Guest Post: Invitations For Less

These days, seems everyone is seeking the best possible pricing for everything they need and brides are certainly no exception! But if you’re thinking your only options are to buy the cheapest (and quite possibly ugliest) invitations on the market or go the DIY route (and you’re wondering if you really have time for that?), here are some ideas to help you get the wedding invitations you want at a price that fits your budget. 

The first step you’ll want to take is making sure you know exactly what you intend to spend, including postage, and making a pact with yourself to stick with it. Once you start viewing options, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of layers and ribbons and lose control.

Make sure your guest list is firmly established before you place your order and that you are counting the number of invitations needed, not the number of guests being invited, as those are two very different numbers. Many of your invitations will be addressed to couples and families.

Decide which pieces you really need in your ensemble. Standard wedding invitation packages generally include the invitation with a separate reception card, response set and single or double envelopes. Additional items can include decorative lined envelopes, directions cards, accommodations cards, at home cards and matching Thank You Notes.

Would you prefer a higher-end presentation to your invitations, even if it means you must scale back on the fancy upgrades? If so, consider indicating your reception information in two-three lines below your ceremony wording and asking for an RSVP the old-fashion way, before stationers invented reply cards - by indicating “RSVP” in small print corner copy. By skipping the RSVP set, you not only eliminate the need for applying postage on return envelopes, you also shed some extra weight to your mailed invitations, thus potentially saving extra postage as you mail them out.

Or would you rather have a more simple invitation with separate cards for each function? Even the most basic invitations can be dressed up to result in serious elegance that would impress anybody for very little cost. Consider a combination typestyle layout, with the wording in one style and your names in another. Or add a simple motif or monogram in the same ink color as your wording and you have an invitation which not only bears the quality of professional printing, but also reflects your personality at zero added cost. Even more good news: With less adorned papers and the right typestyle choice, your invitation wording takes center stage and becomes the art itself.

A case study:

 For about $200, you can have 50 of the traditional single panel invitations with double envelopes on the left, plus 50 reception cards and 50 response sets, including printed return envelopes, printed return address on your outer invitation envelopes and all the postage you need to mail the set out and pre-stamp your response envelopes. You can dress up the invitation with a monogram or combination wording at no extra charge.

On the other hand, you can have 50 of the more showy layered invitations with satin ribbons and lined inner envelopes on the right plus the postage to mail them out.

When you set out shopping for your wedding stationery, you will want to search the Internet for some serious bargains and start with a search including the words “discount wedding invitations” for best results. There are thousands of invitation retailers offering the same invitations online, so by including the word “discount” in your search, you automatically narrow down your search to those stores which are offering lower pricing off the same product you might see in a store at full retail.

Check if the store you’re shopping with has periodic specials on top of their regular discounts. In some cases, you’ll find deals on a facebook page or twitter feed. You might just be able to score yourself some free shipping or sweet upgrades such as envelope seals or liners.

Finally, because a bargain isn’t a bargain if you’re unhappy in the end, make sure to review the store’s policies for sending out samples, proofing your order before ordering and returns prior to committing, as well as test-driving the customer service by asking a question even if you already know the answer just to see how quickly you receive a response. In the end, you should be able to come up with invitations that are as impressive as your bargain-hunting skills!

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Write by: AN - Thursday, March 3, 2011