DIY Invitations

OnionBreath

What is your experience with the DIY Invitations? I am looking at kits from the craft store that are 40% off, so they'd be fairly inexpensive. I would like to use the base card and embellish them a bit to fit the theme we have.

Is it considered tacky to do them this way?

southernbelle0915

We did this. We got our kits at Michael's and printed them on our home printer. I swapped out the ribbon to a higher quality one and printed in color. We didn't embellish them so I can't give you advice there, but ours looked really good. 

OnionBreath

My mother is telling me they should be printed professionally with the embossed lettering so that they are "nice" because we're only getting married once.

I haven't been to many weddings so I am just clueless here but my friend paid $12 per invitation to have hers done. I don't know if that's "normal" but it makes me want to throw up when I put that into the context of my budget. These kits are like $50 and then apply the discount... seems really reasonable and they look pretty.

For embellishing, I am thinking of getting just a light colored sheer (i think its called organza) ribbon that may have a little charm in the center of it. 

vmj23

Do you remember what any invitation looks like that you have ever received?  I personally think this is fine..they just get thrown out!  I am printing my own onto cardstock (i bought a template on etsy) and putting them together in pocket fold cards and when I showed my mom, she (Mrs-everything-has-to-be-traditional) actually liked mine better than the sample's i had gotten of professionally printed cards.

OnionBreath

I remember my friend's (the $12) ones. They were pretty. I wouldn't have kept it for myself, I would've tossed it. However, I gave it back to her because she didn't have one for herself and wanted a picture of one from the photographer and probably a keepsake.

Before that.... one year, I got a Christmas card that was a wedding invitiation (Christmastime and themed wedding) and i mostly have only been invited on the invitations my parents got in the past. I've only been to 5 weddings in my life.

CrystaH11

I got mine at JoAnn's for 60% off and I am printing them myself then adding some coral colored ribbon. Honestly, I don't see the point in spending a ton of money on something people will throw away. I spent $8.50 for 100 invites and envelopes, and another $12.00 for 100 insert/reply cards. Fancy invitations were not important to me.

jdluvr06

I'm going to design and print my own. My mom has a program on her computer and we use it for all kinds of things. I'm not sure where she got it but I could ask her.

melbelleup

I ordered mine through Walmart. People really don't care what your invites look like as long as they tell them everything they need!

ETA: I spent $113 for 150 including invites and RSVP.

clueclaw.defunct635777689035314155

I guess these are not exactly DIY, but a cheaper alternative.

If you go to Etsy.com, there are graphic designers who sell designs for invitations. You pay just for the design and are responsible for printing them yourself.

I spent $22 on the design, and $24 on the flat cards to print them on. I got it from the Paper Source. A guy my FI knows will be doing the printing. I am not sure what he will be charging, but I am pretty confident I will end up paying under $100 for invitations. 

CMGragain

Thirty-five years ago, raisied printing was the ONLY way to properly do a wedding invitation.  Times have changed.  Thirty-five years ago, invitations were white or ecru.  Times have changed.

How formal is your wedding?  Ultra formal weddings should have either hand written invitations (YIKES!) or engraved/raised printing invitations.  Anything else can be colorful and have flat printing, like you can do on your home computer.

I am a fan of the "less is more" school of taste.  Ribbons and rhinestones can be difficult to mail, and often increase postage amounts.  Most of the do-it-yourself invitation kits I have seen are lovely by themselves.  Your invitation doesn't need to be expensive to be beautiful and proper.  Check the wording with us before you print!