You may not think you’re crafty enough to create the personalised wedding cards that you see in professional print shops, but you might be surprised by how much help is out there for the woman who wants to save a few dollars on her wedding invitations. Why spend extra for the same materials and labor that you can easily purchase and attempt on your own? By adopting a DIY attitude as it pertains to your wedding invitations, you stand to save a lot. And here are a few tips and tricks that will not only help you to cut costs, but also maximize your time and effort, which probably need to be budgeted just as much as your money.
- Choose the right paper. Not all card stock is created equally, but you probably don’t need the most expensive stuff on the market to get the look you want. You can find a few likely candidates at a nearby craft store; they generally have kits that come with everything you’ll need, from invites to RSVP cards to envelopes. But you may do better to shop online. You’ll likely find exactly what you’re looking for at less cost. And remember that not every printed page needs to be on card stock; you can easily substitute regular printer paper for items like directions and registry information.
- Cut back on extras. Every addition to your card setup will cost you, so slash the unneeded extras. This would include items like the double envelope (who came up with this ridiculous idea anyway?), jackets or additional layers of paper on the invitation, or over-the-top embellishments that add to the bulk and weight of your package. Lined envelopes can also go. It’s an expensive detail that no one will notice, whether it’s there or not.
- Save on postage. Surprisingly, this is one area where you stand to save quite a bit. You might think that the cost of postage is non-negotiable, and indeed, you can’t haggle with the post office. But you can ensure that you’ve done nothing to bump the price. If you keep the weight of each invite under one ounce and you opt for a standard size of envelopes (rather than oversized), you’ll only need one regular stamp for each invitation you send. You may be wondering about the added cost of postage for the RSVPs, and in this area you can save, as well. By selecting post cards for RSVP (instead of smaller cards with envelopes) you can save 15 cents on every stamp (and further cut the mailing weight).
- Embellish with care. Every embellishment will cost you, but you can definitely choose less expensive modes of adornment. For example, you could paste on dried flowers from your garden to beautify invitations for free. Or you could get a couple of rubber stamps and an ink pad and go to town. You may even want to get busy with the hole-punch and a spool of ribbon to add lightweight bows. All of these ideas and more may add to your card without significantly increasing your cost.
- Go paperless. The best and cheapest solution is to modernize the whole operation by sending out Evites. These paperless cards are absolutely free and they’re definitely the best option for anyone who wants to go green. Plus, you don’t have to wait forever for snail mail; you’ll know instantly when someone RSVPs.
