WHAT is a wedding without guests? A small one, admittedly, and they do happen.

But if you're organising a wedding, you're expecting guests and what does that mean?

Printed or engraved invitations are the most convenient and most stationers have samples so look through a few sample books and get comparative quotations before choosing.

Sounds simple? Well actually it could be harder than you think as there's masses of styles, designs and cards out there - and if you have everything that's available you and your guests are likely to disappear under a sea of paper.

To help, here's some terms stationers use.

Blind Embossing. Colourless letters and images with raised relief appearance.

Calligraphy. Intricate handwriting done by a specialist.

Corrugated. Paper with thick grooves and ridges.

Cotton fibre. Paper made of 100% cotton.

Deckle edge. Torn edge of handmade paper.

Die. Metal plate used to create embossed images and lettering.

Die-cutting. Cutting paper shapes.

Embossed. Letters and images with a raised relief appearance.

Engraving. Letters appear slightly raised.

Glassine. Thin, waxy, and shiny paper used for envelopes.

Jacquard. Paper creating the illusion of layering.

Letterpress. Images or letters inked and pressed on to the paper manually.

Parchment Paper. Cloudy, see-through paper.

Rice Paper. Thin soft paper.

Stock. The thickness or heaviness of a paper.

Typeface. The type of lettering - also known as font.

Invitations are obtainable in virtually any design you choose - you can even design your own - but remember you'll need a separate set for those only invited to the evening reception and consider whether you'll want response cards. Once you have them, though, post them least six weeks ahead to give people a chance to plan ahead and note the replies for the catering numbers.

Blossom (765 887) * Invitation, pack of eight *Evening invitation, pack of eight *Thank you, pack of eight *Regret, *Acceptance, *Gift voucher holder, *Confetti *Cake boxes, pack of 10 *Favour boxes, pack of 10. From John Lewis

Cream with gold and burgundy detail. Code LL10. *Invitation, from pack of 20 to pack of 100 *Evening invitation, from pack of 20 to pack of 100 *Order of Service (four-page), pack of 20 to 100 *Menu, pack of 20 to 100 *Thank you, pack of 20 to 100 *Reply cards, pack of 20 to 100 *Place cards, pack of 25. From John Lewis.

Red/gold on cream with matching ribbon detail. Code LL03. Invitation, from pack of 20 to pack of 100 *Evening Invitation, from pack of 20 to

pack of 100 *Order of Service (four-page), from pack of 20 to 100 *Order of Service (eight-page), from pack of 20 to 100 *Menu, pack of 20 to 100 *Thank Yous, from pack of 20 to 100 *Reply cards, from pack of 20 to 100 *Place cards, from pack of 20 to 100. From John Lewis.