Wedding invitations are a necessary part of any wedding plan. Obviously you must announce your wedding to your guests and give them the low-down on who's getting married, when, where, how to get there and almost most importantly...how to RSVP. This is all information that should be included in your wedding invitation.
In addition, your wedding invitation is your ability to show your guests a reflection of what type of wedding they will be attending. Will it be a formal event, country chic, casual back yard barbeque? If you are having a casual event, your invitation should also reflect that and likewise if you are having a formal event. Invitations set the tone for your wedding! Out of the several hundreds of thousands of designs to choose from, it can certainly be exhausting to select a wedding invitation - but keep your personal unique style and your wedding theme/style in mind and this should help narrow it down.
Because we're here talking about ways to cut costs for budget weddings, I will tell you some ways I've discovered to save money on the oh-so-important paper portion of your wedding planning. First, let's talk wedding invitation basics and what's included. You can decide to include or leave out some portions of the wedding invite, but there are some critical components that you should include. All of these things can really start to add up, I know - I've been there. Have no fear, we will soon discuss ways to cut the costs with more easy DIY projects and ideas to help save you money!
Wedding Invitation Basics:
- Invite: tells you who is marrying who, when and where
- RSVP Cards and pre-stamped envelope: gives you guest the ability to accept or decline the invitation and tell you how many are in their party (this is essential for planning!!) *Note: You can also include dinner selection (beef, chicken or vegetarian on these cards if need be.
okay...so those are two things that are ESSENTIAL in a wedding invite. Some extras you may choose to include (which I recommend, however I'll tell you additional ways to cut costs here...):
- Ceremony/Reception Cards: if you are having a wedding ceremony and reception in different locations, include this information as well as driving directions to ceremony (from different starting points) as well as from ceremony to reception
- Within-the-Ribbon Cards: these are sent in the invite to family members and individuals who will be seated at the front of the ceremony and presented to ushers to be seated appropriately.
- Maps: this is a good idea for out of town guests, included with directions or can be combined with the ceremony/reception cards.
- Inclement Weather Plan: if planning an outdoor wedding - make sure to include a back up plan in case of bad weather, if the area is prone to chances of rain/snow.
Personally, I'm obsessed with making everything just PERFECT - like most brides I'm sure - but on a budget sometimes that can be a little daunting. When it comes to invitations, if you are doing any research at all - you will realize that invitations can range from $1.00 - $6.00 apiece, just for the INVITATION, not to mention any of the add-on!
Have no fear, I've discovered and excellent way to save money here. I was walking through Michael's yesterday and I came across an entire wedding section for invitations specifically. They had bundles of packages that you could purchase at a pretty reasonable cost that included everything (Invitations, envelopes, RSVP cards, Thank You notes, and some extras as well!). You can take these, within the color theme that you want, and download a software (also included) and print them yourself at home! Therefore for as little as probably $2.00 an invite, you can get all the goodies and look professionally done to boot! Of course this takes time and effort - but if it saves you hundreds of dollars I say DO IT! I mean, I love DIY projects and how fun is it to say that you've personally put in the blood sweat and tears (it's a saying!) into your wedding to make it truly something that is unique and YOURS!
Now, if you want to buy basic wedding invitations from Michael's, you can do that as well. In regards to the other goodies - you can save altogether if you'd like by taking advantage of the technological world that we live in. I bet there are FEW people on your guest list that don't have emails and/or wouldn't like to receive a nice letter in the mail with all of the information. Printing up a letter with the information instead of sending it in a pre-packaged invitation is a good, more affordable alternative to stuffing the wedding invite envelope. Or, you can take advantage of the fact that people have emails. You can include a note in your initial wedding invite with direction to check emails within a month of the wedding with the specific details of the event. That way, you aren't even paying for postage (and at 40+ cents a stamp...postage can get pricey). Imagine that! I don't think anyone in your family will mind an email instead of pretty colored paper that will be on their fridge and then in the trash (possibly) after the day is done.
Again, the thing to remember is that once all is said and done...no one will remember your invitation down the road, and therefore it's an easy way to cut your unnecessary spending - so you can put more towards an excellent photographer who will truly capture the moments that people WILL remember.
Also, it's always a good idea to sign up for newsletters and emails with deals from places like The American Wedding as these online companies are constantly having sales where you can purchase your invitations and custom design them online or order samples to choose from.
I hope this helps - feel free to share your invitation experiences or ideas here for other brides to benefit from!
Take a look here, to help you get started! Also - check out more DIY projects here!
This is great info! Anything that can help people save money these days will help! Keep up the great blog!
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