Jeebus, wedding invitations are expensive

[LostinVA]

Costco does have a very good wedding section now, and they do have the same ones quite a bit cheaper. But, dayum!

[Rising Phoenix]

1. I"m just so happy for you guys....

expensive invitations or no...

mwah

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Well, you could be tasteful and just email everyone...

:rofl: Okay, I can't even keep a straight face.

I actually got a Christmas Card email from a dear (?) friend this year with their "we're so wonderful, aren't you jealous" note as an attachment.


On the plus side, I guess she caught hell for it from her mother. :D

[LostinVA]

5. We may email "Save Date" notices

theknot sets it up for you for free.

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. My mother in law handmade our invites. There were not so many

people so it wasn't a huge job. They were beautiful.

[LostinVA]

33. Did they have photos of Detroit Tigers?

TEASING.

:pals:

[ScreamingMeemie]

35. No Silly...

Magglio was with the White Sox then. ;) :loveya:

[LostinVA]

36. Who?

Hehehehehehhe

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. One of those crazy cricket players...

:rofl:

[LostinVA]

43. Ah -- DUH

He's the one that throws a mean googley, I believe.

[sniffa]

3. remember what happened to george costanza's fiance

so be carefuL. ;)

[LostinVA]

4. Uh oh -- you're right

No cheap invites with toxic glue!!!

[Crazy Dave]

6. See if you can find ones that were returned....

....due to someone's name being misspelled or a wedding didn't go through. Then with a sharpie cross the old names out, write in yours and you'll be recycling plus the poor trees that were killed to make the originals will not have been cut down vain just to be tossed into a landfill because of a mistake.

;-) :hi:

[LostinVA]

7. The Sharpie is an excellent touch

And, people DO know I'm green, so....

:spank: :spank: :spank:

[Crazy Dave]

8. Sharpie's are great BUT.....

...please don't use them on a misspelled or canceled wedding cake in case there's a good deal on one of them too.
:hi:

[LostinVA]

9. Uh oh -- good point

I'll make a note of that.

How about crayons or chalk???

[Crazy Dave]

14. Crayons and chalk are supposed to be non-toxic....

...but I would definitely stick with the brand name ones just to be safe :)

[LostinVA]

18. Yeah, Crayolas are pretty cheap

[AwakeAtLast]

10. We did ours on our computer

That was seven years ago. I'm sure the selections have gotten even better for do it yourself. We thought it was pretty easy as well as much less expensive.

:hi:

[LostinVA]

12. OMG -- I didn't think of that

Did you just buy invitation "blanks"???

A good printer would look very nice.

Hmmmm.....

[AwakeAtLast]

13. Yes, we bought the blanks

at Office Max I think.

You could probably even find them online by now. We used our old bubble jet printer and they looked great, so I'm sure the newer inkjet/laser printers will make them look spectacular.

Happy printing! :)

[LostinVA]

15. Thanks for the idea, and alot of money saved

Seriously!

[AwakeAtLast]

17. You're quite welcome!

:hi:

[Shakespeare]

49. That's what I did for my now-ex marriage. There are some beautiful handmade papers out there...

Just make sure you use a good paper cutter to get everything sized correctly (heaven forbid you venture into tackiness like Rabrrrrr's niece did...LOL).

I used high-quality vellum run through a laser printer, and used gold ribbon (and a tiny hole punch) to mount the printed vellum to the handmade paper backing (it was pretty--had dried flower petals pressed into it). I also tied a tiny balinese silver heart charm into the gold ribbon (dangled from the top of the invite). Then it was into the interior envelope with tissue paper over the vellum, and then that whole thing into the mailing envelope. Had absolutely no problems getting it through the mail with the bumpiness added by the heart charm, and it looked really pretty.

There's all kinds of neat things you can do when you make them yourself, and it'll look like a VERY expensive custom invitation.

Have fun!

[unpossibles]

19. we did too, then had a little "sweatshop" party putting them together, addressing, etc/

saved a bundle. I want to say we had them printed somewhere like Kinkos or what have you because our home printer was kind of cheap looking, but that was still cheaper than the store-bought ones.

[LostinVA]

21. I was wondering what Kinkos would charge

That's kinda in between the two costs, and if they screw up, it's THEIR fault.

[unpossibles]

37. I don't remember, but you should call and ask

their prices are usually not too bad, but I have not been there in a while and don't know.

Also, contact some local printing companies. Since invites tend to be smallish, sometimes they can print them in the gutter (the margins essentially) of other print runs and do them for almost nothing. I've also gotten good deals from print houses by providing the paper myself, etc. Keep in mind that a lot of small and local companies need/want the business these days, and may be willing to give you a good deal.

[LostinVA]

38. GREAT suggestions!

[Dora]

11. We designed our own and arranged for offset printing.

I found a printer that would print on paper I bought somewhere else. They were sooo cooperative. I designed the invitations, took the camera-ready artwork to the printer, and provided them with the blank invitation stock that I'd ordered from an online vendor. They also printed the envelopes (purchased from same vendor) with our return address.

I also skipped all the extra inner envelopes, lining, and tissue. Our RSVPs were postcards instead of teeny cards in teeny envelopes.

There are ways to cut corners and still make them look good.

[wildhorses]

20. what kind of look are you going for?

vellum and ribbon can be your friend, or--not

gonna be a wedding:bounce:

[LostinVA]

22. We've been looking at some with Celtic knot borders or

Just a knot at the top. White or off-white. They don't have to be fancy.

[wildhorses]

23. that sounds nice and easy to replicate at home---

just get good paper stock

experiment a little...have fun

[LostinVA]

24. We will -- espcially if we can save some money (!!!!!!)

[Pacifist Patriot]

25. LOL! Yep. They sure can be.

If you're in a pinch, go with VistaPrint. ;)

[LostinVA]

27. I'll look at them later

Thanks!

[Nicole]

26. They don't have to be.

As others mentioned, you can do them yourself on your computer. Then you can print them at home or take a sample to the printers.

Not sure what craft stores are in your area but the ones here, Hobby Lobby & Michaels, carry blank invitations and wedding computer themed paper. Plus the office supply stores and the Hallmark stores have them.

[LostinVA]

28. OOOOOOO

I'll check Michael's and the Hallmark store. Thanks!

[Nicole]

29. Good luck. n/t

[LostinVA]

44. Thank you

I love your sig line, btw.

[LaraMN]

30. You can save on ink and create a personal and memorable invite,

if you use a concoction of your and your beloved's intermingled blood.
:P

[LostinVA]

32. Hmmmmm.... I need to ask what her Type is

It'll be cooler if she has O.

[Shine]

31. Uh, yeah., esp when you factor in postage. Wedding are expensive, in general.

Good luck!:hi:

[LeftyMom]

34. Jesus, first you people want rights, now you want to not take out a mortgage to get hitched.

It's always something with you, isn't it? :grr:

PS A little under nine hours until I go to the you-know-what. :D

[LostinVA]

39. I know, I know -- we're pushy little things

Check your PM.

[lildreamer316]

40. Print your own on recycled paper?

Actually, that may not be any less expensive. Hmpf.
Sorry; I'm no help...

[LostinVA]

41. It sucks homing pigeons cost somuch

[Scooter24]

45. I know...

If you're going for a more laid-back wedding, keep the invitation simple- less ornate border, contemporary font, focused information. I have several invitation designers that I could recommend that do a superb job and handcraft each invite, but these invitations can sometimes cost as much as $10-$20+ per invitation. Also, try to bring in the colors of your wedding into your invitations as well.

The only thing I'd truly recommend is printing the invitations on quality stock. Best of luck. :)

[KitchenWitch]

46. Not sure how "crafty" either you or haruka are

But I made the party favors and the cardstock covers for our wedding programs myself.

PM me for details.

[mentalsolstice]

47. A good printer and fancy paper from Michael's or HL

...could be your best friends. And a good Epson printer may run you a coupla' hundred dollars or so. And you can keep it for invites to cocktail parties!

And you'll also need a decent scanner...so us DUers can approve of your choices every step of the way!

Just wait until you get to catering...

[LostinVA]

48. Catering -- *sob*

What a Byzantine world...

[mentalsolstice]

50. I'm here with you, buddy, I'm here with you!

I found that dresses for me and my bridesmaid and flower girl were easiest (surprisingly), but I only had one bridesmaid and flower girl, so as long as they went with my chosen color, the rest was up to them.

We had a little argument over the wedding cake...My SO wanted white and I wanted yellow (rich). When I let him choose what he wanted for the groom's cake he relented.

My parents were in charge of catering...ha! Long story to this!

[LostinVA]

51. We have bridesmaids dresses picked out

And, have narrowed down our choices.

Catreing is always scary...