I'm not sure I've told y'all this yet but I'm utterly obsessed with our wedding invitations.
But let's back up for a hot minute, WHY IS PAPER SO EXPENSIVE? Holy cow, when I started looking at invitations, I almost had a panic attack. How can something so simple as paper and ink be so dang expensive? Let's not even get into letterpress, I'm talking easily a couple thousand dollars for that stuff. Thank goodness we don't have to send out hundreds of invites or we'd really be in trouble.
So after the stark realization that I was going to have to get a little creative with my invites, I set out to scour the interwebs for something equally adorable as the fancy letterpress stuff but about 1/35th of the price.
I ordered several samples from
Minted and
Wedding Paper Divas (our save-the-dates came from here - thanks for the coupon!). They were all sorta...blah. I would lay them all out for C to examine and sure enough the ones I liked, were the ones he hated and vice versa. Ugh.
I browsed the invite books at Paper Source and was completely uninspired. I even ordered samples from adorable shops on Etsy. We got closer with a few of these but something still wasn't right. Feeling somewhat defeated, I started researching vendors listed on some of my favorite wedding blogs.
That's when it happened. I found them. The most perfect invites in the entire world. I immediately ordered a sample and inquired about the cost (which I was PRAYING would be in our budget).
When
Jill at Ruff House Art confirmed that her sample was completely customizable and only $3 for a complete invite (including RSVP card), I was sold. Done and done.
She even makes matching menus, programs and place cards that are also totally affordable.
But then she out did herself and sent us the proof of our invite. I just about lost it. They were so stinking perfect. They captured the exact style we were going for. They were totally "us".
I can't wait to get the final product in my hands and out to all our guests. This sneak peek will have to hold you over.
Tips:
1.
Get creative. Etsy is an amazing resource for this kind of stuff. But either way, consider lots of options. These days,
a lot of places will design an invitation suite for you for something like $75 and then you can print them yourself! Be prepared to do a little legwork if you're trying to save a few dollars.
2. Hug a tree. I've noticed that it's not uncommon these days for people to send electronic invitations. Websites like Paperless Post offer an amazing selection of beautiful electronic stationery. If you're having a small, budget friendly wedding, this might be a great option for you, especially because vendors often offer significant discounts for larger quantities of orders which may be a downside if you only need 50 invites.
3. It's just paper. Yes, I love those lovely letterpress invites as much as the next girl. But, you know what, your guests are going to take 18 seconds looking at your invite, hang it on their fridge for a week and then toss it in the trash. If you paid $15/invite, that's $15 that's likely to end up going to waste the nearest recycling center. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the fancy invites and if your budget allows it, then by all means! But if we're being totally honest here and really consider where those things end up....well it's a little silly. Can you remember what the last wedding invite you received looked like?
