As the first piece of communication that your guests receive, your invitations should set the tone and the mood of your wedding. Whether the design is fun and whimsical, elegant or modern, guests should know what kind of wedding to expect as soon as they receive it!
Usually one set includes: 1 invitation card, 1 envelope, 1 reply card, 1 reply card envelope, and often 1 map card.
Budget extra for return postage, calligraphy (if desired), and anything extra you might want to include.
Things that will blow your budget: Custom die cuts, special paper, complicated or special details, traditional hand press, hand written calligraphy
Low - $
DIY Invites from Michaels / Target ($1-$2/Set)
I've had a few friends go this route recently with great success. DIY invites are no longer just boring cream with silver wedding rings. Michaels sells a variety of pre-made invitation sets that are gorgeous and literally a fraction of the price. Catch them when they're on sale and save even more. Usually they include the invitation, envelope, reply card, return envelope, map card and software.
The downsides? You have to have a bit of patience with the printer, however, once you get the hang of it, you'll save a ton of money. Also, others may end up sending similar invitations as yours so consider the tips below.
TIPS for Customizing DIY Invites: - Add a contrasting ribbon or detail to make your invitation more unique.
- Add your own logo and tie it to the ribbon around the card, or print the logo on the card.
Medium - $$
Paper Things This invitation store in Yorkville is run by and benefits the National Ballet of Canada. The designs are quite nice and run for about $3 or more
Paperland - This paper haven allows you to get creative with colours, textures and designs. You can also get your invitations designed and printed for around $2- $6/ Set, depending on how complicated your design is.
Money Saving TIP: Save money by purchasing any additional components and doing the labour yourself. For example, for one invite I had the chiyogami paper cut, but glued them on by hand myself.
The Paper Place - Another paper haven located downtown, you can create endless possibilities with the paper here. They've also got a wide selection of Japanese and imported papers that will make your invitations unique.
High $$$
I will be featuring some higher-end, full service invitation shops soon, so I will write about specific places a bit later. Starting at around $7/set to as high as $30/set, expect to have a professional designer walk you through the entire process from beginning to end. Again, the more specialized and labour intensive the set, the more it will cost.
Of course, your guests will have an amazing first impression and a wonderful keepsake of your wedding.
