There’s no getting away from it, weddings are expensive, and it’s the little things like invitations that can catch you by surprise. Taking these tasks into your own hands can offer great savings and an opportunity to add a unique personal touch.
The thought of going DIY might feel overwhelming at first, but with a little guidance and planning it can be fun. Here are our tips for hand-making the perfect wedding invitations.
Step 1: What’s Your Style?
The benefit of making your own wedding invitations is you can really put your personality into them. When your guests receive their invites they should know instinctively that they came from you.
Are you known as the elegant ones? Or perhaps the quirky, funny or hippy ones? Think about how your guests see you as a couple, how you want them to see you, and how you see yourselves.
Does your wedding have an overall theme your invites should fit, or are there dominant themes in your lives that deserve a nod? Put what makes you uniquely you, and your wedding uniquely yours, into your invites.
Step 2: Consider the Cost
Let’s face it, even if you’ll love making your own wedding invites, any cost saving is always welcome. Think about your budget, and how many invitations you need to make, before deciding which way to go.
A simple printed card is likely to be the lowest cost in terms of money and time. If you splash out though, the world is your oyster; a bejewelled, multi-item, silk-lined wooden box with miniature champagne, anyone?
Of course, somewhere in the middle is most likely. An invite that provides all the information in a personal way, without breaking the bank. The important thing is you think about your budget and the cost of each element of your invites.
Step 3: Choose Your Paper
Unless you want to set yourself the challenge of printing directly onto rose petals, the base of any invites will be the paper. This will be your first choice: a classic crisp white, a blingy reflective gold, or subtle pastel shades to suit each recipient?
Do you want something light and rough which feels like an old-fashioned letter, or scroll? Or would you prefer the reassuring robustness of thick cards? And remember, you’re going to need to print on it!
Step 4: Make Sure You Have Enough Ink or Toner
You could lovingly hand-write each invite, but if you’re sending more than a handful that’s going to become tiresome quickly. For the sake of your sanity, and avoiding RSI, it’s best to print at least the base contents of your invitations.
This is where something important often gets overlooked — the ink/toner in your printer. Nobody needs that dreaded warning halfway through a stack! Make sure your printer is well supplied by stocking up on quality low-cost ink or laser toner from a reputable supplier.
Step 5: Check Your Equipment is Working
A small step but one that, if skipped, can cause the downfall of any would-be DIY printer. Give your computer and printer a test drive and make sure everything is running as it should.
Step 6: Select Your Envelopes
Your invitations can look as perfect and beautiful as you wish when they leave your hands, but they need to survive the postal system. Take time to pick out envelopes that fit the style, and size, of your handcrafted invites.
Step 7: Those Finishing Touches
Before you head off to the post office to send your invitations, add your final touches. Perhaps a little hand-drawn flourish, a personal line of text for the recipient, or a little light decoration.
By following these few steps you can make the process of creating your DIY wedding invitations as seamless and enjoyable as possible. Then, all you need to do is wait for those RSVPs to flood in from your impressed guests!
