From beautiful attire to intricately decorated cakes, the costs of a memorable wedding can easily skyrocket. If you aren’t careful, you could wind up spending thousands of dollars on the smallest details like your wedding invitations. According to TheWeddingReport.com, the average cost of wedding invitations totals $750 – and that’s before you add on postage.
Wedding invitations are an important part of your nuptials, letting guests save the date and plan for your special day. But they don’t need to eat up a big chunk of your budget. There are alternatives to expensive custom invitations. Here’s how savvy brides and grooms can cut down on the cost of invitations.
Go Digital
If you want to dramatically cut the costs of your wedding invitations, consider going digital. There are a number of ways you can use digital media to let friends and family know about your wedding, such as a wedding website. For far less money than traditional paper invites, you can create a website that’s home to all the details about your nuptials. Then, you can send the link to your guests and they can RSVP right on your website.
An even simpler solution? Send an email to each guest for free. It’s a smart way to quickly send out invitations while completely eliminating the cost of your invites.
Buy Your Own Paper
If you do decide to have your invites professionally printed, search for a printer willing to use paper you buy elsewhere. Shop around online to find cheap paper and a printer who will let you provide your own. With a little legwork, you’re likely to find a good deal on a bulk purchase. Be sure to figure out how many invitations you need before you make any purchases, however.
Create Your Own Invitations
If you have a printer, you can create your invitations. With quality paper and an elegant font, you can make invitations that look professional. If you have a crafty side, you can also add fun embellishments, such as stamps, glitter, or metal leaf. Check out crafting websites for tips and ideas to inspire your own creations.
Pass on Extras
When you shop for wedding invitations, you’ll likely be dazzled by the sheer number of extras you can include, from magnet reminders to frilly detailing. Opting for a simple design, even when done by a professional company, will save you money. In addition, reducing the weight of each invitation can cut down on postage costs; each ounce you shave off the weight will yield big savings, especially if you have an exhaustive guest list.
You can save even more money by skipping on optional information cards. For example, instead of including a response card, you can ask your guests to reply to your invitation on your website or via email.
Send Invites to the Group, Not the Individual
When you finalize your guest list, you may feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of invitations necessary to reach everyone. However, you can organize your list into groups to reduce the number of invitations. For example, you don’t need to send an invite to each of your cousins; instead, send the invite to your aunts and uncles and ask them to extend the invitation to their children. Go through your guest list carefully, grouping families and couples as one to reduce the number of invites you’ll need to buy. For group invites, make sure the name of each guest appears on the invite to avoid confusion.
Skip Non-Traditional Envelopes
Colorful envelopes in non-standard sizes may look interesting and will certainly catch the eyes of your guests as they open their mailboxes. However, you may face an unwelcome surprise at the post office when you discover that you must pay extra for these unorthodox sizes. No matter how interesting they may be, your envelopes will likely be tossed into the recycling bin upon arrival; don’t spend extra in both purchasing and postage costs for fancy recycling scraps.
You Can Save on Your Wedding Invitations
If you want to save some money on your wedding, you can find easy ways to cut costs on your invitations – and you don’t have to sacrifice at all. You can create affordable, or even free, invitations that still offer a beautiful invite to your guests. Making smart choices and choosing to take on aspects of designing your own invites are just some of the ways you can spend your invitation budget wisely.
Every couple should decide which of these invitation savings tips works for their wedding day. There’s a solution for your budget and your special day out there; these are only a few ideas to help you save money. Search online to discover even more ways to save, from DIY options to affordable printers to budget-friendly online services.
Like anything, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the latest research. We recommend comparing at least 3 or 4 options before making a final decision. Doing a search online is typically the quickest, most thorough way to discover all the pros and cons you need to keep in mind.