Wedding Stationery on a Budget

When I got married I had a pretty small budget compared to most brides. I’m actually glad I had an inexpensive wedding compared to most of my friends. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything important by not having a lavish ceremony. Still, there were parts of the planning that made it difficult to stay within the budget. One such thing was my wedding stationery.

If you have never sent out a formal invitation you are going to be in for a shock when you go to purchase your wedding invitations. You might have sent out invitations for your high school and college graduations, but nothing comes close to the number of invites you will send out for your wedding day.
So many components go into a wedding invitation that it can all be a bit over whelming not to mention costly.

Did you know that most wedding invitations include the following?

• The invite itself


• An internal envelope often informally addressed


• An external envelope formally addressed to your guest


• A reception card with directions to the reception site if it will be held at a different venue


• An RSVP card


• A self addressed stamped envelope so your guests can return the RSVP card

Now try getting all that for less than $200.

In the end we went with a company that sold all in one invitations. Rather than having separate cards for the invite, reception, and RSVP everything was rolled into one tri-fold card. The tip portion of was the invite and the bottom section was a tear off RSVP card. It was simple and easy and the best part was that we didn’t go over our budget.

Depending on your personal preference this might not be the best option for you, however you can still save money on your wedding invites and stationary. Try these simple tips.

• Shop online for invites and thank you cards. Since online retailers sell more than your local print shop it’s easier to find a lower price.


• If you find something you like get a sample before placing your order. This is a great way to gauge the quality of the paper the invite will be printed on.


• Order more than you think you will need. When ordering invites be prepared to overbuy. In the long run this will save you money because most online retailers have a minimum purchase amount.


• Skip the interior envelope. It won’t save you a lot of money but when you are on a tight budget every little bit helps.

There is no reason your inexpensive wedding has to feel cheap. Take it from someone who did their entire wedding, dress and all, for under $5000.