Making your own wedding invitations and matching stationery is not only cheaper than ordering personalised cards, it’s also an enjoyable way of creating the most unique, lovingly home-made cards that will be treasured forever.
If you’re thinking about making your own wedding invitations and matching stationery, it’s important to be realistic about how much you can really do in the time you have. If you’re creative, if you’re having a relatively small wedding or if you have plenty of time, creating your own wedding invitations could be an excellent idea. If, however, you’re inviting hundreds of guests and only have two months before your big day, you could be better off sticking to personalised ranges.
As well as invitations, you will need place cards, order of service sheets, menus, seating plans and thank you cards. Table names and menus are a simple way of having some artistic input without too much work, as you’ll probably only need to make 10 to 15 in total. Place cards can also be a simple way of being creative.
Why it’s great to create your own
- it’s perfect if you want to use your creativity and artistic skills to create completely unique designs
- getting creative is fun – evenings spent with bridesmaids making cards can be a highlight of your wedding planning that you’ll always remember fondly
- you’ll have the chance to create an unusual design or wording format that you might not find in a personalised stationery range
- DIY stationery tends to be less expensive
Get creative
Have a practice run and see how long it takes you to make something. If you’re an artistic person, you might decide to try something relatively challenging. If the last piece of artwork you created was at primary school, now is not the time to try your hand at the most complicated design you can think of. Simplicity is key. Once you’ve decided what you’re going to create, start practicing and creating as soon as you can. The more time you give yourself, the more you’ll enjoy it. And remember, you can always rope in your bridesmaids for a fun night in making stationery with the girls. Making your own wedding stationery is a creative approach that lets you design something to suit your day perfectly.
Top tips for DIY stationery
Give yourself plenty of time – the more time you have, the more you’ll enjoy being creative without feeling too pressured. Have a look at wedding stationery offered online and on the high street to give you some ideas and inspiration. Choose your colours and plan your design, taking into account the style of your wedding. If, for example, your dress is decorated with beading, you might use a bead style trim on your stationery. If your cake is adorned with feathers, you could incorporate feathers into the design. When you have an idea for the design, make up a few different samples. This ‘testing’ session is crucial – you can see exactly how the finished products will look and whether you enjoy making them before you buy enough for your entire wedding party. You’ll also know exactly what you need to put on your shopping list. Before you even think about going shopping, make a detailed list of what you need. You don’t want to waste money by buying too much, but you also want to make sure you have enough (allowing for a few mistakes along the way). Paper, glue, glue dots, trims, ribbon, envelopes, pens, place cards and card might all be on your list. Create a ‘makes’ area at home and get organised. You need to give yourself plenty of room and have a working system. If possible, choose an area where you can leave your stationery out and don’t have to pack everything away every time you finish. Make sure your guests know the time and effort you’ve put into making the stationery – a handmade invitation or place card by the bride herself is something they’ll treasure, so write ‘made by …’ on the back. Consider making a special design for the members of your wedding party. Be sure to make an extra set to keep for yourself to put in your wedding photo album or scrapbook.
Create your own invitations with Confetti
Confetti’s creative options give you two choices – you can either use special occasion cards with inserts, or start from scratch with blank cards and trims. View our full range of cards and trims at the Confetti shop. Start by simply choosing the jacket and inserts. Cards are available in packs of 10. While these are easy to put together, you will need to allow a little time to fill in the inserts.
Blank cards and trims
Depending on your design, this is probably the least expensive way to create your stationery. Either create your own design using your choice of trims and blank cards, or use a kit to create a pre-set design. A basic design with card toppers and tabs will cost just over £1 per card – always buy extra ‘ingredients’ to allow for any mishaps and in case you need to make any extras. You might also like to save a couple for your wedding scrapbook.
Be inspired to create your own wedding invitations here!
See a gorgeous range of wedding stationery in the Confetti shop.
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