01

Have you always wanted to design your own wedding invitations? DIY weddings are a great way to bring your dreams to life, without stretching your finances and express your creativity. 

You may need to consider the costs of the initial outlay before you decide to print at home, the ink and paper may set you back a little. You may decide it may be worth looking at printing with a professional print supplier, taking the pressure away from you if you’re printing large quantities. The cost of printing will vary, depending on paper types, ink, whether your invitations are flat or folded and have belly bands or other embellishments such as wax seals. Don’t forget to include the cost of stamps and envelopes for the invitations and RSVP cards if they are needed.

02

Wedding invitations and matching stationery are such an important part of your celebrations, your day should represent you both as a couple perfectly, so before you decide on invitations – it’s great to create a mood board for your wedding styling. Is your style bright and bold? elegant and simple? or a watercolour feel? Pinterest boards are a great way to identify your style and a helpful way to see the look and feel of your wedding come together. You will also come across ideas and trends you maybe hadn’t thought of and ideas that you hadn’t considered.

03

Printing your invitations at home will take time, and although it may be more affordable you will need to give yourself enough time. You may find it less pressure during this exciting time to choose a print supplier. Before you begin looking at designs, check out the sizes and paper type your home printer or potential print supplier works with, so it leaves no room for errors once your wedding stationery is designed.

Your invitations should be sent out 6-8 weeks in advance for a local wedding and up to 3 months in advance or a destination wedding. On the day wedding stationery (signage, table plan, menus etc) can be created a little later, we recommend this being printed a 2-3 weeks prior to your wedding date.

04

Designing and printing your own invitations can be a little daunting if it’s your first time using design software. Creating and saving the document correctly is an absolute must, so please take your time in the set up stage. You want your invitations to be the correct resolution with sharp fonts and imagery. For printing with a print supplier you will also be required to save your document with a 3mm bleed (or US .25mm) which will be trimmed at the final stage, its easy to create this in illustrator after you have designed the wedding stationery, however if using photoshop as your design software this would need to be accounted for before you begin.

05

Here at Blossom & Ivory, we are passionate about paper. Our personal favourites are a felt marked Gesso or Mohawk in an off-white or an Acquerello due to the watercolour styles we mostly offer, however you may find a smooth uncoated stock fits you best. There are so many paper types to choose from, however we do feel it’s worth checking out some speciality paper stores to choose your paper. Test a few paper options on your home printer to check it’s a good fit before you commit to buying the whole ream. 300gsm paper should suit your wedding invitations well as a paper thickness/weight and for envelopes try and opt for 118gsm+ for a luxurious feel.

06

If you have decided to print at home, don’t forget to factor in the cost of ink. Ink can be costly, if you have a full page of colour or large images this can really affect the cost of your invitations. Less than new printers can also show a few imperfections, so it may be worth checking this. You’ll also need to check the screen is giving you an accurate depiction of how your design will print, so spend time printing and adjusting the screen and printer settings.

07

Using new and sharp tools and double sided tape is great for assembly. We recommend using a new paper cutter for clean cut edges, and glue dots or double sided tape for the quickest and easiest way to assembly your stationery suite. If you are using an envelope liner the double sided tape option also has the most defined outcome. Once your stationery assembly is complete, simply hand them out or have them weighed and send at your post office.