"I knew for sure that I wanted to create a wedding website but the free ones from magazines are nothing compared to the quality of Bwedd's ..." - Tracie, Wilmington, IL
How far are you in your wedding planning? Have you found yourself completely caught up in this wedding "stuff" yet? If so, you are not alone. Wedding planning is so easy to get consumed by. It is one of the only times in your life when you get to plan a big party for yourself - you get to throw the celebration of your dreams! And it is so easy to get carried away trying to make the day perfect.
So why when we want the day to be perfect, do we stress out about all sorts of things that happen before the day even occurs? For example, the wedding invitations. How many of you have spent hours upon hours searching for the perfect wedding invitations? - only to find out when you found the perfect ones that they were too expensive? Well, I have a few tips for you to think about before you even go out looking.
First of all, for those of you who are still making your guest list, consider this - the less people you invite, the less your cost will be. Seems logical right? But, not only will your food and beverage costs be significantly lower, but the number of invitations needed will be smaller. This is often easier said than done, but just remember as your guest list starts to get up there that each addition can equal a significant amount of money.
Second, especially if you are having a large wedding you may want to consider choosing an invitation with postcards as the reply card. Why? Well, less paper equals less cost to you, but also a postcard can be sent (currently) for 21 cents, whereas an envelope requires a 34 cent stamp. For every 100 guests you invite that is a savings of $13.00. Okay, so that may not seem like a lot, but I am of the opinion that every little bit counts. Not to mention, the less paper in the original invitation that you send, the less the weight will be and the less the cost to send the invitations. Most wedding invitations take 2 stamps to send - if you can reduce that to one stamp, you will save another $34.00 per 100 guests invited. If you are inviting 300 guests that is a total savings of $141!
Speaking of postage, I highly recommend that you take an example of one of your invitations - with an address, stamp, and everything inside and all ready - to the post office and have them weigh it. They can tell you the exact price that it will be to send your invitations and you will not have to deal with returned invitations or even over-paying for them.
Third, if you are having a smaller wedding, I would consider making your own invitations. Ordering invitations becomes more cost-effective the more you order, so if you do not need to order a lot, you will essentially be paying more per invitation. There are many computer programs out there that will help you make your invitations, but if you know your way around a computer, you could probably do this yourself. Most office supply stores will also sell stationary kits that would be perfect for weddings. These kits often contain cards that are printer-ready and easy to fold. They will also have matching envelopes and many will even have response cards for you to print on also.
The benefit to making your invitations is that you can also make them look and say whatever you would like them to. And, you can be creative. If you are into stamping, or calligraphy, you could get pretty fancy with your invitations. You could also buy vellum (that translucent plastic-feeling paper) instead of card stock and print a very elegant and modern-looking invitation.
Last, don't forget to put the address of your wedding website on your invitations. Instead of sending directions in the invitation, your guests can get directions from your website. And, they can find out where you are registered, how you met, who is standing up in your wedding, and they can play your quiz. Sending the address to your site in your invitations is a great way to ensure that they know about your site and can find it easily. Plus, it will bring your guests tons of enjoyment to share in your love story.
I hope that these tips will help you with the stress of picking out wedding invitations. Don't forget that nothing is as important as your relationship and the love that you share with each other. Have fun!
