Quality But Inexpensive Wedding Invitations

Planning an elegant wedding on a budget can be a challenge. After all, you don't want to sacrifice quality to save money. One area to examine for ways to trim costs is the wedding invitation. Although wedding invitations can be very expensive, there are many options available today for the budget-savvy couple.

Explore All of Your Invitation Options

Don't limit your choices to party and stationery stores. There are other not so obvious places including Kinkos, Staples, and other office supply stores that sell invitations as well as stores like Costco. Mail-order catalogs and the Internet often offer the same invitations for half the cost. Be sure to order samples before you buy.

If you like the look of an engraved invitation, but hate the cost, try Thermography. This type of printing gives you the same raised look and feel for much less. Laser printing, for the more casual wedding, is perfectly acceptable.

Purchase an Invitation Kit

Very popular these days are all the little extras applied to the invitation such as bows, multiple layers of paper, and other embellishments such as metal, silk flower, or wood accents. These items add up, may raise your postage costs, and may have hidden assembly fees. A very cost-effective alternative is an invitation kit. These kits give you everything you need to have a nice invitation at half the cost. The kit allows you to make the invitations yourself on your computer, and then assemble the invitations with any extras you may select.

Go With Simple, Classic Invitations

Another other option is the classic, simple invitation printed on high-quality paper. To cut costs, avoid the lined envelope as well as the second envelope. Most people won't notice that your invitation envelope is not lined, and the need for a second envelope is not nearly as necessary today with the much improved mail handling. Having no reception card and simply printing the reception location and time at the bottom of the invitation will also help trim costs. You can create an insert with a map and additional reception details yourself. A postcard RSVP rather than folded card and envelope will also save postage costs as well as your total invitation costs.

Find Discounts

Should you choose to have everything - invitation, two envelopes (one lined), RSVP card and envelope, and reception card - look for companies that offer discount package deals. Buying everything as one unit is cheaper than doing it all separately. Many companies offer discounts for ordering everything at once. And while you are ordering it all, be sure to order a few extra invitations and envelopes. It's better to pay upfront for some extras, than pay later for reprinting and rush charges.