Okay, so since I like to write about anything that’s going on in my life, and since I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the wedding lately, I figured I’d blog the latest awesomeness that we finally finished last week.

I preface this with a few things:

1. I am not a professional designer
2. I’m no wedding expert
3. I am not the craftiest person in the world
4. I am no invitation expert
5. We saved money on invitations fo’sho’
6. These took FOR.EV.ER.

But, I did learn a lot along the way. AND, I am really happy with the way they turned out.

Here’s the skinny on how they went and what I used and how much they cost.

Materials Used:

• 1 ream of 120lb white OfficeMax brand card stock – $15
• 1 package of white Avery print and tear envelopes – $18
• 1 package of white Avery print and tear postcards – $18
• White size A-9 envelopes – $20
• 10″ square paper doilies – $24 (eBay)
• 100 yards of navy blue twine – $5 (Save-On-Crafts.com)
• 100 yards of sangria purple twine – $5 (Save-On-Crafts.com)
• Custom photo stamps – Stamps.com ($115 with a coupon code)
• Custom return address stamp – $40 (Sweet Papery)
• Quatrefoil stamp – $5 – etsy
• Last minute George Washington $.20 cent stamps (more on this later) – $30

Total cost (INCLUDING POSTAGE): $290

Now, for 150 invitations, I’d say that’s not bad.

Obviously the photo stamps and custom return address stamps were splurge items, but I justified the custom stamp because we can keep that for a long time… and, well, I really wanted the photo stamps. Creative googling gave me the coupon code so I saved money on them. WOOT!

For the invitations themselves:

1. I designed all three printed elements in Adobe Photoshop.

• I took inspiration from The Wedding Chicks Mason Jar printables but I didn’t want them to be exactly like the other wedding invitations out there.
  • We really wanted the invitations to feel like us – both of us. The mason jars really go with our country theme (cowboy boots, FTW) and everyone that knows me knows I love quatrefoils. So we wanted all of those things to be incorporated.
• I searched and found free fonts on DaFont.comthat I loved and used those
  • The script font is LaPointe’s Road
  • The regular font is Promised Freedom

2. I cut the edge of all the business cards, RSVP info cards (we went green and are doing web / email RSVPs), and invitations with Fiskars Paper Edgers – since I printed all of these invitations on a home printer on the 8.5×11″ card stock (which was a HUGE pain in itself and is not something to be taken lightly) this was really the best way to cut away unwanted white space away from the edges after cutting the 8.5×11″ card stock sheet in half.

If you are going to go this route, I HIGHLY recommend having something mindless to watch on TV whilst printing and cutting. Seriously. I’m not kidding.

3. After all the pieces were done being printed and cut I got the paper doilies out and laid the pieces in order on the doilie

4. To make the paper doilie envelope, I just centered the invitations on the diagonal doilie and folded the sides tightly over and then folded the bottom tightly up towards the center. After those parts were tight, I folded the top down over the middle to cover the side and bottom corners. (I hope all that made sense)

John was a really good doilie folder. He will hate that I am posting this picture. Teehee

5. To finish securing the envelope, we cut the two-color twine into 2/3 yard and tied it around in a bow.

Look at my dad and Bonnie go with the twine cutting!

Ta da!

6. Then after stamping, addressing (my sister is AWESOME for helping hand write addresses), and stamping again the regular envelopes, we put the finished product in and VOILA! DONE!

Here are the envelopes:

I love our stamp!

Yeah, I sealed the envelope with a quatrefoil. Sue me.

Also, you will notice the nice George Washington stamp. No, we did not plan that. We stopped at the post office before mailing them to make sure we had enough postage only to learn that the twine, yes the twine, adds $.20 cents an envelope because that means they can’t put them through the machine. GAH. Any ribbons, anything that makes the envelope bumpy jacks the price up. SO, it’s a good thing I checked or else we would have been in deep bull-poo. Yeah, I said bull-poo.

Anywho.

These things were DEFINITELY a labor or love but in the end we are really happy with how they turned out. Considering invitations, especially 150+ invitations can cost hundreds even THOUSANDS of dollars, we saved money and they had a personal touch. If you decide to do your own, just be prepared that saving money doesn’t always save headache.

What do you think? Yay? Nay?

Did you do your own invitations? Would YOU do your own invitations?

YAY! Now, to collect RSVPs.