WHAT KIND OF WEDDING INVITATION CAN I AFFORD?

First things first… what is your wedding invitation budget? I’ll give you a hint: couples should reserve 3-5% of their total wedding budget for invitations. Go 3% if wedding invitations are not a priority; go 5% if you want to wow your guests.

​It should come as no surprise that wedding invitations are expensive. Let’s put it into perspective. How much did you spend at the store for your mom’s birthday card this year? I bet it was at least $2.00 for ONE card and envelope—not including postage by the way. Postage alone for 150 wedding invitations comes to $105.00 and that is NOT including postage for the rsvp return envelope. Whoa! Hello? Wake up call! Ok, take a deep breath. I’m breakin’ it all down for you below—by dollar amount—to help set your expectations.

WEDDING INVITATION BUDGET IS $250-$500 

Unless you are having a very small intimate wedding of 25 people, this budget is a challenge. You realistically have one choice, and that is to DIY. Here are a few suggestions on what you can do to make this budget work:

• ​Purchase a digital invitation design template off of Etsy.com.
  Find a simple black ink only design template or ask the seller if the design would look good in grayscale. Ink cartridges and/or printing in color can bust your budget if you need a large amount of invitations.
• Purchase card stock and envelopes at Staples or Amazon.com.
  ​Buy a fun color card stock and colored envelopes that match your wedding theme for that pop of color behind all of that black ink.
• ​Print the invitation cards on a home printer or take the art files to your local mom and pop print shop.
  Google: Minuteman Press or Kinkos
• Set up a free wedding website and have your guests RSVP online.
  This will save you money on the rsvp envelopes and postage.
• ​If you can’t print the envelopes on your home printer, ask a friend/family member who has impeccable hand-writing to help you address them.
  I’m sure they would do it in exchange for a free dinner!
• Buy a self-inking address stamp online and customize it with your return address for stamping the back flaps of the envelopes.
  You can find these for like $25 at your local print shop or online and I guarantee you will use it all the time. 

WEDDING INVITATION BUDGET IS $500-$750 

With this budget you can trade the all-consuming DIY for the all-consuming online stationery shops. Search through thousands of designs to find the one that closely fits your awesome wedding theme and have them take care of the printing for you.

• Find a simple design on Minted, Paper Divas, Etsy, etc.
  By “simple design” I mean NO foiling, NO letterpress, NO embellishments
• To keep your budget closer to $500, go for the all-in-one invitation designs.
  There is no envelope needed here. The invitation and rsvp are folded into one piece, and the rsvp card is a detachable postcard (example image below).
• Be careful because these online shops charge extra for everything. 
  You want colored envelopes? Upcharge! You want a nice thick card stock? Upcharge!
• I recommend getting a physical sample of your top two favorite designs before moving forward with your whole order. 
  Things look and feel much different when you see them printed in person then they do digitally on a computer screen. And, yes, their company logo will probably be printed on your invites.

Design by FeelGoodInvites {www.feelgoodinvites.com}

WEDDING INVITATION BUDGET IS $750-$1000

Now you can upgrade to a higher price point within those online stationery shops and select from more formal invitation layouts.

• Find a design with foiling and have it printed on a nice heavy card stock, add a belly band, etc.
  There is a tiny selection of letterpress designs around the $1000 mark, but more than likely you will need a budget of $1500-$2000 to purchase a letterpress invitation suite online.
• Add more information cards to your suite.
  Include a details card, a reception card, a directions card, and/or registry card. ​
• After your engagement, sign up for emails, newsletters and promos from all the different online stationery shops.
  This way you'll find out when discounts and freebies are offered.
• Mom and dad are paying and want to see design samples in person.
  Surprisingly old school invitation binders and catalogs still exist. Call around to some local stationery stores and boutiques. Give them your budget and ask if they have a selection of invitation designs that fit that price point. A lot of times these shops require you to make an appointment since looking through these binders is an extremely time-consuming process.
• Are you looking for something more out-of-the-box like laser cut invitations or pocket enclosures?
  Increase your wedding invitation budget and read below.

WEDDING INVITATION BUDGET IS $1000-$2000

Go local and search out a custom invitation designer! A lot of couples don’t even know we exist, so I’m telling you now… we do exist and we rock! Ask your photographer or event planner for a referral—both of these vendors work closely with wedding stationery designers.

• Custom invitation designers are basically wedding planners, but solely for your wedding stationery! 
  ​We take the time to look through your inspiration imagery and then create an invitation design that matches your style, theme and budget. We’ll show you paper styles, envelope and embellishments samples; we order all supplies for you, including the correct postage and manage the printing/production so you can focus on your wedding planning.
• We can design ANYTHING and we make the process a memorable experience.
  Custom invitation design means there are no templates to fit within, no boundaries—the concepts are limitless. I love collaborating with my clients! They bring ideas to the table that I would never think of doing. And in the end they have the perfect wedding keepsake created by them for their one-of-a-kind day.
• The designs are limitless, but the printing techniques will depend on your budget.
  ​Because most custom invitation designers use local print shops, digital printing normally falls between $1000-$1500, foiling closer to $2000. Depending on your quantity needed, this budget can include a 5-piece wedding invitation suite (invite card, rsvp card, details card, rsvp envelope and outer envelope), plus envelope addressing.​

WEDDING INVITATION BUDGET IS $2000-$3000

This is a sweet spot for more formal invitations. Absolutely you can hire a custom invitation designer and create…

• Embellishments: pocket enclosures, belly bands, ribbon, wax seals, vellum, lined envelopes, etc.
• A complete foil stamped invitation suite for a large quantity (150+)
• Laser cut or die cut invitations​
• Deckled edge (hand-torn) or hand-made paper invitations​

WEDDING INVITATION BUDGET IS $3000+

For those who want every bell and whistle for a very large and formal wedding.

• Go for a letterpress invitation suite
  The higher your budget the more colors you can include. 1-color designs are significantly less expensive than a 3-color design.
• Acrylic invitations​
• Calligraphy invitations and/or envelopes hand-addressed by a calligrapher
• ​Ask your designer to assemble your invitations, stamp, seal and mail them
• More crazy fun solutions are at your disposal
  Challenge your custom invitation designer!

For more information on wedding invitation design options, visit my blog
CUSTOM INVITATIONS VS. TEMPLATE DESIGNS