DIY wedding invitations are an extremely popular choice. Many people choose to go for DIY wedding invitation ideas over professionally made invites and the options are endless. You can set your own budget as high or as low as you want, you have full choice over the design and detail and it’s something that you can really put your love and creativity into in the run-up to your big day.
But, where do you start? You’ve booked the venue, chosen the caterers and found the perfect photographer (if you haven’t – no worries, check out this guide on booking perfect wedding suppliers). Now, how do you invite your guests?
You want to make your invites really reflect YOU and set the aesthetic for your big day. You’ve got some big choices to make, so here are some tips for creating some amazing DIY wedding invitations.
17 Tips for Making DIY Wedding Invitations
1. List the deets
Before writing out your invites, make a list of all of the vital information you need to include. Including the date, time, venue, menu options etc. It sounds so simple, but this will save you from having to fix anything you’ve missed after you’ve made all of the invitations, or from rewriting them entirely if you realise you’ve made an epic blunder. It also avoids any embarrassing situations if your guests receive their invites but you’ve forgotten to include something obvious, like the location for the ceremony. Where’s Great Aunt Margaret? Still at home ‘cause you didn’t tell her where she needed to be!
2. Choose your theme
Rustic, Hollywood, nautical, summer vibes, festival, shabby chic… dinosaurs?! If there’s a theme that you’ve chosen for your wedding then why not incorporate it into your invites? Your theme can be as unique as you are as a couple and can really help to tell your own romantic story before your special day has even begun. Themes can be done subtly or not so subtly, so you could either go all out with it or just add hints and accents to your invites. The world’s your oyster… especially if the wedding is mermaid themed!
3. Colour coordinate
Use the same colour scheme on your wedding invitations that you’ll be using for your wedding day. This sets the tone for your wedding and gives your guests a sneak peek at what to look forward to on the day. It might even help some of them colour coordinate their outfits to fit your day. Noone wants to clash with lime green chair covers, anyway!
4. Get crafty
The most beautiful DIY wedding invitations can be crafted from the comfort of your own home. Don’t be afraid to cut & stick! Using materials such as gold leaf, pressed flowers, card and patterned paper can help you to create beautiful handcrafted invitations. Find the best local hobby and art shops and search through their stationary sections, you might just find gold dust! You can also buy tools like fancy paper cutters and embossers, which can really help to make the creative process a lot easier.
5. Consider your typography
The lettering or font of your wedding invitations is very important. As well as the colour scheme it needs to match the theme and feel of the wedding. Ask yourself which style of lettering you feel will suit you and your day? As well as what kind of tools you might need to create your writing. For example, can it be printed from a home printer, should it be handwritten or would you prefer some classic calligraphy?
6. Personalise
Using small touches of personalisation can make even budget DIY wedding invites look super expensive. Personal features could include using emblemed couples initials, bespoke printed ribbon or even something as simple as a spritz of the brides wedding day perfume onto the invitation as your signature scent. Small details like these can go a long way in making your invitations stand out and look classy (as long as that’s what you’re going for).
7. Stamp happy
Planning a wedding can cause stress and takes up a lot of time. But, you CAN relieve this stress and save time all in one go by using a bespoke stamp! Stamps can be ordered easily online and also save you from getting writer’s cramp from writing out so many invites! Make yourself feel like a royal, we bet even Meghan Markle had one …probably.
8. Include your favourite photo
Including a photo adds a really private touch to your wedding invitations. You could choose a photo from your first date, from an engagement photoshoot or your favourite photo together from a trip away. It shows your guests that you really want them to be part of your day. Everyone appreciates a gorgeous photo of two people who are genuinely in love. A picture says a thousand words, share it.
9. Send a thoughtful gift
If you’d like to be super thoughtful about your DIY wedding invitations, including a small gift could be the perfect way to ensure RSVPs! Small gifts could include items like personalised sweets, miniature candles, sachets of wildflower seeds or even some gorgeous crystals, like amethyst or quartz. If you feel like being really extra about it, you could even hire a mariachi band to turn up at their door to hand deliver your invites for you (for real, mariachi bands are available on Poptop!).
10. Get help from your pet
If you and your partner have a special furry (or scaley) friend in your life then why not involve them?! Save the date cards from pets can be absolutely adorable, so why should humans have all the fun? Get them involved, have a fun photoshoot with them or even have your own pet inspired illustration drawn. After all, Cooper is SUCH a good boy!
11. Use your favourite lyrics
Do you have a song or a poem that means a lot to you as a couple? It could be the lyrics to your first dance song, a poem that defines your love for each other or a hymn that you’d like you’re guests to sing along to during your ceremony. Including the lyrics in your invite can make it super sentimental. Ed Sheeran is Thinking Out Loud as we speak.
12. Don’t forget a matching envelope
Wedding invitation ideas galore, but don’t forget to think about how they are going to be delivered! You can hand make envelopes from card or paper to fit your own size and design, or if you’d prefer you can also buy standard sized envelopes separately. If your design is a little out there you could also look at alternatives, such as boxes. Think Helen in Bridesmaids, but without the live butterfly.
13. Remember to budget for postage
If you do decide to include any extras like keepsakes or embellishments that might weigh your invites down, don’t forget that this will add on extra postage costs. It’s always a good idea to keep your overall budget in mind for the invitations, and this includes delivering them.
14. Call on your kid’s artistic talents
Children can make art out of anything and could help you come up with some amazing wedding invitation ideas! Use your child’s unlimited creativity as inspiration for creating a DIY wedding invitation that your guests will want to keep on their fridge long past the wedding day. A babies footprint could be a super cute addition to your design or you might even want to let your toddler go crazy with the glitter glue!
15. Have fun with it
Making your DIY wedding invitations does not have to be a chore, so why not make a fun activity out of it? Invite your friends round, put on some Beyoncé and order a pizza! There’s no reason you can’t have your best friends involved in helping you make them! Do you have a friend that’s great at art? Susan? Brilliant! Invite her too and open a bottle of wine. You might even want to make it a cute get together for you and the future bridal party, and it will help them to feel more involved in your big day.
16. Include RSVP cards
People lead busy lives and even friends and family with every intention of coming to your wedding may forget to buy and return an RSVP. Cut down any frustrating waiting period by including ready to send RSVP cards. If there are different menu options, be sure to include a section for your guests to choose what they’d like to order.
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17. Follow online tutorials
If you’re not usually a very arts n’ crafts sort of person, there are lots of online tutorials that can help you! Don’t forget to thank us later, but you can find lots of DIY wedding invitation ideas on YouTube, as well as step by step guides on how to make them. Check out these videos for some inspiration;
Your wedding invitations should be as special as you are and this is manageable on almost any budget. What’s important is the people around you to share your big day, so don’t sweat the small stuff if you’re worried about paying for expensive printers to make invitations for you. A simple handwritten gesture can mean as much, if not more, than a snazzy pre-designed invite.
Your love story is unique and so is your wedding. So, there are no rules when it comes to how to make your own wedding invitation. Get creative, think outside box, use as much or as little PVA glue as you like. We can’t all be Neil Buchanan in the art department but we can all raise a glass to you and your partner on your big day!
Check out more wedding invitation ideas here:
Also, make sure you have our super helpful step-by-step wedding planning checklist to make sure that the rest of your wedding planning goes smoothly.
Marketing Manager at Poptop – UK Leading Events Planning Concierge Service
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What a great article, I’m really glad I stumbled across it as I found it to be really informative. A good article on designing of wedding cards is not that easy to find but I’m amazed at how you touched on all the corners and how brief and to the point it was. Personalized wedding card is my favourite. I highly recommend checking out for greeting cards, as I’ve used them on several occasions and the cards they produce are really unique and also customised in 3d. So if you want to gift a birthday card to your friends, loved ones or even just for yourself, I can assure you these greeting cards will keep your long-lasting memories alive with the clever lenticular lens they use.