Is it cheaper to make your invitations or buy them?

Answer 1

Depending on the style of invitation you make and the quantity you will be making, it may be cheaper. But if the invitation you design uses a lot of ink or you are making a large quantity, it may not be cheaper when you include the cost of ink cartridges. Most ink cartridges cost $30-40 alone. When you add the cost of paper, paper cutters, envelopes, and any embellishments or accent pieces (i.e., ribbon, charms), the cost to create invitations yourself can be more expensive than purchasing them from a reasonably priced invitation company using themography. Your best bet is to estimate how much it would cost to purchase all the supplies you need (including ink; most people forget about this cost) and compare it with the cost to purchase similar invitations from an invitation company. Also keep in mind, the more invitations you order, the better rate you get when purchasing invitations.

Answer 2

Hi Lilly and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I have not done wedding invitations, but I HAVE done other invitations on the computer...bridal and baby showers, etc. It IS cheaper to do them yourself, of course, but it is also MORE WORK! You can buy boxed sets of 50 from places like Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Target, Office Max, etc. They give you an "example" of wording (or you can look up lots of different wording on the internet), then you simply need to format it and print. It is time consuming. On the other hand, it is nice just to order online or locally from a printer and they do all the work for you. You would still need to give them all the information (names, date, times, etc.)....but they will format and give you a sample and then print! The only problem you would have if you wanted to order on the internet....most places only have 100 invitations (to start with). I tried to find some that would allow 50, but I can't seem to find any. Since you are having a small wedding (60 guests), you will probably only need to send out about 30-40 invitations total. So it would be a waste for you to have to order 100 invitations....you will have so many left over. What I would suggest for you for wording would be something like "Adult reception to follow the ceremony"...or something similar. Good luck!

Answer 3

I disagree. By the time you've bought all the card stock and ribbon and vellum monogram or whatever, it has to be more expensive than buying the invites.

My friend made her own and they were beautiful, The invite had slits that contained hotel info, directions, RSVP, things to do in the area. They were beautiful but so heavy she ended up with 3 stamps on it.

Then the most expensive thing is the envelopes. You have to buy the small envelopes for the RSVP and then another one for the invite itself. The cost of ink if you print off all the addresses for both envelopes and all the invites. And you know you'll always mess up several when printing.

Plus it's very difficult to make sure if you layer it yourself that you use a standard size envelope and a standard weight or you'll spend a fortune in postage.

I definitely think its more expensive to make it yourself, unless you do something very casual like just a basic thing you print out.

You can buy invites online for about $1 each and that includes the invite, envelope, response (RSVP) card and envelope, reception information card. For a small extra fee, you can get the RSVP envelopes pre-addressed. Plus you'll know that they use just one stamp to send.

Check out
www.invitationsbydawn.com
www.annswedding.com
www.americanwedding.com
www.weddingorder.com

Answer 4

In comparison, DIY is only about $20 cheaper than a standard invitation. Consider the following costs:

2 or more black/color ink cartridges for printing invitations and envelopes (Average about $25-30 each)
Specialty paper or kit (Average about $20 for 25 invitations and/or $40 for nice cardstock)
Cost for matching envelopes (outer/inner/response) (Average about $20 per box if you can find them)
Cutting charges for smaller pieces (Average about $10)
Embellishments such as ribbons, stamping, sealing wax, etc.
YOUR TIME, ENERGY and PATIENCE while you are trying to plan the rest of your wedding

Answer 5

It may be cheaper to make your invitations--depending on the materials you use--but it is a lot more time consuming and labor-intensive. If you are making a lot of invitations and your time is worth something, you may find it "cheaper" to order them.

Answer 6

It is definitely much cheaper to make your own. If you decide to make your own, try to use 80 lb. weight cardstock (it's sturdy). Have fun and look for samples on the web to get you jump started.

P.S. It will require a little bit of time but saves you a lot of money. Have fun and congrats on your upcoming wedding.

Answer 7

Depending on how many and how elaborate you want them...check out local printers or Kinko's...more times then not it's cheaper to make them yourself with some heavy cardstock from someplace like staples...you can find all kinds of templates and stuff online for that...

Answer 8

it is cheaper to make the invitations.

Answer 9

Invitations can be somewhat more cheaply made than bought, but when they are handmade they are much more personal and by far more beautiful.

Answer 10

Depends on what you want... but it's much cheaper to make.
Your labor is free unless you pick something really simple and on sale...