We’ve looked at Super Tight and Tight budgets for wedding invitations and today, we are going to see what I can buy with a more flexible budget.
Super Tight Budget- under $250
Tight Budget- under $500
Flexible Budget- $500-$2000
Open Budget- $2000+
If you are on the lower end of this budget, I suggest visiting Minted or hello! Lucky which I reviewed yesterday and upgrading your services. You can get better quality papers, add direction cards, thank you cards, splurge on address labels! You will be able to create more of an invitation set without breaking the bank. If you are able to push your budget to the $2000 mark, than I would like to introduce you to my dear friend, letterpress!
Letterpress is a historic printing technique that use metal or wood cast type to press the paper with the ink. There are various different types of letterpress printers for small to poster-size projects. It seem that in the past 10 years, letterpress printing has come back into the market and there are fantastic printers available in every city. My own invitations were printed by Inky Lips press in Dallas! The effect of letterpress in wedding invitations is remarkable and can make a piece that is more than just a piece of paper; it is a work of art! Letterpress will cost you substantially more than other printing types and quantity doesn’t matter much. The printer has to set up the press the same way to print 10 invitations as 100. When I design for letterpress, I tend to make all my pieces one or two colors because each time you use a new color in letterpress, the press has to be reset and inked. That means more money!
For a flexible budget, I suggest Delphine Press who offers digital and letterpress printing services. For this example, I selected the Darlington Elegant style and customized the design for 100 invitations and RSVP cards letterpressed with 2 colors for a total of $1363 before tax. The total includes white envelopes for each piece and Delphine will allow you to upgrade your envelopes to a color for an extra $1 per envelope.
Delphine features a distinct elegant invitation style and if you like what they offer, you can also keep costs lower and have them print your invitations digitally. If I had selected the Darlington pattern for digital printing, my total would have been $415 before tax with standard envelopes. In the end, the letterpress printing option triples the budget! I love the letterpressed pieces and suggest if you have the means to go for it. You will love the results!
My stationery company, {lavish.} provides services similar to Delphine. We create custom wedding invitations with our clients and then depending on their budget; we recommend printing types (digital, offset, letterpress) and papers. If you want more information on my services, you can read the {lavish.} wedding FAQs here.
Friday, we are going to look the some very extravagent invitations. You won’t want to miss it!
Only a designer can know the trials and tribulations of setting type in an interesting way! I love this posters illustration of the art of laying type.
From the Birds and the Beasts shop (what a terrific name)
(Photo from Birds and the Beasts big cartel)
Yesterday, I gave you some suggestions on wedding invitations if you are on a Super Tight Budget under $250 for wedding invites. Today, we are looking at what you can get on a Tight budget. Keep in mind, these estimates don’t include postage.
Super Tight Budget- under $250
Tight Budget- under $500
Flexible Budget- $500-$2000
Open Budget- $2000+
First, I want to look at Minted for some middle priced options.
I selected the Pearls on a String design from Minted on their signature paper (120lb stock). I was able to get this great design with RSVP cards and add the return address printing for $446.00 before tax. I think Minted is a terrific option for couples with a tight budget because they have terrific patterns that you won’t see everywhere and it is easy to customize and order. Like Wedding Paper Divas, Minted provided additional services throughout the purchase. You can work with them to add calligraphy services and label printing which will cut down on your man hours but of course, all of the additional services will cost you more.
Another option for couples on a tight budget is hello! Lucky. For this example, I selected the Big Day pattern which I adore. hello! Lucky doesn’t allow you to select different papers qualities but does let you choice from several envelope colors. I love the small touches to detail on their site. For example, they offer to send you the envelopes early so you can start addressing. That could be very important if you are running out of time to get the invites mailed! They also print the return address labels and send you an additional 10 envelopes for free. The total for the invitations and RSVP cards for 100 was $488.00 before tax.
Up next, if you have a flexible budget, I have some amazing invitations to peruse. See you tomorrow!
If you are looking for wedding invitations and need some guidance- I am here to help! Papers & Packages has a guide to help you select gorgeous wedding invitations from any price level. Yesterday, I created a scenario and several budget levels for the guide. I will be looking at budgets based on 100 invitations with RSVP cards. The budgets are:
Super Tight Budget- under $250
Tight Budget- under $500
Flexible Budget- $500-$2000
Open Budget- $2000+
Paper Source carries a great selection of printable invitations. They come in a variety of patterns with a template, paper and envelopes included. I like the Leaf Bundle Moss and Folk Ornament patterns pictured left! These sets come for $12.50 per 10 cards and envelopes. You could purchase paper in a corresponding color and create postcard RSVP cards. You will have save on additional envelopes and postage but will need to design something on your own. The quality of the products is really nice as well. I use Paper Source cardstock for wedding clients from time to time and have been very happy with the selection of colors and quality. Watch for sales too because sometimes you can get great deals on patterns that are being discontinued.
This option does mean that you need to have a good inkjet printer and require you to put some hours into the project!
Pedal Cluster design
Another option are discounted invitation sites like Wedding Paper Divas. They have some affordable options and even run sales from time to time on certain designs. I selected the pedal cluster design which is currently discounted and ordered 100 invitations and 100 RSVP cards. The total was $246. Wedding Paper Divas makes it so simple to create your invitations. I customized my invitations in less than 10 minutes. The quality of the digital printing from wedding paper divas is good but the paper stock isn’t the highest quality. You are able to upgrade your papers throughout the purchase process but of course, that costs you more. Wedding Paper Divas have a great al a cart service where you are able to add on additional services along the way like return addresses on the envelopes, labels, thank you cards and they all fit the theme and are easy to customize.
Do you have a little more to spend? Tomorrow, we will have details on invitation choices for under $500.
Jeremy & I found some gems at the Pacific Galleries yesterday. We had intended on going to their monthly auction but decided to check out the showroom instead so we could head home and spend time in the yard. We were pleasantly surprised by a couple of the new dealers selling vintage neon signs. They were terrific- some of them measured 8 feet long and had a great look. They were between $1200 and $8000- so a little pricey!
We did purchase a vintage magazine rack and some more metal letters! I will share both pieces this week when we get them cleaned up. The magazine rack is going to be used for displaying my cards in the studio and last night when I started setting it up, I realized I need to design a whole bunch more because this rack is HUGE. We’ve been looking for one for a few months, so we were thrilled to find one!
Planning a wedding is all about prioritizing, especially when you trying to maintain a budget. When we were planning our wedding, Jeremy & I created a list of the things that were most important to us and then allowed ourselves to splurge or skimp accordingly. Wedding invitations were high on our priority list for so many reasons. We are both graphic designers and I happen to own a stationery business so we wanted our invitations to be a reflection of us and our style and splurged on paper and letterpress printing. I have many friends who had wedding invitations as a low priority and so they just went for convenience and cost.
This guide was designed to assist brides and grooms in selecting wedding invitations on any budget. I am a strong proponent of cutting corners wherever you can and educating yourself so you get a great product at a reasonable price. I will show you examples of invitations that will require more work on your part and others that can be crossed off your list in a matter of minutes.
For the sake of conversation, I wanted to create a scenario so that we can use it throughout this guide and compare effectively. I will be looking at four budgets based on 100 invitations with RSVP cards. Keep in mind that these budgets don’t include postage which is going to cost you around $100.
The budgets are:
Super Tight Budget- under $250
Tight Budget- under $500
Flexible Budget- $500-$2000
Open Budget- $2000+
Tomorrow, I will show you some resources if you have a super tight invitation budget!
I heart Washington and hope for a little sunshine and a little rain this weekend.
Enjoy your family!
Jen
(necklace by truche on etsy, photo by truche)
I love etsy and think it is a terrific service. One of the downfalls of selling on etsy is competing with too many sellers (including those who aren’t charging enough or providing a high quality product). That is why I love sites like Papernstitch because they jury the work of etsy sellers who they feature and give you the cream of the crop. I wanted to share some great merchandise from shops that were new to me thanks to Papernstitch. I highly suggest that you browse the site! I am getting the watch below by May28th because it reminds me of the old-school Swatches and I love the color.
(Starting top left, clockwise)
Knitted Aran Scarf Saffron Yellow by Branda
Eames Chair Wood Coasters by Medium Controls
The Purple Rose of Instanbul by Melt’m Design Studio
I am a firm believer in the theory that there is a place for everything! That includes the things you really don’t want to look at anymore, for various reasons. I got a kick out of these folders and definitely need to get one in place for the “I’ll Never Lose This Again” because my favorite past-time is putting documents or items somewhere ’safe’ and then immediately forgetting that safe place.
I love to look at real estate online! We don’t plan on moving for 5-10 years but I look weekly at what is available in our neighborhood. I also look, because I love mid-century modern homes and am always looking for inspiration with ours.
I came across a great site called Seattle Modern that shows homes for sale in the area and features some great photos of the exteriors and interiors.
(photo from seattlemodern.com)
