Wedding invitations can be one of the most cost-inflated items purchased for the big event.  Many retailers advertise invitations at $1.00 per invite, but when you add all the postage you will be tacking on for the unique sized envelopes and RSVP you can expect to pay at least twice that.

Construction your own wedding invitations at home can be cost effective and save time when special ordering.  Some of the most unique designs and creative ideas can be captured on your own personal wedding invitation made at home.

The benefits of making your own wedding invitations include:

• Cost savings
• Convenience
• Pick your own paper or card stock
• Design it yourself

One of the most important benefits of making your own wedding invitations is that they will save you money.  If over on budget or even under, saving a little more money that can be applied to the honeymoon won’t hurt.

Home-made wedding invitations can be constructed to fit into a business sized envelope which will not cost more than a regular stamp to mail.  No extra stamps will be necessary and you will save a lot of bucks when mailing to 250 guests or more.

Convenience is another key factor when deciding to make your own wedding invitations.  Wedding invites can be done in the comfort of your own home and from your very own computer.  You won’t have to wait six weeks or longer to receive your order but can have them printed within minutes of designing the first invitation.

Once the date, time, place for the special day have been set, the invitations can be printed.  Some choose to wait until just prior to mailing in case anything changes but the convenience of printing from home allows for some flexibility.

Convenience also comes in the ability to pick out your own design and paper.  When ordering pre-made invitations, you lose the personal creativity factor.  While some companies allow a small degree of personalization, most offer a select amount of wordings, script and paper.

Before beginning to design your invite, a photo should be located that you want to incorporate in the invitation.  Some choose to eliminate the photo, while others like the personalization it brings when guests open up their invite and see a beautiful picture of the happy couple.

Items Needed to Make the Invitation

• Cardstock, either white or cream are customary
• Microsoft Word or equivalent computer program
• Hole punch
• Scissors
• Paper cutter (sharpened)
• Pieces of clear vellum
• Ribbon spools (optional)

Step by step do it yourself programs are available, but for an extremely low budget wedding, invitations can be constructed using Microsoft Word.  Just set the dimensions on the program and start designing.

Some couples have incorporated stamps and embossment into their invitations.  That is what is so freeing about making your own invitations; the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity.  There are no restrictions and it is entirely up to you on how the designs turn out.

Depending on your personality and the month of your wedding, various colors and palettes can be used.  Some choose to coordinate the colors of their wedding with the font colors or paper color of the invitation, while some eliminate color and stick to the formal black and white look.

If you are artistic or have an artistic friend, you may choose to have a picture sketched of the happy couple to grace the front of the invitation.  Landscape, hearts, or other pictures may also be incorporated with the design of the invitation.  There are no barriers when constructing your own wedding invites.