Thanks for reading this through... if you love handmade cards and/or you offer handmade stationery then you're not going to agree with this guide. I realise this and I'm happy to acknoweldge that there's plenty of room for lots of opinions. This is just mine, although it is based on over 25 years in the wedding stationery industry.

eBay is full of individuals selling handmade wedding stationery... there's nothing wrong with this, of course, some of the designs are lovely and most of these sellers are probably very professional... but it's all based on one very big assumption: that handmade designs is the way to go.

Five years ago handmade designs were seen something new and different... everyone wanted them but price and availability (timescale) meant many brides couldn't order them. However, as with everything fashion-related, designs and trends move in circles and this last year we've seen a massive move away from handmade invitations.

Part of this is due to the loss of distinction between handmade and home-made... there are simply too many amateur, home-made cards on the market pretending to be "designer" wedding stationery. Many producers of handmade cards have no experience of wedding etiquette, typesetting or printing... so everything is "printed" out through a PC and inkjet... this just makes them look even more amateur and home-made. It's a bit like ordering a wedding cake which looks great but tastes like sawdust... it's all image without substance! 

With around 6,000 wedding stationery design items available in the UK, logic suggests there must be a few designs to catch almost any bride's eye... one of the big selling points of handmade stationery is that it is fully personalized, customized, bespoke... as they say in Yorkshire: is it heck as like!!! This is just a way of saying that often the maker can't afford to keep stock or use proper litho printing, so every order has to be made up individually. The majority of handmade invitations are less flexible design-wise than professionally produced stationery as they cannot use printing techniques like embossing, foiling etc.

The saddest aspect of the recent popularity in handmade designs is that the very thing which makes personalized wedding stationery special has been overlooked... the personalized printing itself. So much attention uis paid to how the card looks that brides are forgetting what the invitation says and the message it conveys. Bad grammar, layout, wording convention and even spelling errors are overlooked for the sake of having a card that looks pretty with a little flower stuck on it... do you think guests will overlook it?

You see, carelessness is very closely related to thoughtlessness, and it is simply the height of bad manners to appear thoughtless. By inviting guests, you are taking responsibility, as hosts, for their enjoyment... make it look as if they were an afterthought and they'll certainly talk about your wedding for years to come; unfortunately just not for the right reasons!

We can see the trend changing and thought "eBay brides" would like to be among the first to discover the latest trends as they plan for weddings in 2008-2010... good quality, understated, professional designs are back in... properly printed by professionals who know about etiquette, grammar, typesetting and printing. Far fewer glued-on flowers!

As one bride said to us recently... "if I sent out hand-made invitations, my guests would just think I was trying to cut corners and save money, and I really don't want that... I want them to know I am doing things properly."

We couldn't agree more! You get one chance to make the right impression, so if you like handmade designs then by all means order from any reputable company like those you'll see in bridal magazines etc., but with handmade stationery now being seen as "old hat", it's maybe time to look at something more professionally produced.

We can send you a free 52-page colour design brochure if you would like to receive it. Just contact us through eBay.

Thanks for reading these thoughts - as I say, from the outset I knew that this guide would not go down well in some quarters, but I'm not out to win a popularity contest - I'm reporting what we find our brides are telling us. I'm being honest - brutally honest in some cases. In 2007 we provided the wedding stationery for over 4,800 brides. That, if nothing else, gives us access to a huuge cross-section of tastes and experiences.

Whatver wedding stationery you choose, let is set the tone for your bid day and have fun!  :o)