Shout out for DIY invitations

[Independent Gal]

Thought I''d just mention something. Labbie had commented on how many compliments she got on her DIY invites from invitesite.com So I got mine from there and found the kits fun and the quality great.

But now that my guests have received their invitations, it''s not that I''m getting lots of compliments, it''s that thus far no single guest has NOT mentioned how beautiful the invitations are. One of my cousins even told me that the cousins had called each other up to ooh and ahh over them.

Which is all to say, if you''re a bride out there and wondering if DIY can yield something sufficiently classy that will give pleasure to your guests to receive, the answer is abso-frakkin-lutely.

In case that''s helpful...

 

[Mandarine]

Same here! It''s been awesome to hear what people say!.

Even single guys that my FI invited commented on them! GUYS!!!!

My grandma got hers last night (she''s back home and my mom hand delivered the family ones) and in her words, she went around her neighborhood to show everyone!...lol. Mind you, she does this with pictures of her grandkids, but I thought it was funny to walk around showing off an invitation...lol

M~

 

[CaliCushion]

Independent gal, did you post a picture of your DIY invites? I''d love to see them!

 

[Independent Gal]

Here they are. Invitesite ''Regency''.

 

[Independent Gal]

I got MUCH better at the bows. I swear!

 

[ksprincess]

Oh those are gorgeous Indy. Does DIY keep the cost down on invites?

 

[Independent Gal]

You bet it does KSP. These were, I think, $3 each. I think you''d be looking at three or four times that much having them printed and assembled professionally on similar quality paper. And honestly, I don''t think anyone notices that the print isn''t ''raised''.

Plus, the paper is handmade (no, not by the bride

) which I think adds a nice touch!

It did take some practice to get the bows just right, but once I got it it was a snap. I just did them while I watched movies and it was really enjoyable.

 

[BriBee]

Date: 1/15/2008 4:45:17 PM
Author: ksprincess
Oh those are gorgeous Indy. Does DIY keep the cost down on invites?

Ditto, if you don't mind sharing, how many invites did you send out and what was the total cost? I definitely want to DIY since I've priced out about $400 to $500 for invites through a non DIY site

ETA: Thanks, I must have been typing this up as you posted yours.

 

[Independent Gal]

Let me just check my budget sheet... (rumages) OK. I ordered 78 invitations, and including the invites, rsvp cards, and a big bunch of extra card stock for place cards etc. (they give you access to all their templates), it came to about $280. I also have an ENTIRE ROLL of high quality satin ribbon left which takes care of a good chunk of my decorating too!

You do have to be prepared to devote some time to it. But if you start early and do it step-by-step, it really is a fun project. And its just so lovely having the satin ribbon on them.

 

[partyjewels]

I love your invites, I''m trying to figure out if I want to try and have DIY invites or just order them... we need about 100-25 invitations, and our wedding is 09/13/08... would I be nuts to try and do it myself? I''m just thinking that maybe if I can do them myself I''ll be able to get the kind of invitations I want for the same amount of money as invitations that are just doable. What do you girls who did your own think? Can I do it?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

IG, I''m considering these from invitesite. http://www.invitesite.com/weddings/invitations/summer_seascape.html and I can''t wait to get my sample in the mail!

How easy do you think yours were to print/assemble?

 

[Independent Gal]

PartyJewels with that much time? It is so way totally do-able. Absolutely! Just budget off chunks of time to get different parts done. Basically, it''s a total of about 10 hours work (maybe 12 if you''re doing 120 of them). I think that''s about realistic. Look at it as a fun craft project, not a chore! And split it up over a few weeks, doing 2 hours at a time in front of a movie. That''s what I did.

Stage 1 - Cut the ribbon to the right length (so 120 or so measure/cut moves), Fold the outer folders (they are already creased for you and they include a tool to help keep it tidy... I''m a spatial moron, and it was a no-brainer for me). 2 hours?

Stage 2 - Print up the invitations and the RSVP cards 1-2 hours? (no movie watching while you do this!)

Stage 3 - assemble, and tie the ribbons, 3 hours? I did it in two sessions.

Stage 4 - Write out your addresses and stamp the envelopes. 3 hours? Again, I split this up into several sessions.

HH The templates make the printing a complete snap and the only even VAGUELY difficult thing with the assembly was learning to tie a pretty bow. But I got the hang of it fairly quickly, and just sent the first few with the not-so-good bows to the not-so-nice among my relatives.

 

[enbcfsobe]

Indy,
I LOVE your invites and they are just the right color scheme for my fall wedding. 2 questions -- first, is the paper gold in person? It looks very gold on the website, but less gold in your photo. Is that just the lighting? Second, did you use colored ink when you printed the invites? Or just black? That is my big issue with DIY -- I worry about doing black ink, especially with the browns and golds. I have a recently purchased B/W laser printer b/c that is what FI and I needed for working at home, and buying a quality color printer seems to defeat the savings of DIY. I''d love to hear what color you used.
Thanks!!

 

[Independent Gal]

I would call the colour of the cardstock 'champagne'. It has a slight sparkle to it. You can order a sample from them for free to see if it matches your colours.

ETA: I was just looking at the actual invitation in front of me and looking at the screen, and the washed out look on mine is because of the flash. The true colour in real life is much, much closer to the one in their web-pic posted above. So, yeah, trust that pic, not mine in terms of colour.

And I printed in black ink and it looks not just fine but GREAT! Frankly, I think coloured ink might look a bit less classy. I would not worry about that at all. And again, when the sample arrives, it will be printed in black so you can see what it looks like.

 

[DMBsGirl]

Your invites are beautiful! Makes me feel more confident about trying a DIY from invitesite. This one''s my fiance''s fave (this is about the only thing he''s cared about during the planning!)

 

[Independent Gal]

Ooooh, I''ve seen that cardstock and I loved it. And I LOVE that red ribbon. But FI nixed the flowers in favour of the crinkly one. I think, ultimately that he made a good decision in terms of the character of the whole wedding, but my heart still yearns for those pretty flowers!

Order a sample (or 6... like I did). See if you love it as much in person.

 

[partyjewels]

Thanks IG! I spent some time looking through all their choices and think that I''m likely to go with the same ones you got. Those are the colors we''re 99.9% sure we''re going to use so I''m going to go ahead and order a sample. I''ll have to do some calculating though to see if it beats out the price of another invite we''re looking at, but honestly I''m only looking at it because it''s the right price and they''d be ok. If I can get something that I love for within our budget I''ll be one happy bride to be! I remember seeing your invites previously on here and being green with envy.. so I''m really happy that I might be able to get them myself

Thanks for the info!!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Good to know IG, I''m so not crafty. In fact, my mom laughed at me when I told her I was considering DIY invites.

 

[bee*]

Your invitations are gorgeous Indy-wow

They look so good-no wonder guests are mentioning them.