect palace wedding.

Ananya had the great pleasure of designing the save the date and the invitation for the HRP Wedding Showcase, inspired by the rich architecture and regal history of the palaces. The invitations were screen printed which is one of our favourite mediums of printing at Ananya. In screen printing, ink is pressed through a mesh screen using a rubber blade or ‘squeegee’ to move across it and fill the open ‘windows’ with ink. When the blade is reversed back across, the screen touches the paper (or media) that’s being printed on to create the design. This is done individually for each colour, which means that designs with multiple shades and intricate patterns require an exceptional level of technical skill. Though it can look quite "messy" behind the scenes, in fact printers and craftsmen pay very careful attention to accurate positioning without overlap or gaps, and the end effect is luxuriously artisanal. The multiple screen printing process also gives the invitations an engraved look, where the writing is raised to touch. To tie in with the ‘artistic’ feel of the event and ‘Our Canvas, Your Creation’ theme, we used golden brush strokes to elevate the design. The colours that were selected are the brand colours of the various Historic Royal Palaces.

At the event Vaishali, Founder and Creative Director of Ananya, will be showcasing a selection of her most popular and bespoke collections and will be unveiling her brand new Colour Infusion design, a bright and opulent suite perfect for the Spring/Summer 2019 wedding season. There will be examples of hand-finished wax sealing, hand-deckled edges, screen printed and engraved gold, and lots more ideas on how to elevate your wedding stationery with luxurious finishing touches. Her team will be there to answer any questions you may have, and her calligrapher will be embellishing personalised stationery samples for each of the guests to take home.

Ananya offer a number of different print techniques, such as digital printing, offset printing, foiling, screen printing, and letterpress. Designs can cover the entire stationery suite, before, on, and after the wedding day, including save the dates, invitations, envelope linings, wax seals, calligraphy, orders of service, escort cards, seating plans, menus, place cards, table numbers, favour tags, monograms, and more. Vaishali and her team also love working on new creative projects, whether it’s for their couples or collaborations with other wedding professionals.

Ananya translates to ‘without equal’ in the ancient language of Sanskrit, and it is this sentiment that forms the foundation on which the business is built, and with which every single collection is lovingly crafted and curated. We hope that you like these invitations as much as we enjoyed creating them.

Ananya cards exhibits at Bridelux Atelier

We’re really excited to announce that we’ll be exhibiting at Bridelux Atelier this year! The opportunity to exhibit came our way on Monday, and though it’s been a bit last minute, we can’t wait to showcase our stationery alongside some of the most prestigious names of the wedding industry.

Photo by Roberta Facchini Photography

We have the great pleasure of partnering with the lovely Charlotte Munro, who will be styling our stand, Maison de Fleurs, who will be creating a floral display for us, and The Stars Inside, who will be capturing some of the action behind the scenes. Keep an eye on our social media profiles for previews, updates, competitions, and much more!

This year, Bridelux Atelier will be held at the iconic Rosewood London on Friday March 9th between 5pm and 9pm, and Saturday March 10th between 10am and 5pm. With a curated collection of luxury brands – have a look at the full list of exhibitors here - the show promises to be of very high calibre, and a fantastic opportunity for couples and wedding industry suppliers alike.

Photo by Kate Nielen Photography

Photo by Kate Nielen Photography

If you're planning on attending, do come and say hello at our stand in the Ballroom (in front of the champagne bar!) - and if not, then why not use our 25% discount code ANANYA25 to book your tickets here today!

Thanks again to our wonderful team for pulling this together in such a short time, to the lovely Bridelux team for inviting us, and the amazing team at Rosewood London for hosting this one-of-a-kind event!

For any queries on the above, or to get in touch, please email info@ananyacards.com

Top 10 Questions to ask a Wedding Vendor

OK, so you’re planning the biggest day of your life so far. You just have to be sure that you have the perfect suppliers. Simple! Well, unless you have a wedding planner, you’ve just taken on a huge role! Welcome to the world of project planning. To quote Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada, ‘alright everyone gird your loins!’. In other words, get ready people, this is important!

But, what if you have 10 simple questions to ask every prospective wedding vendor? LOVE IT we hear you say! At the least it leaves a bit more time for sampling cake. And at best, can save you from potentially making costly mistakes.

It doesn’t matter if you're planning an intimate elopement or something to rival a royal wedding. The team at Ananya HQ are here to help. We've got together with our friends in the wedding world to give you the top 10 questions to ask a wedding vendor.

1. From cake maker to florist, stationer to stellar photographer, you should ask to see genuine examples of their work. Take a look at their portfolio (and social media) to see examples of real weddings. If they are just starting out, then they may have aspirational images from an editorial or styled shoot. So, ask your wedding vendor to show you great real examples of their work. 

Ananya's range of floral invitations

2. So you’ve seen their work and you like it. All good so far. Now you need to ask about their credentials so that you can invite them to your big day. We don’t expect you to become best friends (although that sometimes happens). But, even though you like them it pays to see what other people say. A wedding vendor should be able to show you testimonials and/or references from recent work. And, if they say they are a member of a professional body, check out their membership. For example, Ananya is a partner member of UKAWP, the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners. 

3. Ask about insurance. A reputable wedding vendor will have public liability and professional indemnity insurance in place. Public liability insurance covers the wedding vendor for accidental damage or harm. For example, someone may trip over a piece of equipment provided by the vendor. As a result they might seek compensation from the vendor for injury or harm. Professional Indemnity is about the services etc. that a wedding vendor provides. For example, a client may allege that the vendor has provided inadequate service or a poor design.  The insurance provides cover for legal costs and expenses to defend such a claim.  It also allows for compensation to be potentially paid to you the client, to rectify the mistake. 

4. What’s the back-up plan? Of course the majority of time things go smoothly! But sometimes (see note on insurance!) things can go wrong. So, if the venue burns down, there's a major flood, or the vendor goes out of business, what happens? Is there a plan in place to make sure that your wedding goes ahead as planned? Or, if your wedding vendor falls ill what happens? Is there a plan in place to make sure that you get the service or goods that you paid for? 

5. Now this next one is a thorny one. Most people will ask a wedding vendor about how many weddings have they done. True, that is important. But it isn’t just about quantity. It’s also about the type of weddings they do, and their experience. A luxury supplier may only work with ten wedding clients per year, for example. But, when those events are 3 days in duration and on a large scale, their experience may well eclipse someone who does thirty low budget events.  Ultimately, ask a combination of questions. For example, how many weddings have they done? What type of weddings and if applicable, where have they worked?

6. By now you will have a good idea of how professional your vendor is. But if necessary, ask if they work as a full time professional in their field of expertise.

7. Be sure to ask about payment! So, when do you need to pay the supplier? What are the fees and cancellation charges and schedule? Are there any extras that need to be considered that aren’t included as part of the options available?

8. When will you receive what you order? Timing is everything! You don't want to be fretting over flowers during bridal prep! Or, waiting for your photos a year later!

9. T&C’s and contracts. If a wedding vendor doesn’t provide services with a contract or T&C’s, the decision is simple. Walk away!

10. At the end of your vendor assessment does everything feel ‘right’? If you have any concerns, ask questions now rather than after you sign on the dotted line!

Photo by SanShine Photography from a styled shoot Ananya created stationery for

We hope that you have a wonderful, perfectly planned wedding day. And if you would love to talk to us about stationery design, stop by and say hello at info@ananyacards.com. We’d love to be part of your day.

Choosing a Stationery Theme for your Event

Whether your event is a summer cocktail party, an anniversary or a grand wedding, choosing a stationery theme is meant to be fun and exciting. But as with most things, good planning is essential to getting the look and feel of your event right.

So, here are Ananya’s top tips for choosing the right theme for your event.

What’s the occasion?

Seems obvious but the type of event that you’re having and how you structure or design that event will have a big influence on choosing a stationery theme. The key is to know how formal the occasion will be. It will guide you with the structure of the design, typography, font and words.

 At Ananya we design stationery for all sorts of occasions, so here are a few of our ideas for different events:

Formal black tie event

We love to see stationery for formal events designed on crisp heavyweight paper, using classic colours and typography. It gives ‘gravitas’ and immediately let’s people know that this is a ‘grand event’. A great example is from Julie and Zak's wedding in Jersey.

Garden party

A garden party immediately conjures up summer days, green lawns and English flowers. At Ananya we have a range of floral stationery designs that embrace tea roses, cornflowers and everything in between!

Teenager birthday celebration/coming of age

In many cultures, this is a serious event. For example, a 1st birthday in Asian cultures or a bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah in Jewish cultures. But it’s definitely a time for celebration and lots of fun. Invitations that are light hearted and embrace the jubilant nature of the party are a great idea. Think bold designs that embrace fun.

Intimate elopement (and ‘after party’)

I guess you might be asking yourself why an elopement needs stationery. Good question! Well, there is still the matter of witnesses and maybe you want to invite them to run away too? And when you come home to face the music you might just want to appease everyone by throwing a grand party to celebrate. Wouldn’t you agree?

Pearl anniversary

A pearl anniversary is perhaps less well known than silver, ruby or golden. But, at Ananya we love anything to do with pearls! We think it’s the perfect opportunity to embrace the precious pearl in your designs.

Who’s invited?

How many people you invite will influence cost and thus your theme, to a certain extent. The age range of your guests can also influence your choice of theme. An invite to a party to celebrate a child’s 1st birthday will be quite different to an invite to an elopement ‘after party’. Or at least you would like to hope so!

Photgraph by Holly Clark Photography

Colour me impressed…

Is there a colour or cultural theme to the day? For example, is it a golden wedding anniversary or a multicultural wedding? With Indian, Asian or multicultural weddings there may be restrictions on certain colours due to cultural requirements. For more information on this aspect take a look at Ananya’s article on Multicultural Wedding Stationery. http://secretweddingblog.com/multicultural-wedding-stationery-by-ananya-cards/

Most importantly, what’s your personal style? Are you flamboyant and colourful or more reserved but with a love of colour.  How will that influence your theme choice? Maybe you are more comfortable with a simple monochrome palette?

What do you need to include?

For a wedding you may need the whole range of stationery. This will likely include invites, RSVP cards, thank you cards, and an order of service, menu, place cards and seating plans; whereas for an informal garden party you may just want to limit things to an invite, RSVP, menu and place cards.

All this will influence your choice of stationery theme.

And finally:

Where will your design inspiration come from?

Is your event in an iconic space or building? Do you want design inspiration to come from your life and the key events that have brought you to where you are now? Or maybe you want it to reflect who you are, where you’re from and where you want to be. When Ananya celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2016 we celebrated with diamonds! After all a 10th anniversary is something to really celebrate and diamonds are still a girl’s best friend, we’ll have you know!

We hope that you have fun choosing your theme and have a great celebration!

Love what you see on Ananya? Drop the team a line at info@ananyacards.com  and let’s talk about the design vision that you have for your event!

Vaishali x

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  

Ananya Celebrates a Decade of Stylish Stationery 2006 - 2016

Exactly ten years ago, when songs like Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars”, Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” and Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” were pulsating on the airwaves, Vaishali Shah's mind, Founder and Managing Director of Ananya, was pulsating with more serious thoughts...a business decision she had just made – to launch a luxury stationery design company which she named Ananya. 

To celebrate this milestone, Ananya hosted a private and intimate lunch at the Michelin starred Benares Restaurant in Mayfair, London last month. On the guest list were media contacts as well as wedding and event planners who have actively supported the Ananya brand over the years as well as new friends who Ananya had identified as individuals who potentially would relish in the Ananya world of luxury stationery.  

Having the celebration at Benares was very meaningful for Vaishali. Chef Atul Kochhar, the first Indian Michelin star chef in the UK, was the second client of Ananya's sister design and marketing agency Creative ID. They have been working together since July 2000. Atul is also a client of Ananya. Guests were treated to a sumptuous five course menu created exclusively for our ten year celebration.

A ten year anniversary is called a diamond anniversary, so the graphics we used for the event stationery represent the facets of a diamond, lit up in a beautiful spectrum of fiery colours. Traditionally, a ten year anniversary is associated with tin, which is why we included a couple of tins amongst the items in the goody bag.

Keeping up with the latest trends, over the ten years we at Ananya have designed a wide range of elegant greeting cards as well as corporate, personal and children’s stationery and bespoke wedding and event stationery.

Ananya has gone from strength to strength innovating, researching authentic techniques and representing cultures where appropriate, in a way that is genuine and relevant to today’s world. Our cards are eco-friendly with paper from sustainably managed forests.

We are delighted to have received praise not just from the couples we have designed wedding stationery for, but also from wedding and event planners. We have been published in leading wedding media in the UK and further afield, including Brides, Wedding Ideas and Asian Bride, Khush Magazine, Perfect Wedding and Hello.

Having established Ananya’s credibility, we were asked to contribute in various publications, including two books; Planning the Perfect Asian Wedding (by Venture Publishing International), where we devoted an entire chapter to our designs and gave advice and answers to a range of questions related to weddings that couples may not readily find answers to. The book Celebration Graphics Sourcebook (published by RotoVision) features a selection of Ananya’s wedding stationery and greeting cards.

We at Ananya have a clear vision driving us forward; we love what we do, and that keeps us dedicated and inspired to produce the best on trend stationery designs we can.

Please contact us for any of your or your wedding clients' stationery needs.

Photos by Fiona Kelly Photography.