Creating that powerful first impression with paper goods

So, you’re ready to welcome couples to your beautiful venue and everything is perfect. Of course, first impressions count and you probably have less than a minute for that first impression to leave the right mark. Imagine yourself in your couple’s shoes. What does that first impression look like? Does it start when they arrive for a show round? Or, does it start from the moment they contact you? The smart money’s on that first impression being created when they first see your website and choose to contact you.

Luxury stationer, Ananya, creates and designs some of the most gorgeous stationery for wedding couples. With weddings from London to Lahore and a quite a few other places in-between. We asked their founder, Vaishali Shah, to guide us through how you can create an amazing first impression every time with stationery designed to resonate with your couples and give that ‘WOW’ factor that takes venue appeal to another level.

Over to Vaishali:

The event invite

It may be that you invite couples to a showcase event or perhaps it’s a private show round. Whilst it’s quite the norm to send out digital invites and RSVP’s these days, why not take the opportunity to make that invite feel very special? Here’s how:

• Make the digital invite stand out with a design that immediately says to the couple ‘we must see this venue!’ Including something visual, over and above the words of the invite, will invite them to imagine what their day could be like. A digitally rendered watercolour of a country house venue is lovely to sit alongside the invite text. If your venue is more about the interior than the exterior, perhaps use a photograph of a beautiful table setting or the ceremony room as a backdrop to the invite text.
• Follow that through with a printed invite sent to each couple. A gorgeous printed invite on heavy weight card makes the start of the journey so special for the couple. Excitement runs high at the start of the wedding planning. To come home to a crisp hand addressed envelope and open it to find something so special, will without a doubt increase their desire to see your venue.

A welcome gift at the show round

Once your couple(s) are with you, it’s time to impress on a more personal level. As they arrive, why not welcome them with a little gift? If you really invest you can make each gift personal with their names, but if you don’t have the budget to go that far it’s not a problem. Go beyond champagne and chocolates and offer something that’s authentic to you and that resonates with each couple on their wedding planning journey. Here are a few ideas to think about:

• A printed box containing a series of cards that offer snippets of wedding planning advice. And if your venue budget allows, design a couple of those cards as vouchers to be exchanged for mini experiences (either at your venue or with preferred suppliers). For example, champagne and strawberries at the venue, for the bride and a guest (mum/best friend etc) before the big day.
• Do you have a spa or golf facilities? Offer a choice of experience gift vouchers. Beautifully designed and printed on heavy weight card (and made that bit more special with corresponding envelopes). A message on the outside of each envelope will add to its authenticity. For example, a simple ‘Hello’ or ‘X’ just adds that little something.

And when it comes to something for the couple to take away with them after their show round? Naturally, you’ll want them to have all the information to hand to book with you. Why not make it something that’s more than a brochure and a booking form? We love the idea of a bespoke ‘clutch bag’ or envelope style box. Monogrammed with your venue initials adds that ‘je ne sais quoi’ element.

Include great photo postcards of your venue ‘dressed for the day’ that will remind them how beautiful your venue is. And perhaps include sample menu cards and notecards that provide specific tips for the wedding day. For example, it could be a little snippet on how to decide whether to have a receiving line.

Ultimately couples will leave your venue feeling very special and with something tangible that they can refer to.

Congratulations and thank you cards

Receiving a congratulations card on the day is a lovely gesture. Having a card design that makes it personal to them but maintains your brand image does take time but can be done. And, it’s definitely worth the effort.

When the celebrations are over don’t forget to send your couple a thank you card. A sincere thank you is an essential part of reminding couples just how fantastic your venue is. It can only be good for recommendations to future couples getting married! And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention first anniversary cards. The first anniversary is really special and it’s also a paper anniversary. A beautifully designed card will remind your couples of what a fantastic day they had. If you’re a hotel, why not include a voucher for either cocktails or a celebratory dinner?

On a final note, the way to ensure that you get the right designs for your stationery and gifts is to know what your ideal couples love. So, a few questions to ask before you start on the design journey:

• Is there a general style to the weddings that you hold?
• What will resonate with your couples the most? Is it more likely to be hand drawn calligraphy or a sharp laser cut design?
• Do your couples tend to be followers of the latest trends or more classic?
• Are the weddings you hold opulent or more pared down?
• Ultimately, what suits your venue the most in terms of design?

If you have questions on stationery design, please contact Vaishali Shah at Ananya for more information:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7242 1877 // Website: Ananya Cards // Email: info@ananyacards.com // Facebook // Twitter: @ananyacards  // Instagram: @ananyacards // Pinterest: pinterest.com/ananyacards