I would say that the main reason is to cut costs for it can be a lot cheaper to DIY, also to give it your personal touch. They will hold a bigger personal meaning.
Most of the invitations I wanted were either not my style or not my price. I was able to make invitations according to what I envisioned w/o having to pay to full price.
I DIYed the design, but not the printing (letterpress). Everything felt like I had seen it before, so it made more sense for us to design it ourselves.
I was going to...but I made calculations...and for me DIY invitations would be more expensive than buying them...we got super lucky and found a huge deal...our invites are less than $50 and look like $500...but sssh..don't tell our guests!
I wanted a pocketfold but I needed to accomodate two sides that would have text in english and chinese so I had to design them myself. Most pocketfolds that are sold only has one side for text. Plus, the only place I found that did have something similar wanted to charge me $12/invite which did not fit in my budget.
i couldn't find anything like what i imagined, so i decided to DIY them instead of paying $$$ for custom. plus, i enjoy making things like invites, so while it was a little stressful, it was a lot of fun too. and we saved SO much money - our invites including postage were under $1!
We are on a small budget because we are paying for everything ourselves. I like doing crafts so when I couldn't find anything I liked that was in our budget I didn't think twice about making them myself. I got to customize them in our wedding colors, add our photo on vellum and just create something that I loved. I even made the envelopes myself, which I probably wouldn't do again because getting the envelopes to stay closed was a pain. My whole wedding is basically DIY, I made everything from invites, programs, coloring books for kids packs, mintbooks, favors, ring bearer pillow and the list goes on....
I really didn't want generic invites, and custom ones were $$$$. I ended up making my own and spending about $3 per invite. It was a fun process and while they weren't exactly professional looking, our guests loved them.
For me, it was that anything in our budget I really just didn't like. Doing them myself also gave me an excuse to get a Gocco. It cost a little more than we had initially anticipated, but I love that I made them myself. Had target had the style of printable invitations they have now when I was looking for invitations I would have used them in a heartbeat. But they didn't, so I made them. :D
I DIY'd mine because I couln't find any invitations that matched our theme (peacock) and our colors (pink and gold). Plus I am a graphic designer and am super picky and I hated most of the fonts and text layouts I saw in sample books. I wanted complete control over the layout.
I am diy-ing our invites and save the dates because I am a graphic designer. In order to have complete control over the final outcome and be able to afford them, I have to print them myself. Letterpress or custom printing doesn't fit into our budget and fullcolor at a place like Kinko's is more expensive than you think (plus, for me, the quality is not the same). So I bought a Gocco and I'm hand printing every single paper piece we'll use.
It never occured to me to buy my invites. Seriously! My mom and I are both such creative people that I absolutely knew all of the stationary would be designed by us, as well as the flowers, decorations and my dress. It gives me a way to take control over a day that, I feel, has been hyper-commercialized.
For me, cost. The pocket fold invites I wanted were $8 each + to buy. I made mine for $2.25.
Plus it's know knowing that I made that, I did it and I made my day even more personal and "us".
Plus I'm a DIY Gal and graphi designer, I enjoy doing the things I made and do :-) I also have been taking on other peoples designing for their invites :-)
I'm planning on making my own. I should only have about 50 to make, since we're having a small wedding, so I don't think it should be that difficult, but talk to me again after I start the project!
I haven't found the type of invite and design I want in a reasonable price range, so DIY seems like the best way to go.
In short, the price. I found some great ones out there....but they were all about $5.50 per set. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we have 300 guests and it adds up! I wanted to make my splurges on the food and decorations, not the paper products.
Im using my Gocco and so far, so good. Better than anything I could have bought!
I have a question for everyone. I want to know why a good amount of brides are making there own invitations?
posted by arosenow 5 posts 5 months agoI would say that the main reason is to cut costs for it can be a lot cheaper to DIY, also to give it your personal touch. They will hold a bigger personal meaning.
posted by babesilvia 63 posts 5 months agoMost of the invitations I wanted were either not my style or not my price. I was able to make invitations according to what I envisioned w/o having to pay to full price.
posted by MsJadey 141 posts 5 months agoI DIYed the design, but not the printing (letterpress). Everything felt like I had seen it before, so it made more sense for us to design it ourselves.
posted by rebecca 989 posts 5 months agoI was going to...but I made calculations...and for me DIY invitations would be more expensive than buying them...we got super lucky and found a huge deal...our invites are less than $50 and look like $500...but sssh..don't tell our guests!
posted by V 232 posts 5 months agoi was able to customize the information that I wanted and I knew that no one would have an invite like ours
posted by jma19 364 posts 5 months agoI wanted a pocketfold but I needed to accomodate two sides that would have text in english and chinese so I had to design them myself. Most pocketfolds that are sold only has one side for text. Plus, the only place I found that did have something similar wanted to charge me $12/invite which did not fit in my budget.
posted by stressgirl615 234 posts 5 months agoi couldn't find anything like what i imagined, so i decided to DIY them instead of paying $$$ for custom. plus, i enjoy making things like invites, so while it was a little stressful, it was a lot of fun too. and we saved SO much money - our invites including postage were under $1!
posted by staceyb 178 posts 5 months agoWe are on a small budget because we are paying for everything ourselves. I like doing crafts so when I couldn't find anything I liked that was in our budget I didn't think twice about making them myself. I got to customize them in our wedding colors, add our photo on vellum and just create something that I loved. I even made the envelopes myself, which I probably wouldn't do again because getting the envelopes to stay closed was a pain. My whole wedding is basically DIY, I made everything from invites, programs, coloring books for kids packs, mintbooks, favors, ring bearer pillow and the list goes on....
Here are my invites:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27217954@N05/2542058022/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27217954@N05/2540748857/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27217954@N05/2541570444/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27217954@N05/2540748841/
posted by angee524 61 posts 5 months agoI really didn't want generic invites, and custom ones were $$$$. I ended up making my own and spending about $3 per invite. It was a fun process and while they weren't exactly professional looking, our guests loved them.
posted by Maude 131 posts 5 months agoFor me, it was that anything in our budget I really just didn't like. Doing them myself also gave me an excuse to get a Gocco. It cost a little more than we had initially anticipated, but I love that I made them myself. Had target had the style of printable invitations they have now when I was looking for invitations I would have used them in a heartbeat. But they didn't, so I made them. :D
posted by bethgraced 105 posts 5 months agoI DIY'd mine because I couln't find any invitations that matched our theme (peacock) and our colors (pink and gold). Plus I am a graphic designer and am super picky and I hated most of the fonts and text layouts I saw in sample books. I wanted complete control over the layout.
posted by snmcdowell 467 posts 5 months agoI am diy-ing our invites and save the dates because I am a graphic designer. In order to have complete control over the final outcome and be able to afford them, I have to print them myself. Letterpress or custom printing doesn't fit into our budget and fullcolor at a place like Kinko's is more expensive than you think (plus, for me, the quality is not the same). So I bought a Gocco and I'm hand printing every single paper piece we'll use.
posted by haselwand 117 posts 5 months agoIt never occured to me to buy my invites. Seriously! My mom and I are both such creative people that I absolutely knew all of the stationary would be designed by us, as well as the flowers, decorations and my dress. It gives me a way to take control over a day that, I feel, has been hyper-commercialized.
posted by MsAnge 46 posts 5 months agoFor me, cost. The pocket fold invites I wanted were $8 each + to buy. I made mine for $2.25.
Plus it's know knowing that I made that, I did it and I made my day even more personal and "us".
Plus I'm a DIY Gal and graphi designer, I enjoy doing the things I made and do :-) I also have been taking on other peoples designing for their invites :-)
My invites
Another I made
And another
posted by Sweeney2Be 1,488 posts 5 months agoIt was easier for me to coordinate my invitations with the rest of the stationary by doing them myself...
posted by fromms2mrs 55 posts 5 months agoI'm planning on making my own. I should only have about 50 to make, since we're having a small wedding, so I don't think it should be that difficult, but talk to me again after I start the project!
I haven't found the type of invite and design I want in a reasonable price range, so DIY seems like the best way to go.
posted by CarolineG 284 posts 5 months agoI think its because they want to get crafty. I don't have time or the supplies :e(
I just went to kinkos.
posted by TallBride 581 posts 5 months agoMainly because I can.
Other reason:
I enjoyed doing this
I felt I could get invites that were equal to something I really loved but wasn't willing to pay the exorbitant price for.
I wanted a personal wedding with personal touches.
Best of luck!
posted by luckyinKY 21 posts 5 months agoIn short, the price. I found some great ones out there....but they were all about $5.50 per set. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we have 300 guests and it adds up! I wanted to make my splurges on the food and decorations, not the paper products.
posted by LovelyRita 16 posts 5 months agoIm using my Gocco and so far, so good. Better than anything I could have bought!