Inexpensive Wedding Invites: Real or Not Real?

kteeples

So you're planning a wedding...everything is beautiful and exciting, and then one day, you decide it's time to research wedding invites. WHAT just happened? Are inexpensive wedding invites a myth? Any good advice for vendors/DIY/etc that don't break the budget? 

beethery

I'm a graphic designer, so designing my own and probably printing them through 48hourprint or at FedexOffice. Probably FedexOffice because I can choose my cardstock there and walk out with a tangible copy to make sure is right IN PERSON before they send them to print.

Should you decide to design your own, I recommend you use MS Word or download a free month trial of Adobe InDesign or Illustrator.

If you need help with getting your invitations done with those, PM me and I will help you.

vulpiepop

You can design your own (I'm a designer too but too lazy to design, print and assemble invitations when I have to work and stuff). You can do what PP said and print at Fedex/Kinkos or choose to print online via Vistaprint or zazzle or moo. I'd suggest InDesign if you're going to design your own; Photoshop and Illustrator works too but InDesign is really much better for this kind of thing.

If you want to just buy invitations, you can try buying standard invitations in bulk like at Target or Amazon but they may be kind of plain. I'd avoid Etsy if you're on a tight budget - because they're handmade, they tend to be more expensive. I ended up ordering free sample from a wholesale invitation site that had good reviews, I'm just waiting for them now to see if they're legit before I order (and to get an idea of what the invitations actually look and feel like).

beethery

@vulpiepop has a good idea that you could build on.

Get some standard invitations that are kind of plain with a digital template for your information, and maybe get some decorative stamping supplies and fancy them up a bit. Done right, could be really inexpensive and turn out really nice.

kirby400

I designed ours pretty cheaply. I designed using free fonts from dafont.com, a background image from free printables, and arranged them on Word.  I then printed them to pdf then ordered them through Vistaprint. I was able to get 100 invitations, postcard replies, and stickers for less than $85.

I printed the addresses on the evelopes that came stock with them. Postage will be regular stamps and postcard (cheaper) reply card stamps. I plan to put some card stock and washi tape around them as a belly band but you can also download belly bands and cut them yourself.

So all in all, my cost will be less than 100 not including postage yet.


ETA:
It takes some time to figure out sizes in Word to uploading, to arrange things in the document, and to fit images with the font. But, you don't have to do it all at once! Make a sample, if it doesn't work, keep playing!

silver0319

I'm not a graphic designer, but I designed my invitations using Adobe Illustrator.  I found a few designs I liked online, read a few how-to blogs written by graphic designers, downloaded some free fonts, and then played around with Illustrator until I got my design right. 

I used Cards and Pockets for both my supplies and printing.  I was super pleased with my invitation and we received lots of compliments from our guests.

Had I used a seller on Etsy, my invites would have been $6-10 each. I made them myself for under $3.  

rainbows0215

Try vista print not DYI but priced well

jenna8984

rainbows0215 said:

Try vista print not DYI but priced well

I agree. I'm not a design your own type of person, I have no artistic ability. I just chose one I liked on Vista print, filled in my info and done. I think the invits, matching blue envelopes, thank you card, reply cards, and those envelopes, and address labels were $80. Always get a promo code from retailmenot.com !!!

MamaAlly89

Vistaprint has some really nice options and they are always having sales. I purchased mine during their semi-annual sale and got 150 invites, reply cards, and envelopes for both for only $100.

CTYankeeBride

I bought a DIY kit at Michael's because I liked the gold scrollwork on it.  It includes 50 invites, 50 response cards, and envelopes for both the invite and response.  That was $12 after a coupon.

I bought 2 packages of ivory card stock, that was another 12$ for 100 sheets total and will be enough for three inserts per invite. I ordered extra long black card stock from Amazon for 6$ that will be enough for 50 pocketfolds and our place cards and a few other projects. Glue runners were another 12$ for more glue than I need for just the invites but I'm not going to split hairs.  I already have a paper cutter and FI is printing them out at work.  I designed the invites myself in Photoshop.  I am adding a belly band and a seal and the supplies are going to run me about another 5$.

If you weren't following along at home that's $51.00 for 50 invitations with supplies left over for other projects. 

mrsbivenstobe

I ended up making my invitations on PhotoFiltre and I'm getting them printed through CVS or Walmart. I got my fonts at dafont.com and I got invitation layout ideas from Google images. 

Jessica2426

I bought postcards on Vistaprint with matching envelopes. I got 100 oversized postcards and that is my invite(with envelopes) and 100 small postcards to use for my RSVP card (with envelopes). All together with sipping and everything it was $34!

southernbelle0915

We bought template kits at Michael's and printed them on our home printer. All in all (outside postage) this cost about $50.

brideofginger

My FI did the design, and we printed using VistaPrint. He paid for them, but I think we got 125 with matching envelopes and stickers for around $80-90. I thought that was pretty reasonable.

EDIT: Also, the prints came out slightly off-center, which is unfortunate, but overall, I still thought it was a good deal for the cost.

cupcait927

Another vote for vistaprint. I'm not crafty at all so DIY was not in the realm of possibility on this. I got invites, envelopes, RSVP cards and envelopes for those for less than $100. They're not super fancy but they're pretty and FI loved them (I let him have final say on the design we chose).

April192002

If you want to DIY, check out envelopes FIRST! I work at Staples in the Copy Center and had soooo many people get Etsy designs at 5x7, a size of envelope we didn't really start carrying until recently - but every store doesn't necessarily carry the same thing. You can also use templates from Vista Print, Staples, etc. It's also not too pricy to get the pretty blank invites from a craft store, design them in Microsoft Word, and have them printed at your local printing department.

DaisyMaeMommy

I plan on getting a DIY kit from Hobby Lobby, so I can print them at home.

CMGragain

Vistaprint!  Sign up on their website and order a sample kit.  They have sales all the time!  Do check your wording over on the Invite board before you order.  Some of their wording suggestions are a bit odd.

suburbanstepmom

@kteeples I purchased a "DIY" set off Amazon for $25/50 invites & RSVPs. They come with a link to the website where they do all the formatting for you and you just stick them in the printer and print away. The postage to mail them costed more than the actual invites themselves!

We got a lot of compliments on how nice they looked too. CLICK HERE TO SEE!

melissamusic

Granted, I haven't done mine yet, so the cost of self-printing (ink and cardstock) might be prohibitive, but you can buy just a design from Etsy for just $15. Granted, then you have to figure in self-printing costs, envelopes, and stamps. Also, don't include any extra cards, since that's just extra money (and extra weight on the package, so more expensive stamps). Definitely do online RSVP instead of reply cards. Between the cardstock itself, the extra weight on the package, and a return stamp on the reply card, you'd probably be adding $.75 per invite with the reply card alone, even DIY. Doesn't seem like much, but it adds up.

[Deleted User]

After stressing over invites and ordering samples through a few different companies, FI decided he could design our invites on his computer. He works for a printing company so our only cost would be envelopes and paper to print them on (and postage). Vistaprint was high on my list as well so I agree with PPs.

lizzypoo96

I was all about the fancy invites, but I just couldn't justify spending all the money. I happened to be at Hobby Lobby when the wedding stuff was 50% off (every few weeks) and printed them on my printer at home (ink was cheaper than bringing it elsewhere). the kit included all the response cards and envelopes. Ended up costing 50 for 125 invites! They had ones with the fancy pocket folder things but at the end of the day mine were just perfect!

lbuet348

Vistaprint is 50% off right now!

[Deleted User]

I did my own through Partycity.com. They had some DIY ones available online that weren't available in the store. Nice & simple but elegant. It was just the 5x7 invite, reply card & reply card envelope. It was $19.99 for 50. With keeping it simple the cost to mail the invite was the cost of a standard forever stamp, which also helped with the budget.

fam1820

I'm still trying to figure all this out too. I want to do it cheap but I'm sorta overwhelmed with the process, and knowing what all the sizing, inserts, postage, hoopla is. but it was helpful to get peoples ideas of where they got theirs. now at least if I am brave enough to tackle the invitations I have some ideas on where to start.

Knottie924921

This may sound ghetto to some and I am sure a lot of you will cringe and frown upon it… but I designed a card and emailed it to all my guests with links to our wedding website. There they could get more information, RSVP quickly and easily, read some funny bios about us and how we met, see maps and driving directions... GUESS WHAT? IT WAS FREE!!!!! Plus my guest loved the green initiative and the creativity. Interactive and fun and very quick. 

CMGragain

fam1820 said:

I'm still trying to figure all this out too. I want to do it cheap but I'm sorta overwhelmed with the process, and knowing what all the sizing, inserts, postage, hoopla is. but it was helpful to get peoples ideas of where they got theirs. now at least if I am brave enough to tackle the invitations I have some ideas on where to start.

Come on over  to the Invites board!  We will help you with all of your questions.

CMGragain

Knottie924921 said:

This may sound ghetto to some and I am sure a lot of you will cringe and frown upon it… but I designed a card and emailed it to all my guests with links to our wedding website. There they could get more information, RSVP quickly and easily, read some funny bios about us and how we met, see maps and driving directions... GUESS WHAT? IT WAS FREE!!!!! Plus my guest loved the green initiative and the creativity. Interactive and fun and very quick. 

I dislike your use of the word "ghetto" in this manner.  It is a racist word.
No, evites are not formal enough for a wedding invitation.  There are many invitation sites that have recycled paper and are ecology friendly.

lovesclimbing

We used Wedding Paper Divas (which is part of/owned by/sister company of/something with Shutterfly). I don't remember the cost but it ended up being only two or three hundred dollars for the invitations plus 4x6 prints of one of our engagement photos to include. We were quite pleased. (Note, we had a simple flat invitation. It was just the invitation - no inserts.)

kteeples

Update: I searched (for hours upon hours) for stock photos of sunflowers (our flowers are going to be Sunflowers and our color is Navy) so I found the perfect, sketched sunflower outline and put together a couple of designs and looked to have them printed at VistaPrint. Total cost will be just over $100 when all is said and done (not including postage). I'm waiting on the final go-ahead from the future hubby with the exact design, but our date is 9-12-15 so we are ahead of the game. Thank you all for your words of wisdom!

thisismynickname2

Another vote for design your own!  My mom did ours and I've received tons of compliments (which I've passed to her, of course). We printed them at Office Depot.  In fact, since their auto paper cutter was out and the guy had to spend a half hour hand-cutting them, he gave us color prints for the price of B&W as his "wedding present" to me.  

Mom printed the RSVP cards using a template we picked up at OD, and a business card template for the "visit our website...." insert.  When all was said and done, even without the discount it totaled around $50 or so.