How Much Does Wedding Stationery Cost? The 2025 Average Revealed
Your wedding stationery plays a vital role in your big day — after all, without it, you wouldn’t have any guests! Before your guests have even stepped foot inside the venue, your stationery tells them everything they need to know: not just the date, time and location of your wedding, but other information such as the theme and (importantly) the food. It also continues to play a part once your guests have arrived and even after they’ve left, from letting them know where to sit, to a thank you card a week or two later.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at everything to do with the cost of wedding stationery, including the average cost, the cost of individual items, and what factors can affect the price you’ll pay.
What is wedding stationery?
Wedding stationery is the name given to any materials, either printed or written, that are used to provide your guests with information. Examples of wedding stationery include:
- Save-the-date cards
- Invitations
- RSVP cards
- Welcome signs
- Order of service
- Menus
- Seating plans
- Signage
- Table numbers
- Name cards
- Thank you cards
- Maps and directions
- Accommodation information
Wedding stationery even includes any hen or stag party invites or rehearsal invitations if you’re taking the formal route.
The beautiful thing about wedding stationery is that the only limitations are your imagination. Even on a smaller budget, you can use your creativity to come up with unique designs, formats and styles to suit your taste and the theme of your wedding. If your wedding has a cinematic theme, your invites could be designed to resemble an invite to a movie premiere. If you’re going for a countryside theme, your name cards could be printed on little cardboard trees — the possibilities are only as endless as your creativity.
What’s the average cost of wedding stationery?
How much do wedding invitations cost?
In South Africa, professionally designed and printed wedding invitations usually start at around R30 per invitation. However, the final cost can vary widely depending on the designer’s experience, the type of paper and printing method used, and how detailed or custom the design is. Foiling, letterpress, hand-illustrated elements, or unusual shapes will push the price higher — sometimes reaching R80 to R150 or more per invite.
Wedding invitations are often the most significant piece of stationery for couples, as they set the tone for the celebration and provide guests with their first glimpse of what’s to come. For this reason, even if you’re saving money in other areas, it’s worth considering an extra investment to ensure your invitations make the perfect impression.
What factors can affect the cost of wedding stationery?
Because there are so many possibilities when it comes to wedding stationery, the cost can vary wildly. Some of the factors that can affect the cost include:
- Quantity: The number of guests you invite directly impacts your stationery costs. The more invitations you need, the higher the total cost—but bulk orders often come with discounts. For example, ordering 40 wedding invitations in South Africa might cost around R80 each, while increasing your order to 50 or more could bring the price down to around R50 per invite. Many printers offer bulk discounts, so ordering a few extras — especially if you want to keep some as keepsakes — can actually lower your overall cost per unit.
- Vendor: Smaller businesses with limited resources often charge more than larger companies, and experienced designers typically have higher rates compared to those newer to the industry.
- Type of paper: The type of paper you choose plays a big role in the final cost of your wedding invitations. In South Africa, a standard matte card might cost around R30 per invite, while premium options like pearl, linen, or textured paper can increase the price to R40 or more per invitation. Specialty finishes such as foil stamping or embossing will also raise the cost but can add a luxurious touch to your stationery.
- Printing method: High-end printing techniques such as embossing, foil stamping, or letterpress add sophistication but can significantly increase costs compared to digital printing.
- Handmade elements: Custom, handcrafted designs require more time and care, which makes them more expensive than mass-produced options.
- Complexity: A minimalistic design is usually more affordable than one with intricate illustrations or elaborate details.
- Add-ons and decorations: Special features like belly bands, wax seals, ribbons, or twine wraps can add a personal touch but also raise the overall price.
- Time: Last-minute orders often cost more, as designers and printers may need to expedite your request to meet tight deadlines.
Stationery Suites
The price of your wedding stationery can also depend on how extensive you want your suite to be. The more items you have, the higher the overall price. A rough guide to this would be:
R1,000–R2,000 | R2,000–R4,000R | R4,500–R7,000 |
25 wedding invitations and RSVP cards | 25 wedding invitations, RSVP cards, thank you cards and save-the-dates. | 25 wedding invitations, enclosure cards, RSVP cards, thank you cards, orders of service, menus, favour tags and table numbers. |
What do individual wedding stationery items cost?
We’ve already gone into detail about the overall cost couples pay for wedding stationery, but if you’re only looking for specific items of wedding stationery, below is a rough idea as to what you might pay for a professional service:
Save the dates
- Cards: Starting at R30 each
- Magnets: Starting at R45 each
Invitations
- Single-sided: Starting at R35 each
- Double-sided: Starting at R45 each
- Pocketfolds: Starting at R60 each
- RSVP cards: Starting at R30 each
- Information cards: Starting at R35 each
- Custom map design: Starting at R400
Ceremony stationery
- Order of service programs: Starting at R60 each
- Welcome signs: Starting at R300
- Directional or informational signs: Starting at R150
Reception stationery
- Seating charts: Starting at R300
- Place cards: Starting at R15 each
- Table numbers: Starting at R40 each
- Menus: Starting at R35 each
After the wedding
- Generic thank-you cards: Starting at R30 each
- Personalised or photo thank-you cards: Starting at R45 each
Start planning your wedding with Bridebook
Join Bridebook and start planning your big day today, from your wedding invitations to the thank you cards!
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