Invite on a Dime - A Budget Friendly Guide to Wedding Stationery

Your wedding stationery is your first opportunity to wow your guests and give them a prelude for fabulous things to come. This is your chance to foreshadow the style of your wedding, so take advantage. But don’t let memorable wedding invitations and stationery spell the end to your carefully planned wedding budget. With my simple suggestions, you can make an impressive impact without breaking the bank.

Cut That Guest List!
I've said it before, I'll say it again…downsize the number of invitees. Forget inviting every person you’ve ever known; your stationery costs increase exponentially by the number you need to print. So for every guest deemed unnecessary, voila – instant savings!

K.I.S.S.
When selecting a design, remember to Keep It Simple, Sister (no, not stupid). Custom graphics and colored inks all increase the bottom line. Try to stick to one color, and select a classic design that is clean and elegant.

Learn your Lingo
The printing method you choose impacts the price, so go ahead and familiarize yourself with the common printing methods and their costs. Engraving, which results in raised print that is pressed through the back, is the most formal and elegant printing technique - but it will cost you. If your wedding budget is extremely tight, laser printing is your least expensive option. For a complete list of printing methods and their costs, visit my wedding invitation guide at Elegala.com - Elegant Galas Made Simple.

Lighten Up
A stationery rule of thumb: the more your wedding invitation weighs, the more it costs. Not only are bulky papers more expensive, but heavier invitations cost more at the postage meter. So if you found a design you love but can’t afford, re-create it on lighter weight papers and include less inserts. Consider losing the inner envelope, and use response postcards instead of cards with envelopes.

Mind the Meter
When multiplied by hundreds, postage costs add up quickly. Beyond using light paper and eliminating extraneous inserts, there are other tricks to keep postage costs at a minimum. Bring your wedding invitations and other mailings to the post office and have them metered for the exact amount, instead of buying stacks of stamp books and rounding up to the nearest 39 cent mark. Also keep in mind that square or any oddly shaped envelopes incur an extra charge at the meter, so choose a design that fits in a standard envelope.

Eliminate the Extras
While it can be fun to go wild with your wedding invitations and stationery, superfluous extras come with a cost. So choose only those stationery items that apply to your event. Save-the-date cards are not mandatory; consider skipping them if most of your guests are in town and your wedding date doesn’t fall during a peak holiday time. If your reception and ceremony will take place at the same location, you can eliminate the separate reception card from your wedding invitation. A map and directional may be unnecessary if the reception is across the street from the ceremony.

Shop Savvy
You may be surprised to find the very same wedding invitation or other stationery item offered for a number of different prices. That’s right – some retailers have higher markups than others – big shocker. While paper boutiques often have beautiful merchandise, mail-order outlets or online retailers may offer better deals (the boutiques have to cover higher overhead costs). So be a savvy shopper - find a design you like, then shop around to get it at the best price.

Make Like Martha
Calling all Martha Stewart wannabes! If you’ve got the creative knack, we say go for it and make your own wedding stationery. Sure, it’s time consuming, but the end result can be priceless. Not only will you cherish a one-of-a-kind keepsake customized to the style and theme of your event, but chances are you’ll save a pretty penny too.

-contributed by Joni Lacroix-