| These days many couples are paying for their | | | | This is a great and easy way to make your |
| own wedding celebrations. Whether the happy | | | | invitations. You can purchase completely blank |
| couple choose to fit the bill or be it the lucky | | | | greetings cards online or at retail stores such as |
| parents most of us know -the costs for hosting a | | | | arts and crafts supply stores, office supply |
| wedding can be overwhelming. Many are seeking | | | | stores, and many other retail stores. Print your |
| ways to make their celebration a bit more | | | | invitations text to the inside of the card and then |
| affordable without sacrificing style and elegance. | | | | decorate the outside of the card to match your |
| One great way to cut some costs from the | | | | wedding colors or theme. A great way to |
| budget is to make your own wedding invitations. | | | | decorate these would be to use nice handmade |
| You can make your own handmade wedding | | | | paper or decorative patterned paper. I like to use |
| invitations that actually look like you spent a | | | | scrapbooking background paper to decorate these |
| fortune! | | | | types of cards and add accents such as ribbons |
| For many brides the invitation is up there on the | | | | or dried flowers. |
| list of wedding priorities. The invitation is the first | | | | 3. Visit a local copy shop! |
| impression the guests will receive from the | | | | A great way to make the task of making your |
| wedding. They set the tone for the entire event. | | | | own wedding invitations a bit less stressful as well |
| Brides want their invitations to be special, | | | | as cut the work load is to visit a local copy shop. |
| one-of-a-kind, and stylish. The only problem is that | | | | Choose the papers you want to make your |
| you must pay handsomely for style. Ordering | | | | wedding invitations with and then print out the |
| from a commercial printer will set you back a | | | | text for them onto some plain white printer |
| couple hundred dollars at least and a lot of times | | | | paper. Bring these to the copy shop and have |
| much more. For handmade invitations you could | | | | them copy the text onto the invitations for you. |
| be looking at anywhere from $300 - 400 all the | | | | They also have other very helpful services such |
| way up to $1000. | | | | as precision cutting, folding, and scoring. |
| By making your own handmade wedding | | | | 4. Print onto blank wedding invitations. |
| invitations you not only get to customize and | | | | OK so this option is not as open to customization |
| stylize them to match your wedding colors and | | | | as making them from scratch, but it does cut |
| theme exactly, but you will also cut the price of | | | | costs substantially. To make things even easier |
| your wedding invitations in half. You get the | | | | you can bring them to the copy shop to have the |
| perfect wedding invitation that is a one-of-a-kind! | | | | text copied for you. Overall it will cut your costs |
| Here are a few ways to help make your very | | | | in half or more. |
| own perfect wedding invitation. | | | | 5. Print the invitations onto stationary. This is a |
| 1. Layer papers! | | | | very easy way to make your invitations that is a |
| I like to start with card stock as a base. You can | | | | bit low key but still elegant. You can buy beautiful |
| purchase card stock by the sheet or in reams of | | | | stationery from most office supply stores. There |
| 500 sheets at any arts and crafts store or office | | | | are papers that are basically decorative printer |
| supply. Check the scrapbook aisle of the arts and | | | | papers and you can also buy 100% cotton papers |
| crafts store to find great card stocks in many | | | | that are quite elegant as well. I recommend |
| colors and textures. | | | | printing onto a nice cotton paper and then |
| Take a piece of 8 1/2" by 11" card stock and cut | | | | attaching some pressed flowers to the paper or |
| it in half leaving you two pieces of paper | | | | ribbon. |
| measuring 5 1/2" 8 1/2". Next you need to | | | | The best way to start making your handmade |
| choose a paper to layer with this card stock to | | | | wedding invitations is to go shopping and look at |
| create an elegant invitation. I like to use pretty | | | | some papers and craft materials yourself |
| patterned papers or vellum. Cut these papers in | | | | beforehand. Start to get an idea of what kind of |
| half as well. Print your wedding invitation text onto | | | | materials you want to use before you begin to |
| the patterned paper or vellum. Next trim the | | | | make the invitations. There are many other |
| edges of this paper about 1/4" all around so that | | | | crafting tools available such as decorative paper |
| it is smaller than the card stock. Now attach the | | | | punches and decorative scissors which could be |
| two papers together with glue, ribbons, or | | | | used to go with a more elaborate design, or keep |
| decorative brads. Viola! You've got an easy and | | | | it quick and easy with some of the ideas I |
| beautiful handmade wedding invitation. | | | | discussed above. |
| 2. Use blank cards! | | | | |