Cheap Wedding Invitations Ideas

Getting married is definitely exciting. Planning one, however, comes with a lot of hard work. There is so much to think about. Details about the best wedding dance that you can use to cap off the celebration are not part of the mud work. It is one of the easier and more exciting things to plan out. There are more serious aspects to a wedding plan including the dresses, the accessories, the reception details, the wedding favors, and even wedding photography tips. Aside from all the time and effort that organizing a wedding requires, there is also the big issue on cost.

Weddings are always extravagant occasions. If you are getting married on a budget, however, there is no need to worry. There are definitely ways you can save up on your wedding cost – from the little details to the bigger ones.

Wedding Invitations
One of the more important concerns with regards to a wedding is the invitation. Of course, every couple would want theirs to be elegant and neat. It must be presentable enough so that the guests would be excited to attend. Your wedding invitation will help make the first impression. There is no need, however, to spend so much money for your wedding invite to impress.

If you are looking for cheap wedding invitations, you can take a cue from the following ideas:

Make your own. If you think you are creative enough and you have the supplies available, you can make your own wedding invite. This will save you almost half in cost. It will even allow you to personalize your wedding invite, putting your own words into it and designing it according to your preference.

If you cannot make your own, find a good supplier that asks a reasonable price. With the Internet, you will have better access to wedding invitation suppliers that offer considerable amount of discount if you order wholesale. Always compare prices and quality before settling down with a specific wedding invitation supplier. That is the best way to get a smart deal.

Online, there is such a thing as a wedding invitation kit. This will help those who cannot make their own wedding invitation guided. The kit usually costs a little higher as opposed to making the invites without them but definitely lower than having it printed by a professional.

Save up on postage cost by using a postcard for the RSVP.

Choose pretty stamps and make hand-written addresses elegant. There is really no need to sacrifice style for you to save money. You can have the best of both worlds – style and sufficient savings – if you are smart enough.

It is never wise to spend a good slice of your wedding budget to the invitations, especially since it is but a miniature detail of the whole event. What is wise is to scout for cheap wedding invitations ideas so you can enjoy savings that you can use for other things. It can be quite costly to get married. There are ways, however, that you can maximize the budget that you have, no matter how big or small it is.

About the Author Kenny Leones

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Wedding Shower Invitations – When and What to Do

The wedding shower or bridal shower is an important part of the wedding process. It not only gives the bride and her close friends a chance to get together before the wedding but also allows those who are close to the groom to learn more about the bride and her bridesmaids. However, before planning for the actual shower events shower invitations need to be sent out. Here are some guidelines to help you with the process.

When to Send out Bridal Shower Invitations
Usually you would send out wedding shower invitations about 4 weeks beforehand. You could ask for reply about two weeks before the event if needed. This provides plenty of time for guests to reserve the date of the event without being notified too far in advance.

What to Send and Include
The obvious things are the date, time, and location of the shower and the name of the host. If you are having a special theme shower, do not forget to include special instructions so the guests can bring any required items to the shower. Many guests appreciate if the location at which the bride and groom are registered or a suggested list of gifts for the bride is also included with the invitation. Often we would recommend written directions or including a map with the invitations. Lastly, be sure to include a phone number to call in case people get lost on their way to the shower.

Who is Invited
The person or people hosting the shower should do the inviting with the bride’s assistance. A good place to start is the bride and groom’s wedding invitation list. If at all possible, do not invite anyone to the shower that will not also be invited to the wedding. Traditionally, you are supposed to invite only people who personally know the bride. However, it is not uncommon for the mother and close family or friends of the fiancé to be invited so they can get to know the bride better and be included in the festivities.

Who should Host the Shower
Usually the maid of honour and bridesmaids would host the shower. Today, a bridal shower is sometimes hosted by very close friends of the bride. The mother of the bride should never host the shower, but she can help with the arrangements or preparation of the food, if the shower is hosted at someone’s home.

Who should Receive an Invitation
In general, the rule is one invitation per person. So if you are inviting roommates or people living at the same address, then each should receive their own invitation. If men are invited then one invitation would be sent per couple.

Wedding Shower Invitation Themes
A popular bridal shower theme is the “Bathrobe and slippers” theme. The guests get together and shower the bride with gifts meant to help her relax and unwind before the big day. Send out invitations for the shower with a picture of a bathrobe and slippers on it to set the tone. The invitation should instruct the guests to bring items suited to the purpose, such as bath products, gift certificates to a spa or salon, and yoga lessons.

Themes can also be practical. For instance, a honeymoon shower can be planned with the honeymoon destination in mind. Gifts can include helpful items like maps, travel books, or luggage. Food, decorations, guest favors and music can also be used to incorporate the theme of a honeymoon destination.

For a tea party theme, serve tea along with finger foods such as scones, finger sandwiches, petite fours, to your guests. Incorporate pictures of teapots into the shower invitations and give away tea packed in vellum pouches to each guest as a gift to take home.

For a winter bridal shower you can use Christmas Ornaments as a theme. Guests can be instructed to bring a ornament for the couple’s first Christmas tree. Serve apple cider and egg nog and find a warm location with a roaring fire to shower the bride. Place vases filled with pinecones and candles around the room to add a warm glow and play some Christmas music in the background to help celebrate the season.

For a garden party theme, the shower can be held in a garden setting and each table can be decorated with a pot of fresh growing herbs. Hang a few lanterns off the tree branches and give away packets of seeds as shower favors to accentuate the garden theme. Have each guest bring some of their favorite gardening tools for the bride to use at her new home.

For a favorite memories theme, have each guest brings a gift that represents a favorite past time spent with the bride. Have pictures of the bride and her friends and family posted around the room so each guest can reminisce about the times they have shared with the bride-to-be. For each favor, tie a printed picture of each guest from their childhood onto a box with the bride’s favourite sweets inside.

For a pajama theme, have guests arrive dressed in their PJ’s. Keep it simple and fill the evening with manicures, pedicures, facials and massages, comfort food, and lots of girl talk! As a perfect gift at the end of the night giveaway a bottle of your bride-to-be’s favourite nail polish!

For a cooking or baking theme have each guest write their favorite recipe on a recipe card and bring the card along with all non-perishable ingredients for the recipe in a box or gift basket. The invitations can be printed with pictures of cupcakes and other baked goods or a spatula and spoon. Place baskets with baked goods and flowers around the room to double as decorations and plan games around the bride-to-be’s favourite desserts and dishes.

Thank you Cards
Thank you cards should be written, by the bride, as soon after the shower as possible, and most certainly before the wedding. The thank you cards should be signed using the bride’s maiden name. During the shower, a bridesmaid should keep track of gifts given by guest while opening the presents so they may be properly thanked for the item they purchased for the bride.

For more information or ideas please visit www.stephita.com.

Choosing Your Wedding Invitations and Calligrapher

by Dayna Bischof

What You Should Know.
Before you purchase your wedding invitations or correspondence stationery, you need to become familiar with paper quality. The quality of paper you select is very important. Not only because premium paper makes for a more lovely presentation for your recipient, but excellent quality paper is critical if you are using professional, handwritten calligraphy for your envelopes.

The Heirloom.
Your wedding invitation is your heirloom keepsake. Choose stationery that won’t fall apart over time. For example, 100 percent cotton or linen is best. If you are hiring a professional calligrapher to address your wedding envelopes, then avoid the following: thin papers like those of inexpensive greeting card quality, papers made with wood pulp, and handmade or recycled papers. Calligraphy ink may bleed on handmade and recycled stocks.

What to Avoid.
Try to stay away from dark papers or the use of liners in your envelopes. The most formal wedding invitations, at one time, were not accompanied by lined envelopes. Liners have become more popular recently, this is true. However, I often wonder if liners were introduced to create the illusion of “substance” to mask otherwise “thin” paper. If you choose heavy weight premium paper, then a liner is not necessary. If you are “sold” on liners, because you wish to incorporate your wedding color into your invitations, then consider instead: a silk ribbon tied around the invitation with a parchment overlay. Or print an envelope seal in your wedding color on the back flap of your outer envelope. Monograms make wonderful envelope seals. Lastly, because dark colors and liners make envelopes opaque and can also affect writing results, calligraphers may charge more to address these flavors of envelopes.

The Toughie.
How do you choose premium paper? Stationery is usually measured in bond weight. A good piece of paper is thirty-two or forty-pound bond. And hundred-pound offset is roughly equal to forty-pound bond. Heavy cards should be made of three-ply stock. Ask your vendor about their paper quality if you are unsure. Also, here are two great tests for paper quality for envelopes. Hold the envelope up to the light. Is the envelope feathery, very thin and extremely easy to see through? Can you write on it with a good fountain pen, or does the ink bleed? Professional calligraphers use fountain and dip inks. I always tell my clients, “Exquisite calligraphy can only be achieved on the finest paper.”

In Sum.
Choose a reputable wedding vendor for your wedding invitations and correspondence. And remember, if the quoted prices are “too-good-to-be-true”, then the paper and calligraphy services most likely are not.

Dayna Bischof is a master calligrapher who operates a hand lettering, graphic design studio – www.calligraphylady.com Her education is in language, literature and art. Her unique wedding invitations have been featured in bridal magazines such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides, CosmoBride and the Knot. She also specializes in logos and graphic design for corporate identities. Her graphic design portfolio may be viewed at www.daynabischof.com