Spring is almost here and you know what that means? Wedding season!! If you or someone you know is planning a wedding, here are must-read tips on how to DIY Wedding Invitations.
There is no limit to the beauty and creativity a bride can achieve with this special day in her life, however she envisions it to be. Invitations and some aspects of a wedding can be done beautifully and on a budget. Think of how you envision your wedding day to be. Have an idea of the general feel you are going for like the colours and theme. The invitation sets the tone for your guests and gives them a glimpse of what your wedding day is going to be like. Your invitations should represent you and your fiancé’s vision for your special day.
Determine your budget and what your wise investments are. If you decide to go handmade, you can definitely make beautiful invitations that cost about $1 each.
Things to not skimp on are:
- paper trimmer
- great print quality
- adhesive (if you are using multiple layers of cardstock or embellishments)
- envelopes/cardstock
- RSVP cards? This will double the postage costs and increase the weight of your invite.
Questions like these will help you determine the average cost per invitation.
Figure out what size/shape you want your invites to be. Folded or flat? Square or rectangle? (5×7 is a good universal size you can easily find envelopes for). Depending on the size and shape, envelopes and postage costs will vary. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. This is your wedding and can be done your way.
Get the most out of your card stock.
Use heavy weight orange-peel textured card stocks – they come in a wide choice of colours.
Don’t skip embellishments like:
- fabric- makes pretty ruffles
- punches- can add detail to corners and edges
- notions and lace- sold by the yard
- ribbon- a bow always adds elegance, especially organza
- beads- require a little patience and probably extra postage, but beautiful
- stamps- inexpensive way to decorate an envelope or invitation
Play with your wording. Wording an invitation can be a little scary. The wording is meant to clearly inform your guests where and when your event is taking place. So:
- Try to keep your fonts legible and spell check, spell check, spell check!
- Common etiquette recommends you spell all words out (Alberta not AB)
- Inclusion of middle names and parents names isn’t a must (but usually done)
- Use wording that reflects you and your fiancé’s style.
Consider clip art and fonts Clip art is a great way to dress up invitations inexpensively. With a small purchase and permission, you can print as many items as you want for your personal use. Use clip art on your invites, table settings, RSVP cards… whatever you want! So easy! Fonts can also be very inexpensive or even free. Find ones you like and play around with the scripts or capital/lowercase versions to find what you like best. Make the bride and groom names stand out in some way.
Envelopes
The envelope is very important. You don’t want thin, flimsy envelopes that won’t stay closed or that fall apart in the mail. There are many options for invitation envelopes as far as size and variety goes.
Printing Ink can be costly; keep this in mind if you use clip art and a bunch of colours. Black ink is less expensive than colour, so consider adding colour with the card stock you choose instead.
Mailing them out! Generally, you would like to send your invitations out 2 months in advance. If some of your guests are out of the province, you might want to send them earlier.
Hand-making invites might take a little time but they add a personal touch. The invitations style can be as unique as you are. Not only will your guests be gifted with something handmade, you get to save money too!
Author: Kathryn Hartwell
Craftaholics Anonymous
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