Ideally, wedding invitations should really be mailed out 6-8 weeks prior to the big day to give guests time to create arrangements to attend and RSVP back to you.
The first faltering step is to have organized. This is the place where a large tabbed file folder will come in especially handy! Start by making a listing of the folks you merely can't stand to have married without them there. This is going to be mostly relatives and close friends. Ask your parents and the groom's parents to offer you a listing of who they want to invite. Ensure you have accurate addresses for all your invited guests.
One caution here: don't think you HAVE to invite everyone you know. In the event that you haven't talked to your high school tennis partner since graduation, he or she probably doesn't have to be invited. Arcadia Script And don't get all trapped in possibly offending someone by not inviting them to your wedding.
Often, people get sick of attending weddings for individuals they barely know or don't keep in touch with. If you talk for them weekly at least, chances are decent they won't give it an additional thought as soon as your invitation doesn't arrive. Remember, you're trying to save lots of some cash in your big day. Extra people means extra expense - cut corners here.
Once you have your guest list, you'll have a concept of just how many invitations you'll need. Next, you'll need to choose a design.
Wedding invitations shouldn't be a big expense for you. Yes, when it's delivered all pretty in its customized envelope and small tissue square inside, it can make an impression - for about a moment! Most people read it once, note the date, take out the RSVP card and throw the invite away. So just why spend a great deal in it? Remember, we're trying to save lots of money here!
Well-known thing related to your invites is to produce them yourself on your individual computer using FREE or inexpensive digital stationery. You should use Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or just about any desk top publisher (DTP) to produce beautiful custom invitations which are ALL about you!
There's also inexpensive programs and websites out there specifically created for creating stationery, invitations and greeting cards. The very best part about buying programs like this is to be able to put it to use again after the wedding is finished! These kinds of programs and websites have saved me time and again when I must print out a special day letter or card (Birthday, Anniversary, Graduation) at the past minute when I've lost track of the month or date!
Just do a search on the internet for "free-stationery.com" or "free-photo-greeting-cards" and you'll find an assortment of sites and software.
When creating your own invitations and stationery, it is possible to buy heavy card stock for the most part any office supply or discount store. I'd also propose that you consider some pre-designed FREE stationery which is also available all over the Internet.
I don't recommend pre-printed stationery if you are really trying to save lots of money. You know, the sort you see in the stores in packs of 50 or 100 pages. There just aren't as numerous stationery designs to choose from and most of the really nice ones are almost as expensive as those you'd have custom printed for the wedding. The digital stationery has taken over and have 1000s more designs to choose from for a real-you type of feeling.
Most inkjet printers today, especially the most effective ones with individual color ink tanks, can print on heavy card stock or card template paper at less than 5 cents a page.
Don't have a great printer or just not necessarily hyped up on using up all your printer's ink in your wedding invitations? Not really a problem... Take your invitations or stationery to a specialized copy shop or office supply store. They can usually copy onto whatever paper you would like (heavy card stock, pre-printed, etc.) and in color if you decide on and your allowance allows.
It's still way less expensive than having custom wedding invitations made.
If you're really on a budget and one of the crafty and artistic types, you might print out simple text of your invitation then use rubber stamps or embossing powder to decorate them. Bear in mind, though, the number of invitations you'll need to embellish. If you're taking a look at a few hundred, you could be up late nights just decorating all of them!
The standard practice for wedding invitations is to place the invitation inside a bag and then place that envelope inside another envelope. The budget conscious say: Why bother? One envelope is sufficient and you'll only need one stamp to mail if you use just the one.
If you're doing your own invitations, seek advice from some small local print or card shops for leftover envelopes they may have. You can get these at hugely discounted prices. You could even get them free just to have them out of their store room. Don't get freaked out when you have a number of different sizes or styles. How many individuals will compare wedding invitation envelope sizes before, during as well as after the wedding? It is likely to be our little secret ;-)
In the event that you must have RSVP's, consider putting it on a tiny postal size card. Like that you eliminate a bag and it enhances the convenience for the guests. All they want to do is fill it out and drop it in the mailbox. Needless to say, you'll have to provide the stamp for this card.
Consider also printing reception information entirely on the invitation itself. For an RSVP, provide a contact number and/or e-mail address for guests to respond to. Not only can this help you save on postage, you'll have all the info right there for the guests to make reference to prior to the big day instead of these having to save lots of a separate reception card.
You should use labels to print out addresses in your computer. We'd suggest obtaining the clear labels because it just looks better. The most prominent label maker is Avery. Their website offers free templates to print out your labels, so you may want to check that out before experiencing a computer software program.
OpenOffice Suite (free from OpenOffice.org) and MS Word both come with most standard Avery templates built in. Just utilize the envelope page menus and you're all set.
In the event that you don't like the impersonal nature of address labels, by all means, address the envelopes personally by hand. You will get details about calligraphy online or just use your absolute best handwriting!
Keep in mind, computers don't need to be impersonal either. You can find hundreds of custom calligraphy services and hand writing fonts out there. Only a little searching on the internet and you may also have your own handwriting made into a custom font.
Some brides don't want the hassle of do-it-yourself invitations. We happened to really have a friend who sold wedding invitations as an area business at an amazing cheap rate and she offered up a reduced rate as a marriage gift. We ended up with 300 invitations just for $60. Not everyone can be that lucky, however. Seek out "home business online greeting cards" for the most savings and best service.
Finally, as it pertains to wedding invitations, one of your largest expenses will probably function as postage. You truly have no control over that unless you're the Postmaster General and even then, I doubt it can help! You might want to hand deliver some invitations to save lots of on postage. Especially to those that you see every trip to work and in your neighborhood. I understand I would choose to have the bride or groom personally hand me their invitation. It informs me I'm special for them and I understand it's saving them the price of a stamp!
