Save Money on Your Wedding Invitations Using DIY Templates!

Use a Template for Your Wedding Invitations to Save Thousands

If you’re planning a wedding on a budget, your paper pieces are one area where you can easily choose an alternative to maximize your investment. Couples are often shocked at the cost of wedding invitations, let alone adding things like save the dates, menus, and signage to the bill – but I’m here with some of my best tips for making the most of your stationery budget.

I’m Steph, owner of someday paper co, and I’ve affectionately been called The Wedding Invitation Fairy Godmother. I help couples DIY their wedding invitations with ease – and save money, without totally nixing pretty paper!

Invitations are the first impression of your wedding (and one of the only things you get to keep after the big day is over) and set the tone for your entire event. As a paper lover, I believe your guests should get that tangible something special in their mailbox. I also believe you don’t have to break the bank to make that happen!

What Are Wedding Templates?

A few years ago, I didn’t even know wedding invitation templates existed. They have since gained a lot of popularity with easy editing tools and options to use professional print shops online that specialize in printing invites.

Templates are pre-designed wedding invitations that you can access digitally. Typically you can customize colors, artwork, fonts, and wording to ensure it fits your wedding vibe. They’re a great foundation when DIYing your invites, so you’re not starting with a blank page.

Many templates are designed by an experienced graphic designer, although that isn’t always the case. You can find them for sale at almost all corners of the internet, but my favorite place to shop for templates is on Etsy! (It’s where we have our template collection storefront!)

The Costs of Traditional Wedding Invitations

I always say “Wedding invitations can cost as much, or as little, as you want”. You can send a digital e-vite via text for free or have a custom-designed, premium printed, multi-piece invitation set with all the bells and whistles — or anything in between!

I believe your wedding deserves some tactile, pretty paper that you can physically-touch and hold in your hands, so you won’t find me on team e-vite. (For a shower, maybe! I see your wedding invitation as more than just paper – it’s a tangible detail, a keepsake, an heirloom.)

Working one-on-one with a designer, you’re paying for their experience, artistic ability, and time, which is typically charged as a design fee. Big box sites usually have an upcharge on printing and materials and offer customization to their own design templates, although in most cases these aren’t as flexible as purchasing your own template.

It’s hard to give a blanket answer to “How much do wedding invitations cost?” because of all the factors that go into it, as mentioned above. Previously I worked one-on-one with couples to design, print, and assemble their wedding invitations. In 2019, the couples I worked with spent around $1,600 on average for their invites, not including postage.

How to Save Money Using Wedding Templates

The cost for templates can range anywhere from a few dollars to $25+ depending on the number of pieces and style you choose. You’re getting a professionally designed product, without the custom design price tag!

Many template shops also offer bundles, which is a set of corresponding templates that all have the same theme. This will usually include a save-the-date design, a wedding invitation template, and pieces for day of stationery like menus, place cards, and table numbers.

Pro tip: buying a template bundle is a great way to save money and have everything you need, in one place!

When you use a template for your wedding invitations, you get to control pricing a bit more. You can choose to print your template at home, send it to a local print shop or office supply store, or use an online print shop.

We love and recommend Prints of Love as one of our printing partners! They specialize in printing wedding invites, have nice paper options, great quality printing, and ship orders quickly!

When it comes to saving money, you might need to spend more time. For example, printing invitations at home will likely be the least expensive, but you’ll need to account for time doing a test run (printers never get it right on the first try, am I right?!), feeding paper, and cutting your cards down to size.

Weigh your options and decide how much your time is worth. For our DIYish couples, we recommend letting the professionals take care of the printing and then handling assembly and finishing touches on their own! It’s a good middle ground and we’ve had many couples report back that they saved thousands of dollars using our process!

Someday Paper Co

Someday Paper Co

How Do Wedding Invitation Templates Work?

When you’re planning a wedding, things can get overwhelming quickly. We’ve created our DIY wedding invitation process to make it as easy and stress-free as possible.

First, you’ll choose your design. When deciding which template to use, keep in mind things like color and wording can be changed so choose something that has an overall style and layout that you like.

In our shop, buyers get instant access after purchasing a template. They can log in within minutes to begin editing and customizing their design! Some couples have told us they spend as little as 10 minutes editing their wedding invites with our templates – how good will it feel to check that off your to-do list?!

After proofreading (and proofreading again!), you’ll download your design and can print wherever you choose. We include instructions with each of our orders that walk you through ordering printing through our trusted supply partners. Just upload your files to their website, choose your quantity*, add envelopes, and check out!

*Pro Tip: When ordering wedding invitations, you’ll only need to order one per household. Ordering based on your total guest count will land you with a lot of extras (and cause you to spend a lot more than necessary, ouch!)

More than Just Invitations

Invitations get all the attention (as deserved!), but there are several other paper pieces that appear throughout the wedding process: save the dates, thank you cards, menus, programs, place cards, table numbers – the list goes on!

If you want to grab our free Wedding Stationery Checklist to keep you on track (and know exactly what quantity to order of each), you can download that here!

Someday Paper Co

Templates are a great option for all of the designs you’ll need. The process is the same and will help keep your budget intact!

Are Templates Right for Your Wedding?

If you want to have control and flexibility to customize your design: yes!

Do you want to utilize a beautifully designed invitation without the custom-designed investment? Then, yes!

If you want to maximize your budget: yes!

Or if you want to add your own personal creative touch and want something that stands out: yes!

If you’re not tech-friendly or don’t have access to a desktop style computer: templates might not be a good fit. The tools are relatively easy to use, but you should be familiar with basic software and utilize a desktop computer for editing. Although templates can technically be edited on a mobile device, it’s not the best – capabilities are limited. If you feel overwhelmed with the tech, you can always delegate this task to a family member or friend!