Post # 1

Member
317 posts
Helper bee
Wedding invitations is the next step in my planning. I have not decided if I should go to a local studio or order them online.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of either? Which option would get you a better deal? Is online ordering risky? What were your reasons for ordering your invitations online or directly from a shop?
I’d like to hear your opinions! Thanks bees!
Post # 3

Member
500 posts
Busy bee
I’d like to know the answer to this one too!
Post # 4

Member
362 posts
Helper bee
I ordered mine through Costco and couldn’t have been happier. It looked like I spent $1000 + on my invites and they were only about $650.. Very good quality, heavy cardstock, raised ink.
Post # 5

Member
9029 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
I’m ordering online and I dont think its risky, you can order free samples first so you know exactly what the invite will look like ahead of time.
Post # 6

Member
172 posts
Blushing bee
I ordered from wedding paper divas. The service was amazing and I was extremely pleased with the quality. Just beautiful. Great value for money. They even do professional editing for you,
Post # 7

Member
393 posts
Helper bee
If you go with a website, just make sure you order them with enough time in case you are not happy with the printing. I ordered from Vistaprint and sent them back twice. The third time they were just Ok, but I was running out of time so I used them. I complained so much that I ended up getting my invitations for free, which made the aggrevation easier to handle, but still not worth it. I would not recommend using Vistaprint for wedding invitations. I’m not sure what happened b/c I used them several times prior for party invites and they’ve always come out nice, but don’t mess with a bride on a deadline. They lost a loyal customer in me that’s for sure!
Post # 8

Member
354 posts
Helper bee
I ordered from Papaterie – they were beautiful! And relatively inexpensive, though they didn’t look it. (They were about $2.13 per invite)
Post # 9

Member
14496 posts
Honey Beekeeper
I ordered online through vistaprints and I love mine. They were not as easy to customize as they used to be, but they ended up just how we wanted them. I ordered two different ones because we ended up moving everything back a year and I still love both. I do prefer letterpress, but they just were not in our budget. If you want something more custom, there are some on etsy that are super beautiful. I have a few friends that have had great luck with etsy.
The only draw back I have had with brick and mortar locations is that some of them will only allow you to change the words and nothing of the layout, but that will vary from store to store.
Post # 10

Member
111 posts
Blushing bee
I ordered through HelloLucky and I was very pleased (only recieved Save-The-Date Cards so far, ordering invitations in the same design very soon). They were good about sending PDF proofs and making any necessary changes. I think for me it was the convenience of ordering online and I really liked their designs. With a reputable company, I don’t think it’s any more risky to order online. Ordering online also made it easier to involve my Fiance in the process as we didn’t have to schedule an appointment, etc. I could send him links and he could comment at his leisure. Which was very, err, leisurely.
Post # 11

Member
317 posts
Helper bee
So far Green Kangaroo is my top choice if I go online. But $7 for a sample?! Eeek!
Post # 12

Member
860 posts
Busy bee
I found mine on Etsy. They are hand-made and customized especially for me.
Post # 13

Member
1545 posts
Bumble bee
I online you might get more choices. I ordered mine through bed bath and beyond and I was able to get 40% off.
Post # 14

Member
883 posts
Busy bee
I’m making my own. I bought materials both in stores and online.
Post # 15

Member
28 posts
Newbee
Although we looked at online sites, we ended up ordering our invitations from a store. We received samples from Wedding Paper Divas, Costco, and VistaPrint, and we liked the quality of the samples. But then we decided we really wanted dual-language invitations, and the only option was to go to a brick and mortar store. I liked being able to talk to someone about what we liked and how we wanted the invites to look. Plus, we could look at many samples of other real invitations the store had done and see a wide variety of the things the store could do. It was easy to communicate via email with the store, and we received PDF proofs and made corrections before approving the printing. The only downside was taking the time to visit the store: first to see their selection, second to order the invites, third to pick everything up. I would have seriously considered going the online route if we had just wanted English only invitations. But we were very happy with our B&M store experience, and the key is to find a place that is reputable (we looked on Yelp) and has the printing options you want.
Post # 16

Member
642 posts
Busy bee
I ordered from Betsywhite.com and so far so good. My invites are currently in production, but it was a relatively easy ordering/proofing process. I ordered samples way in advance.