I'm in the midst of wedding planning and one thing I've been dabbling in since I got engaged are my invitations. I like being crafty, but in no way am I an Artsy Queen -- But I'm really good with Photoshop so designing them isn't the problem... It's putting them together that is.
I've done some research on purchasing completely done invitations and they can run up to $500 easy. and the more I look, the more I feel like I'd like to design it myself. I'm looking for a pocketfold invite for about 120 people.
I guess I just want to know is it really cheaper to make them myself? I've been looking at Cards and Pockets, the paper mill and Paper and More. And have found the pocketfolds, cardstock, envelopes, RSVP envelopes and inserts all for about roughly $280.
Now, time and labor is OK for me (I actually think I'll enjoy it). But should I buy a printer and print them or take them to someone to print?
OK, sorry for the long post, but I just want to finally decide on whether I should make them or not and if it really is a better deal.
I was not daring enough to tackle invitations myself but did calligraphy on my envelopes myself as well as I am going to do rehearsal dinner invites, programs, menus and place cards. I feel as though if you are going to use the printer for more things its definitely worth it but can't really give you the advice on if its better to take them to an outside printer or DIY. I am lucky enough to use the printer at work!
I made 50 invitations myself for around $60. It is very labor intensive, but it was a really fun project and I was very proud of myself when all was said and done.
Ok, here's my two cents... I'm sure I could have gotten invitations cheeper than what I paid for my DIY ones. *However* I could not have gotten the pocket fold/multi-insert invitations that we had if I'd paid someone else to do them. If you think you'll enjoy designing them and assembling them and you're organized enough to get them done in a timely manner so that you're not up all night for a week straight trying to get them finished up, then I say absolutely go for it! DIY'ing our invites was one of the most fun projects I did for our wedding. An additional advantage to doing them yourself is that it's a lot easier to make the programs and other printed material match/complement.
As far as printing vs. having them printed, I'm a little bias because I printed them myself on a approx. $120 HP photo printer and wouldn't have done it any other way. I'm very picky and redesigned a couple of times after I saw it printed out. Also I was able to control the color better with my own printer. But then again, I use my printer on a very regular basis and wouldn't trade it for the world! Good luck and have fun!
I decided to make my own invites so I could get exactly what I wanted. I am very happy with the results and received many compliments. The design process took the most time, but was also the most fun.
Here is my cost breakdown. I was able to use a friends printer for the invite and envelope printing.
Cards n' Pockets-Pocket folds, blank invites, invite mat and envenlopes-$121.54
Kinkos-Printing and cutting of inserts (direction card, RSVP post card, Hotel info) $61
Ribbon and glue I think about $30
Total, $212 for about 60 invites, we needed 52 but I had enough supplies for 60 (Thank goodness as two people lost their original)
One bit of advice, if you use Cards n' pockets, order a sample. Their colors are a little different and you need to check your printers ability to print on off sizes. I could not use my friends printer for the inserts since they come pre-cut in unusual sizes. Hence the Kinos trip, and Kinkos won't print on anything less than standard 8.5 x 11.
It only took one weekend to assemble our invites. We really enjoyed the process, but it has to worth your time.
@aspring: so did you not buy the pre-cut inserts from cards and pockets and just buy cardstock and had kinkos cut it? b/c now I'm worried to get the pre-cut inserts...
What colors did you use? I'm looking for a teal - but all they have is the tiffany blue :/
I did not use the pre cut inserts. I just went to Kinkos and tried to match the card stock they had in stock. I think it was pretty close, I also just figured that as long as all of the inserts matched I didn't really care if it perfectly matched the invite. Or you could go with a contrast on purpose, which I also thought about.
The pocketfold I used was persian, invite mat was hydrangea and the invite was white. I then used a dark blue ink for the invite printing that matched the pocketfold. I think it really brought it all together. my inserts were white cardstock and black ink. (For as many inserts as I needed, the color printing was too expensive at Kinkos)
I really liked the hydrangea and persian combo, but it's a lot different from teal. The samples are pretty cheap. I ordered a bunch of blues and just played with the combos until i got one I liked. Maybe you could try that. Oh and I also thought their customer service was great!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
it can be cheaper, but that's assuming that everything goes perfectly and you don't have unexpected costs. I would only DIY mine again because I prefer my style, otherwise, the headache and $ that went into them was SO not worth it! :P
I am in the midst of DIYing 80 pocketfold invites with 3 inserts. I liked the DIY option because I able to get the exact paper I wanted (I used 2 different companies), I was also able to customize the size and design of the pockefold, and added in my own personal touches in terms of design add-ons (cut-outs and outer ribbon). I also personalized all the RSVP cards for each individual guest.
That being said it was (and continues to be) VERY labour intensive - all the cutting, printing and gluing, also it was not exactally cheap. It was definitly cheaper than having someone else make the exact same invitation, but because I was making it myself and "saving" money I probably ended up adding in things that I wouldn't have otherwise.
If you like to DIY and design then I say go for it! Just make sure you have lots of time alloted! Good luck!
My DH and I made our own pocketfolds because there wasn't really any premade ones in the orientation that we needed. I needed a pocket and two sides for the invitation since I needed both English and Chinese and most things you can buy online only have one side for the invite. The only invitation place that I found that did pocketfolds like the ones we wanted, wanted to charge an arm and a leg for them. That's why we decided to make them ourselves.
There is no doubt that it was really really labor intensive. However, I loved it because it did allow me to get the exact color I wanted as well as the exact design/fonts that I wanted. I definitely saved a bundle by making them myself and I got tons of compliments on them. I even had some people refusing to return the RSVP cards because they didn't want to mess up the set and wanted to keep the invite.
I agree w/the girl above. If you have the time and won't procrastinate and enjoy craft projects, I say go for it!
I totally second bonnie on saying that if it's a project you think you can enjoy and pull off - go for it.
I'm doing my own invites - they will be cheaper than having them made, but depending on how complex your invites are it will probably cost you a lot in labor to do it yourself. Mainly I'm doing them myself because I love handmaking something and I'm proud of the one-of-a-kind design that I've created.
SO, update! I ordered samples from paper and more, cards and pockets and the paper mill!! :) I'm on my way to making my own invites (if the sample invite I make works OK)
Question for all you that have used pocketfolds: did you close it with a ribbon? I'm thinking of doing a ribbon and possibly a seal. Did you make the ribbob untie, or did it just slide off?
Thanks, guys! (I'd love to see pictures, if you have any!)
Mine had a strip of nice japanese paper on the outside and then a small diamond piece of paper with the Chinese double happiness character glued to it. So there wasn't anything that really held the invite closed. I can send you a pic if you want to see it.
If possible, I would make the ribbon slide off instead of tie as tying would create a bump and it may not make it through the post office machines without it being all mangled. And I know there have been many stories on this board about post offices making a bride pay more because they had some bump or something that didn't allow the invite to go through the machines.
Calling all bees out there.
I'm in the midst of wedding planning and one thing I've been dabbling in since I got engaged are my invitations. I like being crafty, but in no way am I an Artsy Queen -- But I'm really good with Photoshop so designing them isn't the problem... It's putting them together that is.
I've done some research on purchasing completely done invitations and they can run up to $500 easy. and the more I look, the more I feel like I'd like to design it myself. I'm looking for a pocketfold invite for about 120 people.
I guess I just want to know is it really cheaper to make them myself? I've been looking at Cards and Pockets, the paper mill and Paper and More. And have found the pocketfolds, cardstock, envelopes, RSVP envelopes and inserts all for about roughly $280.
Now, time and labor is OK for me (I actually think I'll enjoy it). But should I buy a printer and print them or take them to someone to print?
OK, sorry for the long post, but I just want to finally decide on whether I should make them or not and if it really is a better deal.
Any of you go this route? What's your advice?
Thanks!!
posted by nada122 15 posts 3 months agoI was not daring enough to tackle invitations myself but did calligraphy on my envelopes myself as well as I am going to do rehearsal dinner invites, programs, menus and place cards. I feel as though if you are going to use the printer for more things its definitely worth it but can't really give you the advice on if its better to take them to an outside printer or DIY. I am lucky enough to use the printer at work!
posted by pinklau325 119 posts 3 months agoI made 50 invitations myself for around $60. It is very labor intensive, but it was a really fun project and I was very proud of myself when all was said and done.
posted by CarolineG 284 posts 3 months agoOk, here's my two cents... I'm sure I could have gotten invitations cheeper than what I paid for my DIY ones. *However* I could not have gotten the pocket fold/multi-insert invitations that we had if I'd paid someone else to do them. If you think you'll enjoy designing them and assembling them and you're organized enough to get them done in a timely manner so that you're not up all night for a week straight trying to get them finished up, then I say absolutely go for it! DIY'ing our invites was one of the most fun projects I did for our wedding. An additional advantage to doing them yourself is that it's a lot easier to make the programs and other printed material match/complement.
As far as printing vs. having them printed, I'm a little bias because I printed them myself on a approx. $120 HP photo printer and wouldn't have done it any other way. I'm very picky and redesigned a couple of times after I saw it printed out. Also I was able to control the color better with my own printer. But then again, I use my printer on a very regular basis and wouldn't trade it for the world! Good luck and have fun!
posted by bonniebelle101 291 posts 3 months agoI decided to make my own invites so I could get exactly what I wanted. I am very happy with the results and received many compliments. The design process took the most time, but was also the most fun.
Here is my cost breakdown. I was able to use a friends printer for the invite and envelope printing.
Cards n' Pockets-Pocket folds, blank invites, invite mat and envenlopes-$121.54
Kinkos-Printing and cutting of inserts (direction card, RSVP post card, Hotel info) $61
Ribbon and glue I think about $30
Total, $212 for about 60 invites, we needed 52 but I had enough supplies for 60 (Thank goodness as two people lost their original)
One bit of advice, if you use Cards n' pockets, order a sample. Their colors are a little different and you need to check your printers ability to print on off sizes. I could not use my friends printer for the inserts since they come pre-cut in unusual sizes. Hence the Kinos trip, and Kinkos won't print on anything less than standard 8.5 x 11.
It only took one weekend to assemble our invites. We really enjoyed the process, but it has to worth your time.
posted by aspring 6 posts 3 months agothanks guys!! this is so helpful!
@aspring: so did you not buy the pre-cut inserts from cards and pockets and just buy cardstock and had kinkos cut it? b/c now I'm worried to get the pre-cut inserts...
What colors did you use? I'm looking for a teal - but all they have is the tiffany blue :/
Thanks!
posted by nada122 15 posts 3 months ago<!--StartFragment -->
Hi,
I did not use the pre cut inserts. I just went to Kinkos and tried to match the card stock they had in stock. I think it was pretty close, I also just figured that as long as all of the inserts matched I didn't really care if it perfectly matched the invite. Or you could go with a contrast on purpose, which I also thought about.
The pocketfold I used was persian, invite mat was hydrangea and the invite was white. I then used a dark blue ink for the invite printing that matched the pocketfold. I think it really brought it all together. my inserts were white cardstock and black ink. (For as many inserts as I needed, the color printing was too expensive at Kinkos)
I really liked the hydrangea and persian combo, but it's a lot different from teal. The samples are pretty cheap. I ordered a bunch of blues and just played with the combos until i got one I liked. Maybe you could try that. Oh and I also thought their customer service was great!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
posted by aspring 6 posts 3 months agoit can be cheaper, but that's assuming that everything goes perfectly and you don't have unexpected costs. I would only DIY mine again because I prefer my style, otherwise, the headache and $ that went into them was SO not worth it! :P
posted by shortcake 45 posts 3 months agoI am in the midst of DIYing 80 pocketfold invites with 3 inserts. I liked the DIY option because I able to get the exact paper I wanted (I used 2 different companies), I was also able to customize the size and design of the pockefold, and added in my own personal touches in terms of design add-ons (cut-outs and outer ribbon). I also personalized all the RSVP cards for each individual guest.
That being said it was (and continues to be) VERY labour intensive - all the cutting, printing and gluing, also it was not exactally cheap. It was definitly cheaper than having someone else make the exact same invitation, but because I was making it myself and "saving" money I probably ended up adding in things that I wouldn't have otherwise.
If you like to DIY and design then I say go for it! Just make sure you have lots of time alloted! Good luck!
posted by MsB 212 posts 3 months agoMy DH and I made our own pocketfolds because there wasn't really any premade ones in the orientation that we needed. I needed a pocket and two sides for the invitation since I needed both English and Chinese and most things you can buy online only have one side for the invite. The only invitation place that I found that did pocketfolds like the ones we wanted, wanted to charge an arm and a leg for them. That's why we decided to make them ourselves.
There is no doubt that it was really really labor intensive. However, I loved it because it did allow me to get the exact color I wanted as well as the exact design/fonts that I wanted. I definitely saved a bundle by making them myself and I got tons of compliments on them. I even had some people refusing to return the RSVP cards because they didn't want to mess up the set and wanted to keep the invite.
I agree w/the girl above. If you have the time and won't procrastinate and enjoy craft projects, I say go for it!
posted by stressgirl615 234 posts 3 months agoI totally second bonnie on saying that if it's a project you think you can enjoy and pull off - go for it.
I'm doing my own invites - they will be cheaper than having them made, but depending on how complex your invites are it will probably cost you a lot in labor to do it yourself. Mainly I'm doing them myself because I love handmaking something and I'm proud of the one-of-a-kind design that I've created.
posted by thefuturemrsjay 7 posts 3 months agoSO, update! I ordered samples from paper and more, cards and pockets and the paper mill!! :) I'm on my way to making my own invites (if the sample invite I make works OK)
Question for all you that have used pocketfolds: did you close it with a ribbon? I'm thinking of doing a ribbon and possibly a seal. Did you make the ribbob untie, or did it just slide off?
Thanks, guys! (I'd love to see pictures, if you have any!)
posted by nada122 15 posts 3 months agoMine had a strip of nice japanese paper on the outside and then a small diamond piece of paper with the Chinese double happiness character glued to it. So there wasn't anything that really held the invite closed. I can send you a pic if you want to see it.
If possible, I would make the ribbon slide off instead of tie as tying would create a bump and it may not make it through the post office machines without it being all mangled. And I know there have been many stories on this board about post offices making a bride pay more because they had some bump or something that didn't allow the invite to go through the machines.
posted by stressgirl615 234 posts 3 months ago