Wedding invitations can be beautiful without spending a fortune. Here are ten tips to ensure your stationery cost stays within your budget.
1. Come directly to your printer
Stationery stores are a great starting place for ideas, but they have large markups on the paper and printing. A designer, too, will be much more expensive than if you went straight to a printer. Some print shops have an in-house designer, but you can also get crafty and design your own invites. Sites like Wedding Paper Divas, Printable Press and E.M. Papers will help you create pretty designs yourself.
2. Create a wedding logo
Creating a wedding logo — even a simple monogram — is an easy way to make your invitations (and other wedding cards) look more polished. It ties everything together and shows you really care about the little details. Once you have a logo, create a motif that goes along with it. It’s easier to develop a design based off of a monogram than developing one from scratch.
3. Know all details before coming to a printer
If you do decide to use an in-house graphic designer at a print shop, know all the details before you come in. It does not help you to give the designer half the information earlier. Most designers bill by the hour, and if he or she has to go back and add or change details, it will cost you. Talk to your wedding planner and have a schedule set in stone before you go to your printer.
4. Choose house paper
Many brides want a particular paper to make their wedding invitations extra special. However, most printers already house nice papers. Felt and linen paper are two popular options because they have a classic look and feel. If a printer has to order a different paper, it will cost more. Also, many times, the “special papers” are way over-priced. Ask your printer what kind of paper they house before you tell them what kind of paper you want. They might even have some leftover samples that will cut your cost significantly.
5. Stick with standard-size invites
Postage costs can add up quickly. Stick with a standard-size invitation (length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5) to save money. Square letters cost more because they don’t fit through the postal machines and have to be hand-stamped. On a similar note, avoid adding additional frills, clasps, string or buttons to the envelope. Don’t include items that make the envelope surface uneven, and avoid rigid items such as wood or metal. These things will increase postage cost.
6. Use postcards
As you can guess, using postcards for save-the-date cards or wedding invites saves money by eliminating the envelope. Often, postcards can be more creative and fun than classic invitations.
7. Order extras
There will inevitably be a guest or two you forgot or want to add last-minute. Save yourself the time and money by printing a few extra invitations to avoid ordering a second print job. It’s always nice to have an extra invite for your wedding scrapbook, as well.
8. Take advantage of technology
Digital and offset printing cost much less than letterpress and engraving. Embossing and foil-stamping is beautiful, but is much more labor-intensive than modern printing techniques, and therefore more expensive. Use a digital printer if you are printing hundreds of invitations. Use an offset printer if you are printing more than 5,000.
9. Write and stamp the invites yourself
Most print shops can mail your invitations for you, as well as customize the guest and return addresses. This costs more — especially the stamping. Most printers hand-stamp each invite, which is time- and labor-intensive. Stamp your invites yourself and handwrite each address. It will add a personal touch and won’t break the bank.
10. Proofread!
Finally, proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Reprinting your wedding invitations will cost you a fortune.
For wedding invitation design ideas, visit our Pinterest page. We have many designs that we have printed throughout the years. We remove most of the names and important details to ensure our customers’ privacy.