Congratulations! You’re engaged! Engagement is one of the most memorable periods to enjoy in your lifetime. This moment of your life is all about planning for your future. So, where do you start? Between finding a dress, booking a venue, and hiring a photographer, it feels like the list of vendors to contact never ends.
Many couples become so wrapped up in contacting different vendors that they forget one of the most critical first steps of planning a wedding: setting a date! Before anything else, it’s essential to set your wedding date and create save-the-dates and wedding invitations to send to your closest friends and family.
Wedding invitations can be tricky, though. While it may seem like a simple piece of paper, many couples end up spending more than they anticipate on these cards. Check out this budget-friendly guide to learn ten smart and creative ways to save on wedding invitations.
Here are the main points we’ll cover in this guide:
- Keeping your invite designs simple
- Choosing your invite materials wisely
- Considering e-vites
- Creating a wedding website
- Printing your invitations yourself
- Reducing your paperweight
- Sticking to rectangular envelopes
- Personalizing your calligraphy
Let’s get started!
Keep It Simple
It might be tempting to go all out on the colors, sparkles, and designs for your wedding invitations, but we recommend keeping your invites simple. Not only do minimalistic wedding invitations often look more sophisticated, but these refined designs are also more affordable.
Even eliminating small details can make a significant difference in the price of your invites. See our list below to consider eliminating some of these pricey details.
The Most Expensive Invite Card Details
- Foil Stamps
- Custom Envelopes
- Letter Press
- Engraved Printing
Rather than splurging on these expensive details, consider digital printing instead. When you use digital printing, you can get old-fashioned and romantic typographies at significantly affordable prices.
In addition, wedding resource websites such as Zola offer digital designs to create classically elegant invitations.
Choose Your Paper Wisely
You’d be surprised how big of an impact your invitation’s material can have on the overall price of your order. Certain materials such as handmade, linen, and cotton-rag are incredibly pricey.
Since there are plenty of other material options with similar aesthetics and appearances, we recommend investing in a more budget-friendly paper.
Check out our list below for some inspiration!
Best Budget-Friendly Materials for Invites
- Cardstock
- Recycled cardstock
- Board
- Vellum
Consider E-vites
Although creating elaborate and intricately decorated wedding invitations sounds impressive, these cards also come at a high price. A smart and creative way to save money on your wedding invitations is to opt for an electronic invite (or “e-vite”) instead.
For many couples, the idea of creating e-vites for their wedding invitations isn’t ideal. These non-tangible cards don’t match the sophisticated cards most couples imagine distributing. However, creating e-vites comes with several benefits.
The biggest advantage is that e-vites cost less than regular stationery. In addition, since couples can save more by creating these cards, adding intricate details and effects to your invitations is also more affordable.
The Knot offers an array of designs and templates to instantaneously create electronic invites for your wedding.
Create a Wedding Website for RSVPs
If you don’t want to create an e-vite for your wedding, there are plenty of other ways to use the internet to save money for your budget. For example, consider creating a website for your wedding. Wedding websites were once a small trend that has since grown into a common practice for many couples.
Wedding websites are perfect for collecting RSVPs from your guests. Couples can create their wedding invites and include a link on their cards for guests to log their official RSVP information. Not only does this approach save couples money in the long run, but it’s also more convenient. Guests are more likely to remember to RSVP for your wedding, and your website stores this information automatically.
See our summarized benefits of incorporating the internet into your wedding invitations below.
Benefits of Evites and Wedding Websites
- Budget-friendly
- Convenient
- Customizable
Print Your Invitations Yourself
One of the best ways to save a significant chunk of cash on your wedding invitations is to print your invites at home. Wedding invite resources such as Mountain Cow allow couples to create their custom card online and print these finished invitations with their own computer. Taking advantage of this feature will save you and your partner a significant amount of money.
Simply stock up on the materials and ink of your choice and create your professional wedding invitations for a budget-friendly price.
Paper Weight Matters
Sure, you may find a price per card that’s affordable for your budget—but don’t forget to consider the weight of your invitations as well. Even if you find an incredible deal on your custom wedding invitations, mailing cards weighed down with decorations will raise your shipping cost.
Although your shopping price may not seem significant, multiplying this cost by a hundred plus guests can be headache-inducing. Check out our list below to learn more tips for avoiding these unnecessarily high shipping costs.
Tips and Tricks To Reduce Your Paper Weight
- Condense Information: Don’t separate your ceremony and reception information with different cards. Instead, use the front and back of one card to include information on both events
- Slim Down Decorations: Heavy details such as foil stamps and lace make your invites more expensive.
No Square Invites and Envelopes
Perhaps the strangest but most effective tip to help you save more on your wedding invites is to avoid square-shaped cards. Mailing square-shaped invites will cost more than mailing rectangular envelopes. Square envelopes don’t naturally fit in most mail slots. They also require manual stamping, which increases their overall shipping price.
Since the shape of wedding invites doesn’t have a major impact on presentation and aesthetics, there’s no reason not to save money by opting for rectangular cards.
Address Your Invites Yourself
Our last budget-friendly tip for saving more on your wedding invitations is to address these cards yourself. Calligraphers often charge hefty fees to address your invites with fancy, stylish typography.
While this sophisticated attention to detail is nice, it’s usually not worth the investment. Many guests pay little to no attention to the envelope of invitations, which means the money you spend on your calligrapher could be a major waste.
Rather than risking your investment on this small detail, pick up a pen and address your invites yourself. You’ll instantly save money and create more personalized cards. Recruiting the help of friends can also make this an ideal bonding activity for bridal parties.
Don’t overlook the typography and aesthetic of your envelopes. Instead, sign your mark on your very own personalized wedding invitations.
We hope this guide has been a beneficial resource for you and your partner. Remember, your engagement should be a special and cherished time to enjoy with your partner. While planning a wedding can be hectic, ensure that your invitation process is simple.
Review these tips and create custom invitations for your guests without blowing your entire budget.
If you want more insight on wedding planning and preparation, visit us at Everyday Bride. We provide resources for engaged couples to find the best strategies and vendors to plan their dream wedding. Check out our Everyday Bride website to read more wedding articles from experts!
