Invitations for CHEAP

Some great ideas have just come my way in terms of invitations.  This is one of those really fun wedding-planning-activities but can be a hidden money-stealer if you're not careful.  Don't forget, each invite needs a stamp so you're not just paying for the invite and the envelope.  If you're keeping your guest list under control, stamps shouldn't be too bad.

Word of advice concerning RSVPs.  This is an email world now.  Everyone, including grandparents and long lost great aunts and uncles have an email address.  Do not, I repeat, do not spend money on RSVP cards and the stamps that you plop on them as a courtesy.  People can email your wedding website or email account.  They can email your parents, they can drop you a message on your wedding facebook page, they can even call you if they by chance do not have access to email.  There is no reason to spend a nickle on RSVP cards so be smart and savvy and have people email or call in their replies.

So we're keeping our guest list as small as possible, we've eliminated the RSVP concern, now it's on to the fun part: picking out the invitation design.  Check out these ideas:

Click here to buy this! Only $9

1. Have a graphic design friend make you a unique invitation template.  I have at least ten friends on facebook that do graphic design work from home and if you want to reimburse them for their time, you'll still be getting a huge savings.  They may do it for free with a little plug of their website or Etsy shop on your wedding programs thanking them for their talents.  TheWeddingChicks.com also has some really cute and free invitation and save-the-date templates (see picture above) that you can customize and then take to your printer.
    
2. Make them on your computer.  Check out Microsoft's templates and Microsoft Office online for more templates of wedding invitations.  Check out this cute "perfect pair" wedding template I found.  You can adjust the colors, font, background, etc.  Free, easy, and completed by you!
    
3. You'll be printing these at a FedEx/Kinko's, small local printing shop, or online.  Vistaprint.com or 123print.com have cheap printing ideas.  I've heard of brides getting 100 prints for less than $14.  Lots of options there for printing your own designs and make sure to do a google search for coupon codes on free shipping too.  123print.com is currently offering free shipping on any purchase, no limits.
    
4. Make your own!  Careful though, this can get REALLY expensive.  By the time you purchase the card stock, fancy pens and art supplies, you'll now have to sit down and put together 60 of these.  With all of the options above, consider those first before you dive into a time-sucker like this.
    
5. Go green and go digital.  There is a case to be made for really cute online invites that are free, easy to access, easy for people to RSVP, and a nice way to share information on hotel reservations, the menu, pictures to share after the wedding, etc. Evite.com has some cute ideas.  If you'd like to skip the middle-man, do your own invite in a Word document and mail that as an attachment to your list.  It will be that much easier to RSVP too with your email address being right there.  You'll probably have every RSVP in before lunch!  Here's another great website called Greenvelope featuring a more personal approach to digital invitations, great designs too.

Just be creative and think outside the box.  Remember, you do not have to do what everyone else is doing. Go your own way!

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.