DIY Wedding Invitations
August 17th, 2011Marriage is the ultimate way to celebrate the love between two people and while this is a time of excitement, love, and new beginnings, it is also an occasion that usually comes with a high price tag. In addition to the flowers, gowns, tuxedos, candles, music, church, reception, invitations, and much more, the cost quickly skyrockets. As a means of saving money but without sacrificing on the perfect day, couples have discovered the art of do-it-yourself projects.
There are many aspects of a wedding that could be done by the bride, groom, bridal and groomsmen party, family, and friends but the one that seems to be first on the list is DIY wedding invitations. With a little time and creativity, hundreds of dollars can be saved just on this one item alone. Additionally, DIY wedding invitations provide a unique opportunity to create something different. By stepping outside the box, couples can put a personal touch on invitations, which of course, are the first things invitees see so making a lasting impression is important for everyone.
Finding Inspiration
One of the first steps for DIY wedding invitations is to be inspired. This could be done by thumbing through bridal or wedding magazines, searching the internet, or even visiting a number of stationary stores that sell high-end wedding invitations. The goal would be to zero in on invitations that coordinate with the formality and theme of the wedding but also those that match personal preference. Getting ideas helps but to a certain point not to cause confusion with too many choices.
Some of the specific things that should be considered while looking at inspiration for DIY wedding invitations such as the following:
- Type, weight, and color of paper
- Style, size, and color of lettering
- Design such as standalone invitation or special insert
- Embellishments and/or adornments
- Wording, which would be unique to the type of wedding such as older bride and groom without living parents, younger couple whose parents are giving the bride away, couple with one or more divorced parents, etc.)
Unlimited Design Options
The great thing about DIY wedding invitations is no limitation to the level of creativity. When purchasing professionally designed invitation, certain styles fall in specific categories but when making invitations, creating something that incorporates different elements from several categories is perfectly fine. Of course, every detail added to the design of DIY wedding invitations should still keep to the level of formality, as well as style or theme of the actual event.
While there are literally hundreds of possibilities, we wanted to provide some options that might be considered when making DIY wedding invitations.
- Formal – For a formal wedding, white or off-white paper with a navy blue scripted font would be gorgeous. To add a touch of personality, invitations could be mailed to guests inside white envelopes that have navy blue lining and perhaps a navy blue stamp with a romantic saying on the back flap.
- Contemporary – For couples that want a modern wedding, there are no holds barred when it comes to DIY wedding invitations. For instance, the couple could purchase white paper enhanced with hot orange and pink ribbon. For this, two thin strips of orange ribbon and one strip of hot pink ribbon would be hot blued down the left-hand side of the invitation on the inside. To finish the look, a modern orange font would be amazing.
- Outdoor Wedding – Having a wedding outside has become extremely popular especially in certain parts of the country. Keeping with the fresh setting, DIY wedding invitations might consist of a grass green paper with a white piece of paper about one-inch smaller being adhered. Then, an informal black font could be used along with green and blue ribbon or lace tied in the upper corner.
Miscellaneous Idea
Other possibilities for DIY wedding invitations are listed below but we cannot stress enough the incredible opportunities. With the right materials, inspiration, and creativity, the sky is the limit.
- Fabric accents can transform any invitation
- Letter pressed invitations are gorgeous and work well for any style of wedding
- Toile invitations are classy and sophisticated
- Dried flowers, faux crystals, and other embellishments add personality and character
- Calligraphy is always beautiful on invitations so if a couple knew someone with this skill it would be a great way to make perfect invites for family and friends
- Chinese symbols of love, hope, happiness, and prosperity would be amazing on tea dyed or light tan paper