3 O’Clock Wedding

Ideally, invitations should be sent out 6 to 8 weeks before the big day to give guests time to make arrangements to attend and RSVP back to you.

The first step is to get organized.  Start by making a list of the people that you have to have there.  This will probably be your close relatives and friends.  Ask your parents and the groom’s parents to provide you with a list of who they would like to invite.  Make sure that you have accurate addresses for all your guests.

Be careful here, do not think that you have to invite everyone you know.  If you haven’t talked to your high school lab partner since graduation, he or she probably doesn’t need to be invited.  Also, don’t get all caught up in the possibility of offending someone by not inviting them to your wedding. 

Often, people get sick of attending weddings for people that they barely know anyway.  Unless you talk to them every day, the chances are pretty high that they won’t give it a second thought when their invitation doesn’t arrive in the mail.  Remember, you are trying to save some money on your big day.  Extra guests mean extra expense, cut corners here.

Once you have your guest list, you will have an idea of how many invitations you will need.  Next, you will need to pick a design.

Wedding invitations should not be a big expense for you.  Yes, when it is delivered all pretty in its customized envelope it can make an impression - for about a minute - but most people read it once, note the date, take out the RSVP card and throw the invite away.  So why spend a lot of money on them?  Remember, you are trying to save money here!

The obvious thing to do with your invites is to create them yourself on your personal computer.  You can use Microsoft Word or Publisher to create beautiful invitations that are all you! 

Also, there are inexpensive programs out there specifically made for creating invitations and greeting cards.  The best part about buying programs like these is being able to use them again after your wedding is over.  They will come in very handy when you have forgotten an important date and need to send a card out at the last minute!

You can buy heavy card stock at any office supply or discount store.  Consider some pre-printed stationery which is also available at most office supply stores.

Not very excited about using up all your printer’s ink on your wedding invitations?  Take them to a specialized copy shop or office supply store.  They can normally be printed onto whatever paper you want (heavy card stock, pre-printed, etc) and in color if you choose.

You could also print out simple text on your invitations then use rubber stamps or embossing powder to decorate them.  Keep in mind though, the number of invitations that you will need to embellish.  If you are looking at a few hundred, you could be days just decorating them!

The traditional practice for wedding invitations is to put the invitation inside an envelope and then place that envelope inside another envelope.  Why bother?  One envelope is plenty.

If you are making your own invitations, check with some small local print shops for leftover envelopes that they might have.  You can buy these at a hugely discounted price.  Do not get freaked out if you have several different sizes or styles.  How many people are going to ask each other at your wedding what size envelope their invitation came in?

If you need to have RSVPs, consider putting them on small postcards.  That way you eliminate an envelope and it adds to the convenience for your guests.  All they have to do is fill it out and drop it in the mailbox.  Of course, you will have to provide a stamp for this card.

Consider also printing reception information directly onto the invitation itself.  For an RSVP, provide a phone number and/or an e-mail address for guests to respond to.  Not only will this save you money on postage, you will also have all the information right there for your guests to refer to before the big day instead of them having to save a separate reception card.

You can use labels to print out the addresseses on your computer.  We would suggest getting clear labels as they look better.  The most prominent label maker is Avery.  Their website offers free templates to print out your labels, so you may want to check that out before struggling with a software program.

If you do not like the impersonal nature of address labels, address the envelopes by hand.  You can get information about calligraphy online or just use your best handwriting!

Some brides do not want the hassle of do-it-yourself invitations.  It may be possible to get a friend with good design skills to design your invitations for you or you could even search the internet/local stores for bargain invitations, you may stumble upon some you never know! 

Finally, when it comes to wedding invitations, one of your largest expenses is going to be the postage.  You really have no control over that unless you are the Postmaster General and even then, I doubt you would have!  You may want to hand deliver some invitations to save on postage.  I know I would prefer to have the bride or groom personally hand me my invitation, it tells me that I am special to them.  It wouldn’t cross my mind that they were doing it to save on the cost of a stamp!

This is an extract from our eBook ‘Planning The Perfect Wedding On a Shoestring Budget’, it’s packed with ideas to help you plan your perfect wedding without having to remortgage your house! If you would like to download our eBook, please click here.