Save Money by Creating Your Own Beautiful Wedding Invitations
Do-it-yourself invitations are a fun, inspirational idea for your wedding day. If you’re graphic-savvy and have the time, go for it. In the creative process, you’ll also save a great deal of cash. DIY wedding invitations is an especially smart idea for a small wedding of 50 people or fewer.
First things first: Before you start creating invitations, make sure you’ve finalized your guest list and checked it at least twice. It’s also imperative that you have everyone’s current addresses; in today’s world people move frequently, but your free OurWeddingDay.com Guest List Manager updates your contacts automatically. You should start working on the invitations about 6 months prior to your wedding, before things get too chaotic. Invitations should be sent out 2 months before your ceremony, and you should allow guests 1 month to RSVP.
Inviting originality.
You’ll need to create the invitation itself, with an outside envelope (first envelope), a reception card (only if the reception is at a different location than your ceremony), and a response card, which should contain a self-addressed stamped envelope. You can also include maps and other vital information, but keep it to a minimum—you’re footing the postage, and all additional info can be hosted on your personal Wedding Website.
Save-the-date cards are mailed separately, and most often used for weddings that take place over a holiday weekend or far-off place. Send these out immediately after you’ve set the date, and include the date, city, and state of the wedding, as well as crucial phone numbers or emails for recommended hotels. As a time-saver, you can have your save-the-date cards ordered (they aren’t nearly as expensive as the invites), or send free save-the-date e-cards.
Once you’re ready to get started, you can purchase your materials at an art store, office-supply store, or stationer. There are many software programs on the market, and you can download many fonts online. Mac owners should check to see if they have programs like Photoshop or QuarkXPress. If you have a PC, search for Microsoft Publisher. All of these programs have design tools for invitations. When you’re ready to print, use a laser printer for the best quality, or spend a little more money and take them to a professional printer.
If you’re going for a basic no-frills invitation, you can probably make 100 invitations for about the same amount of money. Should you head to a fancy stationer’s store, it will be at least twice that much. Calligraphy on envelopes looks wonderful, but you have to have superb handwriting and a good felt pen, natch. Calligraphy fonts can be downloaded on the Internet.
The Internet has dozens of do-it-yourself invitation sites, with complete instructions and examples. They also show you different styles and material recommendations, like quality card stock, tissue, ribbons and bows, and wraps. If you follow their lead, and your own creative juices, your wedding invitations will look smart, romantic, and stylish. Just like your wedding!