All posts in Invitations & Stationery

Courtesy of freshome.com

DIY — everyone is doing it.

In the world of weddings, doing it yourself has never been hotter. Today, I’m starting a four-part series on DIY invitations, which I hope will be helpful to the brides out there considering putting on their stationery hat and getting down to business.

First, a little background on my perspective. Hip Ink is primarily a custom invitation studio, but I just can’t keep all the fantastic paper, awesome embellishments and handy tools to myself, so we do also sell papers, supplies and tools to DIY brides to craft their own invitations. From a business point of view, both are great — I love working together with brides to make their fantasy invitation come to life, whether it’s on a custom project basis or helping them create a masterpiece on their own.

From a personal point of view, I know from experience that DIY can be great in theory, but sometimes in practice…not so much. Hopefully, this series will give you the tools to decide if DIY is right for you and the information on how to make it a success.

So, let’s get to it!

While there are a number of brides who create their own invitations because they just love paper, love crafting, love the idea of doing something personal, etc., the vast majority do it because it saves money. At least that’s the perception. Today, we’re going to look at the real cost of DIY — hold onto your garters ladies, as you may be surprised!

First, let’s look at the tangible costs of your DIY invites. You’ll need paper, embellishments and tools — you’ve probably figured that out, right? But are you really taking into consideration the cost of everything you are going to need — not just paper and embellishments (and lots of extra, please, because there *will* be wastage!) but adhesive, a paper cutter/trimmer, bone folder, ruler, ink…the list goes on. Of course, you can find cheap tools, but you always get what you pay for — and you will pay for “cutting corners” in frustration — trust me, I’ve SO been there. What about shipping? Taxes? Duties, if you are ordering from another country? Postage? Now we’re getting somewhere.

But you’re still saving money, right? Probably — but are you saving what’s really important?

The real cost of DIY is TIME — plain and simple. How much is your time worth? Believe it or not, *that* is the ultimate question to ask yourself when you are considering the DIY option for your invitations.When dealing with the stress of planning a wedding, big or small, time is the most important thing you’ve got, and it’s precious.

Is DIY still worth it? Maybe.

First, try to figure out how long it will take you to make your invitations  – now *triple* it. Seriously. This is the most common mistake DIY brides make, and it can be a killer. Be realistic about how long things take, and remember that unless you have a lot of experience, progress will be slow and you *will* make mistakes. (Hey, you’re not a professional right? You’re allowed!)

Consider this – what is your time worth? If you had to pay yourself to make your invitations, how much would you charge? $10 per hour? $15? $20? Now take the time you’ve estimated and “pay” yourself. You might find that you could very easily pay someone else that amount to create your invitations instead, while you avoid the stress and manual labor, and instead concentrate on the 3.547 bajillion other details of your big day! The upside — you will also end up with a professional looking invitation — handmade, not homemade.

Don’t take my word for it though — there are tons of stories out there from brides who have created their own invitations, both good and bad. It really comes down to your specific situation, skills and preference — but how do you figure out if DIY is the right option for your wedding invitations?

Next week, we’ll talk about how to determine if YOU are right for DIY…

Stay tuned…