So, the invitations have been one of the biggest DIY’s I’ve tackled, and I’ll be happy once every single one is sent out. Each step was more time consuming than I ever thought, and since I’m somewhat of a perfectionist, having people help kind of made me nervous. Of course it’s very much appreciated and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my family! Thanks Mom! Total invite’s made: 110. Now I’m off to the Post office to mail them out across the world.

We ordered all the black cardstock from a craft supplier, and cut each piece to size. Each invite then had to be scored down the centre and assembled.

We bought ivory pearlized paper and hand embossed each piece.

We had personalized faux wax seals made for the envelopes.All images were taken by me.

Our save-the-date cards finally out went! I decided to go with postcards to save the inconvenience of envelopes, and save some money on postage (only 29 cents). One important thing to keep in mind is the size of the postcard. If it’s too large, you’ll end up paying additional postage.  The USPS website (and sometimes your printer) should have size guidelines.

I lucked out again with amazing friends. The design work was an early wedding gift from a graphic designer friend (and bridesmaid)! She had the feel for our wedding and her ideas right on target. I had my printing done at 48HourPrint.com, and googled a coupon code before checking out that saved me roughly $20.   I’m very pleased with the way that they turned out, and would highly suggest doing postcards!

My only suggestion whether designing your own or hiring a designer, is to make sure that you have more room than you think you’ll need on the address lines. By the time you add a “Mr. & Mrs.” whoever, and an “& Family” on the end, your space goes quickly. We had the idea for putting the date on the bottoms of our boots before our engagement shoot, so it really helped to have that lined out beforehand in order to get the shot. If you have the extra time, I would suggest doing some save-the-date research before your engagement session.  It really stinks to see a great idea for something and fall in love with it after the fact!

If you would like similar work designed, check out Whitney Waddell Designs.

CLICK HERE for postage guidelines for postcards.