Few things are less understood than the proper etiquette and use of wedding stationery. Couples generally seek personalized stationery to thank people for their wedding gifts and to write personal notes of gratitude to family members, the bridal party, the clergy and other people who helped organize the event. For personal correspondence prior to the wedding, the bride-to-be should use correspondence only with her maiden name. Under no circumstances, should correspondence with your married name or married monogram be used prior to the actual wedding.
Serious stationers grow pale when they see monogrammed wedding invitations. Aside from being improper and in poor taste, the fact is that you are not married and wedding invitations and personal correspondence should not be sent under your married names. While many decry this custom as old-fashioned and feel that a monogram is “cute” on a wedding invitation, it unfortunately demonstrates a lack of respect toward your guests and, indeed, the sanctity of the marriage ceremony.
While some wedding pundits suggest that the couple has up to six months after the wedding to send out their “Thank You” notes, we feel that this is far too long. Thank You notes written on personal correspondence should be sent out as soon as practical after receiving the gift. While joint correspondence cards (ex. Jane and John Doe) are perfectly acceptable after the wedding, we encourage bridal couples to have their own individual correspondence cards. After all only one person generally writes the note. Furthermore, you can use your correspondence cards for many activities after the wedding event.