Expert Tips on Making Your Own Wedding Stationery

Vital tips on making your own wedding invitations - by Claire, Invitation Express Wedding Stationery Software

If you want to design and print your own wedding stationery and don't know where to start, here are a few tips that hopefully will get you on your way.

You should select your design before firming up your ideas on paper and cards etc. Simply because the design will largely dictate what paper and card you can use. For example;

If you have a card with a folded insert, you will not be able to use single sided papers.

If the design you choose requires a translucent or vellum paper remember to assess your printer's capabilities, especially if you want to print onto translucents. An alternative is to have the translucent blank and overlay it onto the printed sheet.

Choose your envelopes now, or at least check out the cost. This is something so many brides overlook and the budget can take a hard knock at the last minute. Most matching envelopes are expensive - there's no getting out of it ? the best you can do is to shop around for a reasonable price. Some invitations look okay in a plain white envelope but do try to get matching ones because if you create an invitation to die for it's going to look fairly ordinary stuffed into a plain white envelope. That is the whole point of creating your own stationery, to enable you to have exactly what you want and save money at the same time. There are some stunning new colours around at the moment which will literally spoil you for choice. Although the envelope almost always goes straight in the bin, it is the ultimate finishing touch to your creation ? and first impressions can be lasting. If that is important to you then it might pay to spend the extra. It's also a nice touch for those who will keep the invitation as a memento of your wedding.

Square invitations and non standard size invitations are considered oversize and will cost more to post. Check with your postal office regarding any extra charges, taking into account the number of overseas invitations you may have to send out.

Accessories like ribbons, seals etc., are much more economical to purchase by the roll or sheet. Never buy by the metre as you will probably pay 5 times the cost of a roll and you'll use most of it anyway. Most seals are available by the sheet, you just have to look for them. Don't buy them individually, it will cost much more.

Be aware of the theme throughout your chosen design. If you have bows on all pieces take into consideration the number of sets you need. For example: one of my very first clients wanted gold organza bows on the invitation, reply card, place cards and the thank you cards. I produced a sample set for her which she loved. She ordered 100 sets. That meant 100 invitations, 100 reply cards, 200 place cards and 100 thank you cards. That meant 500 bows and 200 of those were tiny ones for the place cards! If you want bows that's fine, but just be aware of the amount of work it can involve. Maybe just have them on the invitation and/or place cards. You can always enlist the help of your girlfriends and make a night of it.

If you choose to have a folded card, buy it folded where possible. It costs a little extra but cuts down on the work you need to do yourself. Scoring the card, while not difficult is quite fiddly. You only get one go at scoring the card ? if it's wrong then it's wasted. This can be frustrating and expensive.

Place cards can be purchased individually, in pairs or threes. Don't buy them individually cut if you are going to print directly onto the card as they may not feed well through the printer. Our software comes with placecard templates for all sizes which can be guillotined afterwards. Some placecards come with perforations for easy separation.

Making your own stationery can be fun and you will definitely save a bundle if you plan your design thoroughly BEFORE you purchase any materials. Most stationery outlets will have paper and card available by the single sheet so purchase a few of the ones you like and test them in your printer first.

The key to a smooth process is testing and planning before you decide on anything definitely. Having a set of stationery finished completely and making sure you are happy with the look and the level of difficulty involved will ensure you enjoy the experience.

Claire is the owner and co-developer of Invitation Express Wedding Stationery Software, an innovative new software package designed specifically for users to create and print their own wedding stationery. If you want to know more you may like to view details of our software and guidebook, which includes 38 pages of vital info for DIY'ers. The software comes complete with editable templates sets, guestlist builder, clipart, design gallery and much more. For more details visit our site at http://www.invitationexpress.co.uk.

In The News:

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New York Times
Eloping to Vegas? Why Not Lower Manhattan?
New York Times, United States - Jan 7, 2009
“With these new digs, there might just be a new world wedding capital.” The city clerk’s office issued 66600 marriage licenses in 2007 and performed about ...
Manhattan's new Marriage Bureau earns wows as a place to say your vows New York Daily News
NY hears wedding bells, aims to compete with Vegas The Associated Press
Wedding Bells Ring In NYC Marriage Bureau WNYC
Downtown Express - Gothamistall 254 news articles

Washington Post
‘Bride Wars’ is a failed marriage | 1 ½ stars
Kansas City Star, MO - 13 hours ago
And their mutual friends will have to decide which wedding to attend. All would be well if only one of them would cancel (or if they would agree to a double ...
Video: Ann Hathaway's Stellar Year CBS
'Bride Wars' stars Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway are funny allies Los Angeles Times
Two Weddings and a Furor New York Times
Tampa Tribune - Boston Globeall 759 news articles

New York Times
Movie review: Cliches nag 'Not Easily Broken'
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 5 hours ago
The opening wedding scene in the new Bill Duke film, "Not Easily Broken" is so overwrought and cliched, it's akin to sitting down with a promising novel, ...
Not Easily Broken ( ** ) AHN
Movie Review: ‘Not Easily Broken’ is a romantic soap opera that ... Providence Journal
» Inspirational drama anything but 'Broken' Chicago Daily Herald
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Kansas City Starall 81 news articles

FOR FAMILIES: A guide for parents to Jan. 9 and earlier releases
Chicago Tribune, United States - 10 hours ago
By Roger Moore | Tribune Newspapers What it's about: Best friends become dueling brides when they both book the wedding they've always dreamed of in the ...

Wearing white and eating cake, Brides magazine turns 75
The Canadian Press, NEW YORK - 20 hours ago
"The magazine is realistic about how people's lives are today, but still the focus is how to have a successful wedding and start a healthy marriage," says ...

Wedding war: Las Vegas versus New York
KVBC, NV - 8 hours ago
The city has renovated it marriage bureau and even built a 24000-square-foot wedding complex with the hope of becoming the most popular wedding site. ...

New York Magazine
City to Make Your Shotgun Marriage Just That Much Nicer
New York Magazine,  USA - Jan 7, 2009
Photo: Getty Images Perhaps sensing the economic downturn (and having eventually watched the Sex and the City movie), the city spruced up its civil-wedding ...

MLive.com
Bay County gets older, refrains from marriage, likes guns ...
MLive.com, MI - 19 hours ago
Luczak said economics could be partly to blame, as young couples struggling to get a foothold in life may be putting off the expense of a wedding.

Former First Lady Cornelia Wallace Dies At 69
NBC13.com, AL - 4 hours ago
Just 16 months after their wedding Governor Wallace was shot. The assassination attempt left Wallace paralyzed. Fifty-four days later, he left the hospital ...

KHOU
Houston wedding show could help brides on a budget
KHOU, TX - Jan 7, 2009
“I refuse to go into this marriage in debt, “ says Ashley. “That's no way to start out.” -- Watch the flowers. All those arrangements can quickly add up. ...

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