Wedding Invitations: Sending That 1st Impression

The formality of your wedding is reflected in your invitations. So choose invitations that match the style of your wedding. Even formal invitations can still be found for bargain prices. Know exactly how many invitations you will need so you can comparison shop with the applicable numbers. Shop around in several different stationery stores to get the best prices available.  Comparison shop like crazy!  Send for free catalogues and borrow those of recently married friends.

Below are 10 wedding invitation tips that will help you:

1. When adding up the number of invitations you'll need, follow these rules:

• Families get their own invitation.
• Those over the age of eighteen get their own invitation.
• Those inviting a guest get one invitation with both names on it.
• Plan to order ten to fifteen extras in case of mistakes or replacement guests added to the list when space allows. Keep leftovers as mementos.

2. When figuring your invitation budget, be sure to add in the cost of postage. In most cases, you will need two first-class stamps per invitation. One hundred invitations, then, equals £56 in postage. International rates are higher.

3. Take several of those large invitation sample books home with you so you can take a really good look through them and compare prices.

4. Choose simple, plain, black-and-white invitations rather than the more expensive, fancier ones. Coloured inks, borders, pictures, monograms, and laser-cut designs just inflate the price. As an added plus, the simpler the invitations, the classier they look.

5. Choose thermographed invitations rather than engraved. You will not see much of a difference in style, but they are a much better buy.

6. Get regular to small-sized invitations. They are less expensive than over-sized ones, and extra postage is not needed for each one.

7. Get plain envelopes. The coloured ones with the printed and shiny liners are all decoration and all added expense.

8. Choose invitations that are made of thinner paper so you will pay less in postage.

9. When looking at catalogue prices for invitation packages, be sure to add on the cost of shipping and insurance.

10. Word your order form carefully and edit several times to check for mistakes. One misspelled word can mean the extra expense of having to reorder if the catalogue's low prices mean no returns.

Another Alternative: Creating  Your Own Wedding Invitations

Another great alternative is to make your own, using good paper and your high-quality computer and printer. Follow the wording and patterns you see on invitations in wedding books and magazines, and do enclose these in high-quality, matching envelopes with response cards. Or make use of a friend's computer skills and software. This favour can be a wedding gift to you.

If you have connections to an art school, you can choose tomorrow's designers to create your invitations for you. Their fee will undoubtedly be little more than the cost of materials and a request for recommendations for their portfolios.

Speaking of the cost of materials, buy your own white or off-white paper at a discount store or in one of those buy-by-the-pound paper warehouses. Get your plain envelopes there, too, remembering that coloured papers are generally more expensive than the preferable white and off-white varieties.

You may also use your computer to draw up the invitation you'd like, and bring a printout to a nearby discount printer to be copied as many times as you need.

If you have experience in calligraphy, hand-print a master copy of your invitation. Then either bring this master copy to a discount printer to be duplicated or, if you have the time and patience, you can hand-print in calligraphy all your invitations. It is a classy look if you have the talent, and it's more than a bargain.

If you have little experience in calligraphy but you would still like to hand-write your own invitation master, buy a simple calligraphy pen and find a guidebook in the library. Spend some time practicing the strokes until you get them right. Perhaps you could work in some extra calligraphy practice by writing up your to-do lists, filling in your journal, and writing letters to your bridal party in the fancy script.

If you would like the look of calligraphy for your invitations, but don't feel yours would look professional enough in such a short time, ask an artist friend if she'd write out your invitation as her gift to you. Or put up a flier at a local high school or college art department, asking for the services of a calligrapher. Many young artists are just as talented as professionals, and they'd gladly do the job for a fraction of a professional's fee.

Take a look through the wedding stationery section to find professionals to help you. You could also look for a calligrapher.