Any bride worth her bargaining salt should be considering DIY wedding invitations. By avoiding the highly-marked up and mass-produced wedding invitations selected by most brides, you are providing your guests with a personal, unique, and creative touch that will set the perfect tone for your wedding.
Often times, people are distracted by the language in “Do It Yourself” and instantly turn to thoughts of the last time they tried to make their own cards – perhaps it was a sweet, mis-folded invite to a childhood birthday party, or a mother’s day card with each of the words on the front spelled out in macaroni…
Have no fear! Your DIY wedding invitations are going to have style, and class, you just need to approach this project in the right way.
Think of these as “Custom Wedding Invitations,” a simple shift in wording that adds a sense of elegance to your project – and if done right, your guests will think you must have spent a small fortune for these beautiful, custom-made invitations.
There are two routes you can go here – it just depends on how much time you have, and your comfort with design.
1. Wedding Invitation Kits
It’s easy to find attractive do it yourself kits for affordable wedding invitations. These kits generally include the invitation, response card, and envelopes – and a few will include invitation jackets and seals. Most of these kits will provide you will great invitations, for a fraction of the price . Take a look at a few of these from Amazon:
Brown and Ivory Vintage Invitations Kit
Bring in the warmth of an English countryside with these beautifully crafted Brown & Ivory Vintage Invitation Kits. Uniquely packaged and fashioned in an attractive floral, brown and cream vine design.
Includes:30 invitations, 30 invitation jackets, 30 invitation envelopes, 30 invitation seals, 30 response cards, 30 response card envelopes, Test Printing Sheets, Instructions & Template Information
Details: Invitations measure 5 by 7 inches. Invitation jackets and envelopes measure 5 1/4 by 7 1/4 inches on 210 GSM Cardstock
Black & White Scroll Monogram Pocket Invitation Kit
Today’s trend in wedding stationery- the invitation and accessory cards are displayed and tucked into the pocket. Easy as 1, 2, 3…with step-by-step instructions to make your invitations look custom-printed!
Includes: 25 pockets, 25 envelopes, 25 invitations, 25 reply cards, 25 reply card envelopes, 25 reception cards, 25 direction cards, 25 printable tags, 25 ribbons, 50 adhesives, 15 test sheets
Premium Self-Mailer Invitation Kit
Fashioned in creams and chocolates, these acid and lignin free cardstock invitations feature small ribbons that will tie your look together beautifully. Perfect for the do-it-yourself bride, our printable invitations are easy and fun. With only a few simple steps, you can print these invitations on your home computer or at your local printer for only a few cents.
Invitation Kit Includes: 25 invitations with a contrasting border, 25 invitation envelopes, 25 response or reception cards, 25 response or reception envelopes, 25 ribbons Test Printing Sheets, Instructions & Template Information Details: Size: Invitations measure 5″ wide by 7 inches tall. Materials: 80# Cardstock
2. Design Your Own!
Time get those creative juices flowing! Here are some tips to get you started:
Whats your style?
How do you want your guests to perceive your wedding? Choose a style and run with it! Maybe you want your wedding invitations to be classically elegant, or modern and sophisticated, or fun and funky – chose the style that fits your personality and flair.
Become a paper connoisseur!
Getting these invitations right, starts with finding the right paper. Go out and browse through your local crafts stores, find the paper, and envelopes that match your style.
Add some flair!
Use craft scissors, ribbon, charms, and custom hole punches to give your wedding invitation a nice personal touch. Keep the design simple, or give youself a lot of extra time to spend putting each of these together.
Keep your eye on the bargain.
You’ll need paper and envelopes that can be easily printed or written on, and that are sized well for your invitations. If the paper you’re considering cannot easily be cut into equal sizes for your invitations – then you may need to look for something else. Paper scraps will only lead to more cost and more time spent on your project.
Design Away!
If you have design software on your computer – awesome! If not, take a look at free alternatives like Aviary.com
You can download some amazing, free fonts to use in your invitation from places like 1001freefonts.com
Search google for wedding invitation wording suggestions, and etiquette for addressing your wedding invitations. Lay out your wording first, then add in graphical details, and flourishes. Play with colors last – but remember, color printing is more expensive than black and white.
Print stamp, and mail!
Don’t print the invitations your self. Using your own printer and ink for a project like this can get expensive – fast! Especially if any mistakes are made (like inserting the paper on the wrong side) and you have start over. Always test on plain paper first. Then, when you’re ready – price out the printshops for having your invitations printed, and cut. Start with the big chains like Kinko’s, and Office Max, then look for local printing companies. Often, they will have price match guarantees so you can compete their quotes.
Put some band-aids on your index fingers to avoid paper cuts, and start folding, licking, and stamping. This might take a while – get some help, put on a good movie, and you’ll be done in no time!
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