Every bridal couple has their own distinct vision of what their perfect wedding day would look like and the style of wedding invitations they would like to send out to their guests.   Some bridal couples want handmade invitations that are exceptionally elegant and sophisticated to match their similarly planned wedding reception whereas others prefer traditional all-white handmade wedding invitations as an introduction to their traditional all-white wedding reception.

Other handmade invitation styles run the gamut from elaborate and artsy to contemporary and casual; each style unique and distinctive, unlike run-of-the-mill store-bought wedding invitations where the only difference likes in the details of the wedding.

What makes handmade wedding invitations so special?

Anyone can go to a store and buy ready-made wedding invitations; the only deciding factor being the budget. A bridal couple with a higher wedding budget can go ahead and buy the most expensive invitations they can find whereas a bridal couple with a more restricted budget would have to spend some extra time looking for something cheaper. However, no matter how much you may spend on ready-made wedding invitations there is always something missing- that personal touch.

Having handmade wedding invitations reflects your commitment to creating an ambiance that is fitting for your wedding. They reveal your creativity, thoughtfulness and attention to detail and are sure to leave a lasting impression on your guests. More importantly, handmade wedding invitations give your wedding that distinctly personal touch that can never be bought or replicated.

Do you have to make handmade wedding invitations yourself?

Making homemade wedding invitations yourself can be a marvelous thought and you can certainly pull it off with élan if you have a limited guest list and plenty of time at your disposal. However, if you have a large guest list and limited time, you are better off getting homemade wedding invitations done by more professional hands.

Advantages of ordering handmade wedding invitations

Ordering handmade wedding invitations can save you time and money.

Professionally done handmade wedding invitations have a distinctly handmade look and this is because they are hand-made; the only difference being, they are made by hands other than yours.  Besides looking sophisticated and elegant, getting handmade wedding invitations professionally done has other benefits as well.  For a bridal couple who have set their heart on sending out customized handmade wedding invites, getting them done professionally frees up a lot of their time; time that could now be spent on the many other aspects of wedding planning.

Another huge advantage of ordering handmade wedding invites is that most professional wedding card makers would have everything they require right at their disposal. Trying to achieve the same effect yourself may involve having to buy special equipment and tools that could be a considerable expense.

Being able to order handmade wedding invites can also be a big boon to bridal couples who have the idea in their head but are not adept at executing it. It is important to make sure you explain your idea well and see the finished sample before ordering your handmade wedding invites en masse.

If you’re feeling creative, or have a friend who is, why not have a go at making your own wedding stationery.

We have put together a selection of diy invitation items available to purchase on-line.

We are happy to give advice and assistance to help you on your way.  If you are trying to source a particular craft item or card blank please feel free to email helen@rednell.com for free advice.

Timescale

Plan well ahead as you will have so many other things to do.  Decide when you would like to send your invitations out and allow time to prepare your design, source your materials plus you may need several weeks to make them. There are so many craft outlets selling all sorts of items for card making.   We supply a range of d-i-y items including card blanks and envelopes to make your life easier.

Decide what stationery items you will be making and what size card blank you want for each.  If you decide you want an unusual shaped card, make sure you can find an envelope to fit it first!

You may want to consider card blanks and sizes for: Save the Date, Wedding Invitation, Evening Invitation, RSVP, Order of Service, Place Setting, Menu, Table Number, Thank You Card and Table Plans.

The Design

Experimentation is the key.  Don’t be afraid to use a range of materials - beads, wire, feathers, flowers and so on.  Avoid putting too many different elements on your design, sometimes less is more.  Practice your design on folded plain paper or old card scraps first.  Use coloured papers, ribbons, wording or inserts to incorporate your wedding colour.

Plan how your design will be incorporated into each stationery item.  Will all your design elements fit on a smaller thank you card, for example.   How will it look on a table plan.  Consider using one particular element, a paper flower for example, which can be used with other items on some of your stationery and on its own on other items. This will give your stationery a themed look.   Make sure your design is not too time consuming, difficult or fiddly.

Budget

Decide how much you want to spend on your diy stationery, either a cost per item or total budget.  It’s very easy to get carried away with all the craft items available.

Glue

Avoid using water-based glues for paper elements on your design. They tend to soak into the paper making creases and indentation.  Use pva for your card embellishments (but only sparingly). Glue sticks are ideal for sticking papers to card or for inserts.  Try using glue dots or stick foam pads.  Allow time for glues to dry.

Production

Get some sort of production line going.  Make up each element from your design ready to place on your card rather than doing one card at a time.  Make sure you are well away from anything that can spill or stain your invitations.  Store away from heat and sources of smell.  Make sure your hands are clean.  If you are doing lots of gluing, keep washing your hands as it tends to get everywhere.

Inserts

Inserts can be handwritten, printed on an inkjet printer, photocopied, or you could have them professionally printed.

Always remember, DIY stationery can be time-consuming, but the end results will be worth you while.

As with every other aspect of weddings these days, it is no longer de rigueur for wedding invitations to be traditionally designed and worded. Instead, wedding invitations are now considered the perfect way to offer invitees a sneak peak into the unique personality of the bridal couple and an inviting glimpse into the character of the affair. In order to achieve this however, it is important that you choose the appropriate wedding invites.

Take a look at any offline or online store that creates wedding invites and you will see that they stock a wide range of wedding invitations in every style and color possible to suit all kinds of weddings.  While this means today’s bridal couples have an endless array to choose from, it also makes the task of choosing the right wedding invitation that much more difficult.

How to Choose the Most Suitable Wedding Invitation

There are several different aspects of the wedding that you need to take into consideration when selecting your wedding invites. Some of the most important aspects include the tone of your wedding, the color scheme of your wedding and the theme of your wedding.

Tone of the Wedding - Are you planning an ultra formal reception hosted in a five-star hotel or is it a more casual barefoot-in-the-park affair? Not only are the style and design of formal wedding invites distinctly different from that of casual invites, even the wordings and the font of the wording are different.

Color Scheme of the Wedding - Though there are no laid down rules about designing invitations of any type, sending wedding invites that complement the wedding color theme is an unwritten rule that is followed by almost all bridal couples. Matching the color of wedding invites to the wedding décor ties in all the elements of the wedding and shows that you have taken the trouble to take care of the minutest details.

Theme of the Wedding - Are you having a theme wedding? Is it a Valentine’s Day Wedding, A Christmas Wedding, a beach wedding or a Victorian wedding? Each theme has a distinctly different tone and the appropriate wedding invitations for each of theme would give your guests a better idea of what to expect. Sending a shell- shaped, casually worded wedding invite for a Valentine’s Day Wedding would set a jarring note to the whole event but would be perfect for a wedding that is actually being held on the beach.

When choosing the most appropriate wedding invitations you may also want to consider the season that your wedding will take place, the type of flowers you are having in your wedding and whether or not you want to incorporate a specific religious or ethnic theme.

Choosing the most appropriate wedding invitations is an important part of achieving the right atmosphere; it in fact sets the tone of the whole wedding.

Almost 90% of brides to be, start to look for their wedding invitations once a date has been set. The one thing we normally find is the complete wedding stationery range can sometimes be forgotten. The most popular stationery item is obviously the invitation shortly followed by the name cards used to identify the seating location of the bride and grooms guests.

Wedding Invitations / Evening Invitations

The invitations are by far the most popular item of stationery for today’s modern bride.  The invitation is the most personal way of inviting your guests to the wedding. It can be tailored as much as needed to provide the relevant information about the wedding and the events throughout the day.

Thank you Cards

Thank you cards are the perfect way to let your guests know how grateful you are of their special gifts they bought you, or even just for joining you on your big day. Your thank you stationery is normally customised with your personal message for you to pass onto your guests and usually provided for you by the same company that made your wedding invitations so that the design can be carried through.

Order of Service Booklets

Your order of service booklets are an essential part of your wedding service. Whether you are marring in a church or opting for a civil ceremony, the order of service or order of the day for civil ceremonies, gives your guests that essential layout of events for the service or ceremony. When marring in a church most couples use the order of service booklets to print hymn words and list prayers or readings. Most churches will ask you to provide your guests an order of service booklet and will give you a copy of their version of hymns.

Place Cards

Your guests will need to know where to sit when they arrive at your wedding reception, so a place card is an essential when planning your stationery needs. Many stationery companies will be able to make these for you to match your wedding invitations, and most will also print your guest’s names on them for an extra cost. It is also popular for brides or bride’s families to handwrite the place cards to save money and add that personal touch.

Menus

If you are having a wedding reception then you will need to inform your guests of what they will be eating. Whether it is a simple reminder of the meals they have already chosen or an insight into the delights ahead.

RSVP Cards

When sending out your wedding invitations, you will need a way for your guests to inform you whether they are able to make it or not. The easiest way to do this is the send out RSVP cards with your wedding invitations. Most stationery companies will be able to provide these to match your wedding stationery. Blissful Designs offers these for free with your wedding invitations.

Direction Cards

When your guests need to travel to a venue they are not familiar with, the sending direction cards out with your wedding invitations is really the easiest way to get this information across. Most companies will print both a map and directions and any other details you need.

Always begin your thank you card by offering the correct greeting like “Dear Clare & Paul”. Many people forget to properly address this when writing the cards.

I would then personalize your thank you by mentioning the gift you received and maybe say how you would put the gift to good use. It is always nice to hear that your gift was kindly received.

To finish the thank you card, I would then maybe mention a past visit such as “I enjoyed seeing you last Christmas at mums birthday party, I was so happy to share our wedding day with you and hope to see you again very soon.” If you do not have frequent contact with the sender, a simple “I think of you often and hope you are well” will suffice.

Say “thanks” once more, “Thanks again for the gift.”

Wrap it up with a pleasant closing that uses words like “Love,” “Warmly,” Yours truly” or whatever suits you.

Review the letter for spelling errors and be sure to attach the correct postage.

Wedding stationery can be an expensive part of your wedding but there are ways to save money if you look around and are aware of a few insider tips!

If you are looking at generic printed stationery then the best advise is to have your stationery printed by thermograph or laser instead of engraved. This will still look nice but cost significantly less.

If you are looking for a more personal handmade invitation and wedding stationery range then there are a few things to think about that will save you considerable amounts of money.

A way for your guest to R.S.V.P to your wedding invitation is essential but you don’t necessarily need to send out costly R.S.V.P cards. You could just as easily add your telephone or email address into the wording of your invites saving the cost of ordering R.S.V.P and envelopes. It will also save on postage costs of sending your wedding invitations as they will weigh less.

Most companies of handmade wedding stationery will make their designs in a variety of sizes and styles in order to cater to all budgets. You could choose a more expensive wedding invitation for your day invites and then a postcard style invite for your evening invitations. This should give you a substantial saving and most companies will co-ordinate their postcard invites to keep in with your chosen theme.

Have smaller invitations. The smaller the invitation (this 3×5 or 4×6) will reduce paper costs and thus the cost of the invitations.

Most wedding stationery companies will offer there range as a DIY kit which again should offer you a good discount when ordering your stationery. Maybe have your main wedding invitations made professionally but make the other items of stationery yourself such as name cards and Order of Service booklets.

Most importantly make sure that you shop around for online discounts many wedding stationery companies will run discounts when in low season. High season is from January to May with low season being from May to August. December is usually the quietest month of the year so good discounts can be found if you order your wedding stationery before the New Year rush.

Most couples nowadays look forward to having a wedding day that is unique in everyway from the reception venue to the bridal gown. Whatever kind of wedding reception you may choose to host, whether it is barefoot on the beach, a picnic in the park or a more stylish affair in a grand ballroom, you should be as creative with your wedding invitations as you are with the rest of your wedding preparations. Designing your wedding invitations to reflect the ceremony itself is a novel and unique way to set the tone of the reception.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

These days you are apt to see wedding ceremonies as varied as the bridal couples themselves. They run the gamut from ultra traditional church weddings to absolutely modern contemporary receptions and from ultra formal affairs held in state-of the art ballrooms to casual weddings hosted in a shack by the beach.

Here are some factors to take into consideration when designing your wedding invitation to match the tone of your wedding:

The reception venue - If you are planning on hosting a very formal wedding reception, you may want to choose a formally-worded gold or ivory invitation with a subtle design and a matching envelope. A wedding reception that is being hosted in a wide open field full of wildflowers would warrant a more casual and flowery invitation; the tone should stay casual throughout, even in the wording of the invite. A classy white embossed invitation is perfect for a traditional all-white wedding.

The color scheme of the wedding - Most bridal couples go through great lengths to ensure that everything, from the bridesmaids dresses to the flowers and all other decorations for the wedding are in sync with the color scheme of the wedding. Why not go the extra mile and let the wedding invitation reflect the wedding color scheme?

Gold engraved invitations with a decorative burgundy edging and burgundy wordings would perfectly complement a classy evening wedding set in a backdrop of cream and gold. The only thing burgundy could be the bridesmaids gowns and the wedding bouquet.

Cheerful pastel invitations would be more indicative of an informal spring wedding whereas red and white invitations are the perfect lead-in to a Valentines Day wedding.

The Importance of Setting the Tone with your Wedding Invitation

While most family and friends would be aware of the impending marriage, not everyone knows what kind of reception you are planning on hosting. Your wedding invite is in effect the first point of contact between you and your guests. A wedding invitation designed to reflect the reception is like giving your guests a hint of what they can expect at your reception. This sneak-peek is sure to whet the curiosity of your guests and do much to ensure the success of your wedding day.

Your wedding invitations are a vital part of your wedding plans.The invitations can control a lot, primarily is the list of guests you want to attend but they also determine the overall cost of your big day.They are a great way to trim your guest list and keep the numbers down.Remember, you can invite a lot more to the evening ceremony.

The stationery you use reflects on the kind of wedding you are planning.A simple invite will give the opposite effect to an elegant invitation which will tell your guests to expect a formal affair.The colours used on the stationery will also give your guests an idea of what to expect.

Take the following as an idea of what you should consider when choosing your invitations:

The first thing you need to do is analyse your guest list, go over it several times.It is very easy to get carried away and invite everyone you know, but you have to be realistic.Find out how many guests the reception can cater for and use that as a starting figure.Then work out the cost per head and find out what the overall cost will be for the full list.Now you can decide how much you want to spend on your guests and how many you can invite.

Once you have decided on the number of guests you can have, you can now begin to filter your guest list starting with immediate family members and your closest friends.You have to always remember this is your day and you don’t need to invite a whole family.They may have four children who aren’t really interested in attending and it will only cost you more.Remember to only invite the ‘key’ people.

Choosing your wedding invitations will now be a lot easier, you will know how many you need so you can work out how much you will spend per invite.Why not call the stationery supplier and ask them what they can offer for your budget.You may be surprised; you may now be able to afford additional stationery like a table plan or guest book.

The wording of the invitation is very important.The standard practice is to include the date, venue and time. Why not include more details that you may need to give your guests.Directions to the venue or contact numbers if there are special dietary requirements.This is normally included on RSVP cards, but they are your initiations with your wording so include what you want.

While we are on the subject of RSVP cards, why not state on the RSVP to call rather than posting, this will save money to both parties.It’s just as easy to pick up the phone and accept the invitation as it is to respond with the RSVP card.

Finally, if you are feeling creative, why not make the invitations yourself.DIY wedding stationery is becoming very popular; it just takes a little bit of time and patience.Good companies can offer you DIY kits to make your life easier and it is almost certainly cheaper doing this than it is to buy the craft items individually.With DIY, you get exactly what you ask for rather than having to buy in bulk.Personalise your wedding invitations with you own character and flare.

When you have finally made one of the biggest committments of your life and you are happy to be engaged, you now begin the long process of planning your wedding day.  From guests to cars and venue to honeymoon  you have a lot of things to sort out and lots of ideas to think of.  Some say your wedding invitation is one of the most detailed aspects of your wedding, after all its your official announcement to all your family and friends of your big day.

Here we have put together a few thoughts and ideas towards making it easier in choosing the perfect invitation.

The first thing to think about when choosing your wedding invitations is the style and theme of your wedding.  Handmade stationery is the ideal solution to incorperating any style and theme as there are so many amazing materials to choose from. Why choose a mass produced pre-printed wedding invitation that thousands of brides have used before you when you can personalise your design and be involved at every stage of the design and creation process.  Why not use quality hammered card, or handmade paper butterflys to give it that extra impact.  Simple things like this have an amazing impact on your stationery and give the impression of elegance to your guests.

Now you have decided on the card, you need to think about the size, you can have almost any size or shape you can think of, if you have an idea, simply call the stationery supplier and ask if they are capable of producing your style.  Depending on budget, you can opt for a simple postcard style or choose a booklet style invitation.

Designing your wedding invitations is the next step, the options here are endless.  Your wedding dress and venue are probably decorated with ribbons and flowers anb lovely colours all adding to the theme of your big day.  Why stop there? Transform your invitations by doing the same, include paper flowers, ribbon and bows and style your invitations to match your wedding day.

Your almost there, you have the card, style and decorations, all you need to do is create the perfect mix of colours and your ready for your wedding invitations to be made.  There are so many colours to choose from, if you want a specific colour why not simply ask for it?

How are you sending the card should also be considered, will you be sending it in a standard envelope or protecting them with postal boxes.  Postal boxes are an excellent idea to prevent any damage to your invitations when going through the postal system.  After all, you have invested so much time and effort into creating your stationery it would be a shame to have them damaged at the final moment.

The wedding inviation is the first glimpse of you wedding you give to your guests.  It gives them an initial guide of what to expect from your wedding day.  When your guests recieve your elegant stationery, they will admire the detail you have gone to and it will show them how important this means to you.  Don’t hold back, let your wedding invitations make a statement about the big day.

Wedding Invitations are far more than simply asking people to join you at your wedding.  They are a symbol to introduce everyone to your wedding day which they can keep forever.  The invitation itself holds the detailed information you need all your guests to be aware of.  For this reason alone, you should always take plenty of time when writing the content of your wedding invitation.  Think of it as a little taster for your guests of what is to come on your big day.

When you work out how much effort you put into choosing your dress, finding the perfect location, picking an ideal photographer, people can sometimes neglect there wedding stationery and simply order them at the last minute, sometimes weeks before the wedding.  The invitation is not always the first thing on a brides mind, but putting a lot of effort into your stationery can be worthwhile in the end.

The custom handmade stationery on offer is now one of the most popular types of wedding invitations for today’s modern bride.  The old fashioned pre-printed stationery is no longer sought after and the main reason is being able to transform your stationery using colours and crafts which pre-printed can not offer.  Below you will find a quick list of ideas that you may want to consider when deciding on your wedding stationery.

Where will your wedding be held? Is it in a remote location? Is it abroad on a beach or have you chosen the popular civil ceremony at the hotel where your reception is?  This is ideal to find you the type of invitation you are looking for. It may be themed towards sand or shells, or the content of the stationery may not only provide the time, date and location, it may need to provide detailed directions or even a map for those guests who are not from the area.

You can now decide what your colour needs to be, will your stationery match your dress, or your bridesmaid dresses.  Will they be the same colour as your decorated reception?  These are all valid ideas which will not only make your stationery unique but will also give your guests a little taster of the theme.

How long is it until your wedding?  This is a big question to ask as you may need to send out save the date cards if it is too early for the invitations.  You may find your main guests have booked there holiday on your big day which would be upsetting for both parties.

Finally, what is your budget for your stationery, you should be very realistic in deciding this as there are several options to choose from.  If you have a restricted budget, you don’t need to go for the ’supermarket’ stationery, why not choose from a DIY stationery range, you still get the same quality and style but you save money. Alternatively, if you don’t have the time for making your own, you can have the full range designed, handmade and prepared for you. 

Just remember your wedding invitations will be the first glimpse your guests get of your wedding and also the last as they can keep the wedding stationery forever.