DIY Wedding Stationery
Weddings are expensive. so if there are ways to save money why not go for it, right? Well that isn’t always the case. There are some instances where it is better to just hire a professional than take on the task of doing it yourself. DIY projects aren’t for everyone and they take a lot of time and patience to do correctly.
Stationery and Signage can be very expensive, so naturally many couples want to save as much money as possible in this area. Especially considering most people (except you and your parents) probably aren’t going to keep your invitations and save the dates after the wedding is over. However, there are a few things to know and keep in mind before deciding to head to the craft store and start handwriting invitations and painting welcome signs.
DIY
It is important to know yourself before you take on a DIY task as big as stationery and signs. This isn’t the same as crafting 12 centerpieces for your tables. You likely have to make hundreds of invitations, RSVP cards, save the dates, thank you cards and maybe more. So take into consideration if you are a crafty person. Odds are that if you weren’t before you probably aren’t going to be now. And that is okay! Since you probably don’t want to spend days handwriting all of these invitations you will need to know your way around some sort of design software. While you can certainly open up a word document and write them in there they probably aren’t going to be as pretty as you would like. Plus if you want any sort of design, clip art isn’t going to cut it.
If graphic design isn’t in your wheelhouse there are small companies that you can buy a design from and insert your own text. Companies like Download & Print . With these vendors you are able to purchase a set of matching templates for invitations, RSVP cards, save the dates, menus, programs you name. And they don’t cost a fortune either! You can also use Canva. It is free unless you want to use one of their paid templates.
With this option the design portion would be a breeze! Your stationery would look professional without you having to pay for design software.
The only thing left to do would be to get them printed. And I can’t stress enough how important it is to not just use your home printer! You might think it will be a good idea to save money but trust me a printing store like staples or officemax has printers that are made for this and will do a much better job than yours will. Plus then you won’t have to take the time to cut them all out!
ORDERING ONLINE
If you don’t want to take the time to design your stationery entirely yourself, ordering online might be the best option for you. There are several reasonably priced website that you can order from. Many of these websites also have relationships with vendors (LIKE US) who can save you even more money!
You still have the customizable factor to an extend on this platform. You can usually pick your colors, font, wording and style. These websites are the perfect balance of DIY and hiring a professional. You are getting them professionally printed and selecting them from professional designs. But you still get to DIY and make it your own with colors and details.
There are several options for websites to use when ordering stationery. Some of our favorites websites are listed below.
- Vistaprint: While typically used for business marketing materials they have a nice selection of wedding stationary as well. They are also going to be printed on high quality paper and they always have good promo codes.
- Minted, zazzle, basic invite, shutterfly, and more. These websites are more focused on wedding stationery. I personally partner with Minted and Basic Invite. They have a GREAT selection and it is very easy to customize their designs. Plus if you leave a comment or send me an email at alexandra@alexandramicheleevents.com I can send you a promo code to save up to 35%!
PROFESSIONAL
If designing isn’t something that you are interested in, or you want a professional opinion. It might be best to hire a local company to make your stationery. You could also hire a professional calligraphy artist to design different elements. This might be a good option for envelopes, if you don’t want them to be typed or handwritten. This is also a good option if you are worried about them being correct. If something is wrong on your cards that you order online there is no going back. In this case you would have a professional set of eyes to make sure that everything is correct. They can also be helpful if you have questions about what wording would be appropriate or traditional. Another benefit of hiring a professional is if you have no idea what you want, they can guide you in the right direction. Or you can just bring them the designs that you like, tell them about your wedding and they can design you something completely custom instead of just a template.
SIGNAGE
The same goes for making your own signage. While signage isn’t necessary it can add a nice touch to your event space. If you find yourself being a crafty person maybe you can pick up some paint and a board and make it yourself. But if you aren’t, there are options for what you can do. Signs don’t have to be huge and expensive. You could get a ton of custom signs from etsy OR you can buy a standard one from amazon or the craft store.
Another good alternative is to have your sign printed and then framed. This is a great option if the sign is something you want to save and put in your house. AND you can even check out Facebook wedding groups. Many brides are looking to sell things like this. Odds are that you can find a sign that says something like ” You are loved by both the groom and bride, please choose a seat not a side” for way less than paying for a new one. Because let’s be honest why would you need to keep a sign like that anyway.
The seating chart is another easy DIY depending on what you are looking to do. You can put it in a frame and print out photo size lists of the table numbers. As I mentioned earlier, Canva is a great resource for making something like this. They have lots of templates to choose from and it is very easy to use. You definitely don’t need graphic design experience to use it.
Happy crafting!
We can't wait to see what you design!
