Wedding stationery, the invitations, programs, and thank you cards, are the first, middle, and last markers of the wedding that your guests will see. They are a great chance to nail down your wedding theme, tone, and color! Follow these four rules to make sure that your stationary choices are solid, and that your guests can make it to your wedding without a problem!

1. White or crème please. Colors are great and your stationery should have strong color, but the card itself should be a neutral, unless you are intentionally going for a dark theme (in which case you should use a metallic ink and a similarly colored background for relief and clarity). White and crème are easy to print against, easy to write against, and easy to read on. Even light blues or light greens can create problems with thin writing, and should be avoided unless your font is strong enough.

2. Your font should be legible! Fancy wedding calligraphy is great, but can be very hard to read. Keep this in mind as it can annoy your guests or create all sorts of problems, especially for the elderly members of your family who may have trouble reading already. Also, note that block letters can be equally hard to read, and much less elegant as well.

3. A 4.5-inch-by-6.25-inch rectangular card is the traditional for wedding invitations. But couples are also experimenting with more playful and modern shapes, including squares, circles, and ovals. This can, and probably will, increase postage if your envelope is similarly shaped. Adjust your stationary accordingly.

4. Leave room for handwriting! Some invitations for some members of your family or close friends, and all the wedding thank you cards, should have room for a personal message and salutation—so leave a spot and get a good pen to write those lines with!