Wedding Invitations: Make your own and save $$

Weddings are expensive and you may be searching for some ways to cut back on your expenses. One thing you can do to save some money is make your own invitations. If you start early it’s not too complicated and it's very possible to make gorgeous invitations at half the cost if not even less. Plus you'll have custom invitation that just for your wedding. Here's some suggestion on how to make the invitations of your dreams for a fraction of the price.

Search online and through catalogs for wedding invitations ideas for inspiration of the type wedding invitation. You will see a wide variety of styles, themes and more. Think about all the options, what you like and what will work for your wedding. Take into consideration the tone, themes and colors of the wedding, the location, time of day and other such factors. Your invitation sets the tone for the wedding so choose accordingly. Select an invitation you love. Print out the photos or request a free sample.

Go to your local craft store or office supply store and purchase different cardstocks and envelopes that look similar to the photo or sample card. If you can't find the supplies locally search on your favorite search engine for "cardstock"and may be surprised the number of countless sources available with very unusual cardstock at great prices. You can always make substitutions to decrease the cost or slightly change the appearance.

This is the fun part and where you can show your creative side. Here's just a few suggestions:

• Embossed Seals
• Flat back charms – Flat back charm work better than dimensional charm as they are easier to adhere to the invitations and won't be bulky for mailing
• Embroidered Appliques
• Personalized Wedding Favor Labels and Stickers
• Gift Wrap Paper – Find a design you like with elements that can be cut out and incorporated into your invitations
• Pressed Flower Stickers
• Craft Punch – A craft punch is a great way to add detail to the cardstock itself or to use for additional elements to be added to the invitation.
• Scrapbook Embellishments – Many items available in the scrap-booking market make great enhancement for this project.
• Personalized Ribbon and Bows

Take home your supplies and make a sample or two. It may take a few tries to get it right but that’s fine, you want to figure out the best way to create your invitation for less and still have it be exactly what you want. At this point you may want to check out the postage amount for your creative invitation. This is particulary important if you added embellishment or are usuing an usual size.

Write out your invitation wording. Then type it on a word processor and print out the sections to fit according to the invitation itself. There are many sources on-line to help you with invitation wording if your stuck and can't think what to say or what is the considered to be the proper etiquette for wedding invitations.

Assemble all your elements then go out and purchase enough supplies to make all of your invitations. Do your calculations before you get to the store just to make things simpler so you won’t be second guessing yourself.

Get your bridesmaids, friend and family together to help you put these together. The more hands you have the faster the process will go. Give each person one specific task and set up a long table or two so you can create an assembly line.