Do it Yourself Wedding Invitations

Do it yourself wedding invitations create a great impression on your guests. They will know right from the start about the exceptional effort you are putting into it and just how important and personal this special day is for you.

The wedding invitation is the first impression your family and friends will have of the kind of wedding you are planning to have. Designing and creating your own special invitations will not only put your own stamp on your wedding, it can also help you to save quite a bit of money. In these days of high costs of everything, especially things concerned with weddings, every dime you save will help.

Although do it yourself invitations are a great idea, it can be a fairly nerve-wracking process, especially if all the ideas you can think of seem run-of-the-mill, or some unexpected problems crop up. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Create Ideas
A good way is to attend classes conducted by many scrapbooking supply stores wherein you are taught how to make your own wedding invitations. Attending such classes can give you many ideas about creating your own design, and also finding out if the design you have in mind will work. For instance, if you want to use embellishments, such as a bow, eyelet, wax seal, etc., to affix the pieces of your invitation, check whether you have the right sorts of supplies. Could there be some short cuts or tricks that could save you time and money? The Internet is also full of sites where you can get a whole lot of design ideas.

Personalize It
Make the invitations by using as much of your personal flair as you can. Make your invitations a creative means of introducing your wedding and relationship to your friends and family. You can use a special font, colors and paper to produce the vibe you want. Will your wedding be fun and light? Or will it be elegant and formal? The way you design your invitations will communicate exactly how you intend your wedding to be, thus helping your guests understand what to expect. Using your picture to personalize it is also a good idea. You can duplicate photographs quite inexpensively from the machines some scrapbooking supply stores have. Find out from your local retailer whether you should bring along a CD with your picture in it or a photograph to scan. Some machines have the ability of turning colored photographs into black-and-white or sepia to match the style of your invitation.

Think About The Logistical Requirements
Consider The Paper: There are some scrapbooking supply stores from where you can get larger sized sheets at reduced rates. For instance, although there may be 81/2 by 11 or 12 by 12 sized paper on the shelf, but the store may purchase much larger sizes of the paper and sell you these at a lower rate. If that is the case, see that the store also cuts the paper according to the size you want for your invitations. A few stores charge a small price for cutting the paper for you. But in case you plan to print on the paper, it is better to first print and then get it cut. You will have to decide on the number of invitations you're planning to send. Then give a thought to each piece of paper you will need for assembling each invitation. What will be the dimensions of each piece, and what are the dimensions of the paper you are purchasing? Once you get both the dimensions, you will have to figure out how many sheets of paper you will need to purchase to have an adequate number of pieces for assembling your invitations.

Check Out Post Office Regulations: In case your invitations contain a number of card stock pieces, it could be heavier in weight than the regular stamp would cover. Hence, in order to prevent your invitations arriving at their destinations as postage due, it is a good idea to take one invitation sample to the post office and check the weight to ensure that you buy the right stamps. Plus, make certain that your response card is according to the regulations of the post office. Many response cards are too small. See that yours is of the right size so that it can be sent via regular mail. You also need to be aware of the fact that more postage is required for square shaped cards than rectangular ones. And, if you use a postcard instead of an envelope, you can purchase postcard stamps for the response cards, which are less costly.

Formatting Your Card: Keep enough time for formatting your invitations. Consider what the proportions of the paper will be after being cut. By checking out the margins on the Word Processor in your comp, you can ensure that the text is in the center according to those proportions. It is better not to set margins on your document in order to keep the spacing on the computer screen the same as the print. Another good idea is to create text boxes according to the exact size of the paper after it is printed upon and cut, to make sure that the text is placed accurately. If you want to print the invitations out yourself, it is best to test it out with a single sheet of paper before purchasing it all and having it cut. Some of the paper can be quite difficult to print on without the ink smudging, and paper often behaves differently in different printers and with different inks.

Organize A Party
It can be a tedious and time-consuming job to assemble the invitations. So, put on your favorite music, invite friends and family over, cook up some fun food, and turn it into a party!