Many brides nowadays are in the “DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Club.” This can be a fun club when you have the time and the creativity. However, there is much to consider before you decide to go down this road with regard to your wedding invitations. Your invitations will give your guests a glimmer of what’s to come – the formality or informality.
DIY Photo Invitation with Vellum and Table Number -- Planning with Excellence Library
Some things to consider are:
How much time do you have to commit to this project? Also, what is your level of knowledge, creativity and patience, honestly?
DIY wedding invitations offer you two options:
1. You can purchase all of the supplies you need for the design you have selected and make your invitations.
2. You can purchase a kit with all the supplies. (Available at Walmart, Staples, Michaels)
If you are going the DIY route because you think it will save you money, there is always the potential that it could end up costing you more to make your own invitations. The cost of supplies alone could exceed what you anticipate spending. My suggestion is to analyze the cost in doing it yourself, based on your selected design, compared to ordering professionally printed invitations. Do not assume that it will be cheaper and easier.
Creating your own invitations and having control over the design is a neat concept. The downside to this is complicated instructions and hard-to-find supplies at an affordable rate. Always do a sample first. You must remember that whatever it cost you to do that sample invitation, you now must multiply times the number of guests on your list, plus the cost of envelopes and printer cartridges. Things add up, and when you throw in your time, the professionally printed invitations might not be so bad.
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Some things to consider with DIY invitations:
1. Expenses (paper, embellishments, ink cartridges, cutting fees, envelopes, postage costs);
2. Design (finding paper that can run on your printer, proper wording, fonts, layout);
3. Problems (cutting stock incorrectly, running out of stock, stock not able to run through printer, running out of ink, ink smudging, invitations do not fit envelopes, not enough time).
4. How much time is this going to involve, and do you have it available?
5. Do you have the skills necessary to complete this project with a professional finish?
Keep in mind, if you are a DIY bride, you undoubtedly have other projects you have decided to do yourself. Planning your wedding and trying to do it all can be a very stressful decision and wear you out quickly. The more you take on yourself, the higher your stress level will be. Only you know whether you can handle a DIY project for your wedding invitations or whether it would be best to leave some things to the professionals.
DIY can possibly save you some money. If you produce a great product, you can create a very personalized look for your wedding. However, if you do not think you have the time, affordable resources, patience and skill for this task, then DIY wedding invitations may not be the right choice for you. In any case, it is an option you can explore.
Need some help? Contact us for more info on DIY invitations and other wedding stationery projects.
Great tips! We went with a kit from Michaels, and it worked out great for us!
I agree and disagree at the same time; I think if a bride is will to be realistic with their expectations of what they can create a DIY route will no doubt be less expensive then purchasing pre-made invites. I think the kits that you can get from Michaels, etc. are a GREAT option for brides on a budget, especially since with the internet available finding proper wording and awesome fonts is super simple. Basically, if you have the money to just purchase invitations, why wouldn’t you? But I don’t think brides should be afraid to DIY invites as long as they realize they aren’t going to be able to create a letterpress invitation suite with pearls and vellum and…you get the point!
DIY isn’t really for me. I have done a few DIY projects for the wedding (paper flowers for our engagement shoot, canvas totebags painted for each bridesmaid, etc) but I’m leaving my invitations for the pros. I work 40 + hour weeks, take 17 hours of classes, and am planning my wedding…there’s no time! lol. I think DIY is ok if you already have the materials (or most of them). People already owning a paper guillotine or a corner rounder, bone folder, cricut machine, etc should have no problem doing them…otherwise, it can get pretty expensive just buying supplies!
I agree, Vintage Modern Bride. The supplies are what can rock the boat. Some brides, who can afford to order invitations, like the DIY concept because they have a specific idea of what they want for their wedding and want to personalize their invitations. In any case, one must thoroughly investigate the options as well as the cost and time to do the job right.
I could afford to order, but I wanted the DIY wedding as much as possible. If you are making your invites in layers, then you can take your time making each layer, and buy supplies as needed. I bought a paper cutter for less than $10.00! I think the biggest pain about it all was cutting the paper, it takes a lot of time. I had bought a ribbon punch to use to put all three layers together, but didn’t like the look and went with just a basic hole punch. I did make a pattern to be sure to get the holes in the right spot though. All in all it was a lot of fun and really felt great making the accomplishment!!