After you have nailed down your vision, your budget, your guest list and booked your venue, you can consider your wedding date officially confirmed and begin thinking about how you’ll spread the news.
Traditionally, couples have sent out costly professionally printed wedding invitations with numerous envelopes, vellum inserts, and a variety of enclosure cards with information for guests.
But if you’re looking for a more practical take on wedding invitations, you’re in the right place.
Thanks to technology and the vast amount of resources online, getting the word out about your wedding plans is simple and easier. You may order your wedding invitations made for you, as we have a large variety in our shop, or you can create your own DIY wedding invitations, and we have more options available online.
In this blog post, you’ll find a variety of tips, advice, and how-tos for saving money on your wedding invitations.
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Before yous start your DIY Wedding Invitation journey, you should answer these questions:
- How much money are you planning to spend on your wedding invitations?
- Do you have time to tackle this project (between designing, printing, and assembling)?
- Do you have access to a printer?
- How important is this detail to your wedding values?
- Could you partially DIY your wedding paper goods?
- Will DIY actually save you money?
- What design software platforms are you comfortable working with?
- What tools you’ll need to purchase to create this project (paper trimmers, craft punches, tape runners, etc)?
If 3 of your answers are “no” or you don’t know how to answer but you still want to save money on your wedding invitations or DIY, I recommend the following:
- Forget the paper trimmers and printing options and get your DIY wedding invitations without spending hundreds of dollars. We create made-with-you DIY wedding invitations, personalized to fit your style and wedding vibe, with the guidance of our wedding stationery specialist, ready to assemble and delivered to your home. You can get all the material you need to DIY your wedding invitations without spending hours downloading best-seller templates online (often used by hundreds of couples), and spending money on tools you’ll only use once. Find DIY Wedding invitations made easy here.
- Another way to save on your wedding invitations is to stick to the wedding invitation card only. We have a wide variety of wedding invitation designs that you can personalize, and we will guide you to include all the important info on the invitation card. By eliminating additional inserts such as the RSVP card + RSVP envelope + belly band, you can save on costs. Instead of asking guests to RSVP via mail, you can direct them to RSVP on your wedding website.
But if you answered “yes” to most of the questions above and you feel that you’re a crafty couple, start planning your DIY plan by choosing from the following options:
- Printing options: Local printing / Online print shop / Print at home
- Design options: Design your own / Download a free template / Purchase a custom digital design to print
- Embellishment options: Custom envelope liner / Special enclosure / Ribbons, jewels, or other accessories
- Trimming and assembly: Trimming by hand / Taking to print shop for cutting
Read this blog post with 25 Ways to Save Time and Money with Your Wedding Invitations.
Now you’re all set and ready to start your DIY wedding invitation journey.
FIRST: Write down the adjectives that describe your DIY Wedding Invitations (they can be rustic, romantic, colorful, minimalist, etc).
SECOND: Write the details about your wedding, such as the couple’s names, wedding date, time of the ceremony, venue name, address including city and state, RSVP date and instructions and reception details. Optional info to include: wedding website URL, accommodations, directions, and rehearsal dinner info.
THIRD: Look for inspiration online. Pinterest is the perfect place to find inspiration for your wedding. If “rustic” is one of your adjectives, search for “rustic wedding invitations” and you’ll find a large variety of styles for inspiration.
Please, do not copy any designs; look for inspiration only. It’s not fair to copy online designs from creators. Respect the creators when creating your DIY Wedding Invitations.
FOURTH: Buy a template online and try to personalize it as much as you can to reflect your personality (find DIY Wedding Invitations personalized to fit your style), or start yours from scratch inspired by the research you have made. There are thousands of free fonts for personal use and free graphics online.
FIFTH: Now that you know what you want to have on your wedding invitation card and suite (graphics, wording, and aesthetic), it’s time to create the invitation card design plus the RSVP card and additional cards, if you’ll have them. The next part can take some time. If you’re not familiar with Photoshop, Canva, Illustrator, or other programs, this might be the most challenging part. It’s important to consider this beforehand so you don’t become overwhelmed. That’s why many templates are available online, however, they are very limited when it comes to personalization.
SIXTH: Choose the paper to print your wedding invitations. This part can be overwhelming and for a good reason. You’ll find so much variety that you’ll get lost in finding the best paper for your suite.
Set a budget first and then consider the color of the cards. Yes, the color, because there are many shades of white, cream, ivory, and so on. You’ll get lost with the textured papers too. The world of paper is beautiful and knowing what you want beforehand will help you narrow down your choices and find the perfect paper more quickly.
SEVENTH: Print the wedding invitations, additional cards, vellum, envelope liners, and tags. Ensure that all items to be printed are in the highest resolution possible to guarantee the best quality prints. Use a pen drive and also back them up in a cloud, and email the file to yourself when you’re ready to go to a local printing shop. Use the standard size to avoid additional postage costs, such as A7 or 5x7in.
EIGHT: Envelope color and addressing. Choose an envelope color that matches your wedding invitation style. Only choose darker colors if you have a white ink pen. Try to choose a heavy quality paper for your envelopes to prevent them from ripping during mailing. You can handwrite the addresses or use a template in Microsoft Word to print them using the same script font used on your wedding invitations.
Find how to properly address your wedding invitations in this blog post. (in the middle of the page)
NINTH: Assemble your wedding invitations is one of the most exciting parts. You’re close to the end of your DIY wedding invitations journey, and soon you’ll start receiving feedback from your dear guests.
The assembling part also allows you to be super creative. Imagine the surprise your guests will feel when they open the envelope and consider how you can add a WOW factor to impress them. Combine all the elements you’re adding to your suite, and pay special attention to the belly band. This is where you can add vellum, twine, tags, wax seals, dried flowers, etc.
TENTH: Send them out! Before sending them, remember to double-check the addresses, verify the weight of your envelope and buy the right postage. If your wedding invitations aren’t flat, have volume, or are thick, request to have your mail hand-canceled at your local post office.
EXTRA-TIPS: If this is your first time doing a DIY project, it might be a tough task. If it’s very important to you to DIY your wedding invitations, take a break every time you feel over your head. Even wedding stationery designers like me also need a break when creating something new.
Alternatively, if you feel that DIYing your wedding invitations isn’t a doable task for you, hire a wedding stationer. This way, you can save time and focus on other DIY projects for your wedding. You don’t need to get a custom design, but choose one that you can personalize to match your style. In my shop, we have dozens of wedding invitation designs and styles which you can choose from, personalized to fit your style (all customizations all welcome), with my daily support. You’ll receive them fully assembled and ready to be sent out to your guests.
If you have any questions about DIYing your wedding invitations, please write your questions below. I’m happy to answer them and support you.
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