Washington-Seattle

Invitations - Are They Worth It?

Okay, so yet another invitation question, but I'm torn so I need advice.

A couple of weeks ago, I was going to DIY my invitations because I loved the style. But now, I'm not sure I want to put the time into it. I was getting some fabric at JoAnn today and perused the wedding section and they seem to have some decent DIY printable kits. It's the first impression people will get of our wedding, but do I want to put a lot of work (and money) into some paper that people will probably just throw away? Here's the question:
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Re: Invitations - Are They Worth It?

  • amandaswamandasw member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I said "other".  It's only worth it if you have the time, energy etc and think you'll enjoy it.  I had a year-long engagement with a FI in another state... lots of free time!  And I've always enjoyed scrapbooking/being creative so it was fun and I never felt stressed (the long time-line was really helpful).

    If you're unsure, I definitely think a kit would be good for you.  It gets you halfway there and then you can embellish it and make it more unique.  Might be a win-win :)
  • edited December 2011
    I agree with amandasw.  If you're not into it from the beginning, you might regret even starting the DIY project.  It will be a lot of work and stressful, but there is some satisfaction when you're done!

    Think about if it's really important to you or if you'd be happy with something pre-printed.  Either way can be lovely!  I kind of had the best of both worlds.  I pre-printed the invites through My Gatsby, but added a backing layer and Swarovski crystals to each one.  I felt like I "owned" them, but I didn't have to worry about printing them straight.

    Good luck!
  • carrieoz_76carrieoz_76 member
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    This is one of those things that only matters if it matters to YOU.  Your guests really will read it and throw it away.  Maybe your mom and your FI's mom will keep it, but that's probably it.  But who cares about whether they throw it away immediately if you love them.  So I say if you don't care either way, do the printable kit.  If you love love love DIY, then DIY them.  Your call.
  • edited December 2011
    I voted other. I'm technically a graphics specialist by trade and I love designing. Mine were a labor of love but also an opportunity. I am teaching myself Illustrator, but the best way for me to learn a program is to have a specific project to create and this gave me the impetus. However, I spent several MONTHS on it as I was learning to draw vectors...then the picking of the paper, the fonts, the wording, the assembly. Unless it's something that's totally what you adore doing, I say go DIY kit or printable. It will be a lot less stress and then you can focus your time and energy on projects that DO get you excited. It doesn't sound to me like you're enthusiastic about it so I say go an easier route. TVgal's suggestion is a nice way to go, too.
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  • jennuinnejennuinne member
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    edited December 2011
    It is a PITA and may not be financially worth it.  But, it may be the only want to get exactly what you want and there is a major sense of pride and accomplishment when you're all done.  Its up to you...if you have the time and patience to do it and want something very unique/specific/custom, do it.  If not, don't.
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  • edited December 2011
    I did a printable kit from JoAnns and they turned out beautifully! Everyone was pretty impressed by them.
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  • edited December 2011
    I agree with PPs. Worth it, but only if it's something you'll enjoy doing.
  • edited December 2011
    I voted no but I'm not really a DIYer :)  So if that's something you enjoy doing then yes it would be worth it but to me it would just be another thing to stress about.
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  • edited December 2011
    I mostly agree with PPs, but I would add that lots of relatives, especially folks who were our parent's generation or older seemed to really like the invites. If you can find cheap printing (vista print, 123 print, etc.) where you just give them a PSD or an image, that's a nice middle ground.

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  • edited December 2011
    i ddin't read the other posts, but if you don't have your heart totally set on DIY, then do a printable DIY from Joann/Michaels.  They do 85% of the work, yet you really do pay a fraction of the cost of buying prof or doing it all yourself.  If invites are not that important to you in terms of your time and energy, definately take the shortcut and get a set.
  • irshis20irshis20 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I don't have the time to spend making my own invitations, so I bought mine from Wedding Paper Divas. They're beautiful, and I've received SO many compliments on them. They were not cheap, though.
  • edited December 2011
    Thanks everyone!

    Yeah, I really think that it's not a huge priority to spend a ton of money on invites. I am a bit of a DIYer, but I dunno. I think I'll buy a kit, take it home and ponder it. I can always return it!
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  • edited December 2011
    I agree with PPs. Im not a DIY. I have grand ideas, I try and some turn out good, others... not so much and I spent a lot of money on the supplies that I ended up wasting. I got mine designed and printed and I LOVE them. We got so many compliments and it fit our colors and theme so well. :)

    But if you have the time, and you enjoy that kind of a project, definitely go for it.
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  • edited December 2011
    For me, I couldn't find invites in our colors (victorian lilac & grey) or in our theme (polka dots) so there was no choice but to make them. In the end, it was easy. I made 70 invites and only spent probably 9 hours total (tops). And we got tons of compliments. No one could believe I made them.
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  • edited December 2011
    FI, MOH and I all pitched in and handmade ours, and while it took forever I was SO HAPPY with the results. On occasion we'll get an RSVP back with a note written on it saying 'These are so CUTE!' and I beam whenever I visit a friends house and see our invite on their fridge :) but all our friends and family know that my FI and I are crazy/crafty/creative and I have to keep telling myself to not take on any additional DIY projects.

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