1. Purchase good quality supplies.
Matching cards, envelopes and inserts give a very professional look. Before leaping ahead and purchasing a bargain pack of cards and envelopes from your local market, first be sure you are happy with the quality, you may also want to consider if other sizes of matching cards are available, for when you make the rest of your stationery; place cards, order of service, menu's etc.
2. Sample Kits & Cards.
Purchasing sample kits & sample blank card sets are a wise choice. This will give a you a good idea of the quality of card & paper, and will also give you inspiration to help make your own designs.
3. Choose your envelopes first.
Or at least check the Size of envelopes are available.
Its usually not a problem if you are going for a nice Ivory envelope or White envelope and a standard size card, but if you want something a little different and more unusual, then check that you can get the envelopes you want in the right size before deciding on your card size. It is relatively easy to cut a singlefold card to fit an unusual size envelope, but envelopes are not so easy to make yourself and unusual envelopes tend to come in a small range of sizes.
4. Use the correct adhesives.
When making your own cards or wedding stationery, using the right adhesives will ensure your results look professional and save you time. The last thing you want is the real “homemade” look, with bits falling off!!
5. Decide How "Handmade" They Will Be?
How far do you want to go in your handmade wedding invitations? Do you want to go completely from scratch by making your own paper? Do you want to do your own calligraphy? Or are you just interested in saving money by printing the invitations on your home pc printer? Before you decide to make handmade wedding invitations & stationery, you need to decide just how "handmade" your wedding invitations will be and how much work you want to do yourself. Keeping them simple, if you have never really done any crafting before now.
6. Allow plenty of time.
To make your invitations, make it a special enjoyable time, invite some family & friends around to help out. Rule of Thumb!! Give Yourself Enough Time. You may think you are saving time and money by making your own wedding invitations, but these crafts are not always as time saving as you may think.
7. Test your chosen card on your pc printer.
It is wise to check your printer will print onto your chosen card & paper. Especially if using special papers & cards, eg: vellum or mulberry papers. Printer models vary tremendously, and it is a good idea to check a few sheets first before purchasing bulk quantities, only to find you cannot get them through your printer.
8. Use Simple Embellishments.
Rule of thumb. Keep your wedding invitation simple. If this is your first time turning your hand to crafting & you dont have all the tools needed to produce handmade wedding stationery it may be wise to purchase simple elegant embellishments. Some brides may want choose our DIY Wedding Stationery Kits so they can use luxury materials without paying top of the range designer prices.
9. Use The Correct Crafting Tools.
If you are going to make your own wedding invitations from scratch, you may want to consider purchasing some craft tools to get the job done correctly. Especially if you want to cut and score the cards yourself. This small investment, will make a better job in the long, and you will get that proffessional look.
10. Check it will post ok.
If you will be sending out the Invitations out through the post office, be sure they will arrive safely. First send a finished wedding invitation to yourself, this will determine how much the postage will cost, and will also help you see what condition it may be received.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
How do I know which Inserts?
For most special occasion stationery an insert is used - this is simply a piece of paper on which the details are printed and is adhered inside the card and gives a more professional look than printing directly onto the card.
Apart from looking better, an insert has the advantage that it can be added at the last minute. So you can make your invitations well in advance, then print and add the inserts just before sending them out. Using insert paper, also allows you time to confirm final details, allowing you some time to also confirm your guestlist with your partner/family.
a) A smooth plain white or smooth ivory paper is usually used for inserts, but vellum (translucent paper) is also popular as are coloured, textured and pearlescent papers.
b) The paper should be good quality, but not too heavy as thick paper can make the card too bulky. 100gsm is an ideal weight for insert paper.
c) If using a special type of handmade paper, it’s a good idea to test it through your printer to make sure the ink doesn’t smudge.
d) Inserts are available in all the regular sizes, these are cut slightly smaller than the card size you use, making the overall look, very professional.
e) All our cards available in the DIY wedding stationery section have matching inserts available, we now also have available inserts gatefold cards.
f) Remember to work out the amount of space needed on the insert, this will help you to decide what size of card to use for the Wedding Invitations & Order of Service. ie:
g) when deciding the card size for the Order Of Service, you will need to determine if you will use one or two paper inserts for the text inside. Firstly this is so you will know how many sheets to purchase. And secondly, you need to decide in which way the inserts will stick on the inside of the order of service.
Apart from looking better, an insert has the advantage that it can be added at the last minute. So you can make your invitations well in advance, then print and add the inserts just before sending them out. Using insert paper, also allows you time to confirm final details, allowing you some time to also confirm your guestlist with your partner/family.
a) A smooth plain white or smooth ivory paper is usually used for inserts, but vellum (translucent paper) is also popular as are coloured, textured and pearlescent papers.
b) The paper should be good quality, but not too heavy as thick paper can make the card too bulky. 100gsm is an ideal weight for insert paper.
c) If using a special type of handmade paper, it’s a good idea to test it through your printer to make sure the ink doesn’t smudge.
d) Inserts are available in all the regular sizes, these are cut slightly smaller than the card size you use, making the overall look, very professional.
e) All our cards available in the DIY wedding stationery section have matching inserts available, we now also have available inserts gatefold cards.
f) Remember to work out the amount of space needed on the insert, this will help you to decide what size of card to use for the Wedding Invitations & Order of Service. ie:
g) when deciding the card size for the Order Of Service, you will need to determine if you will use one or two paper inserts for the text inside. Firstly this is so you will know how many sheets to purchase. And secondly, you need to decide in which way the inserts will stick on the inside of the order of service.
Which Card Sizes To Use For Invitations
Which size card should you choose for your Wedding Invitations?
This is very much down to personal choice - but there are a few pointers to consider & bear in mind.
1. Choose your envelopes first or at least check the Size of envelopes are available for your chosen card size.
Its usually not a problem if you are going for a nice Ivory or White envelope and a standard size card, but if you want something a little different and more unusual, then check that you can get the envelopes you want in the right size before deciding on your card size. It is relatively easy to cut a singlefold card to fit an unusual size envelope, but envelopes are not so easy to make yourself and unusual envelopes tend to come in a small range of sizes.
2. The difference in the card sizes A5 & A6...
Most people will recognise A4 as the size of paper you put in your printer. A5 is half the size of A4 and A6 half of A5 and so on. Card blanks are usually described in the same way. Remember that the size for card blanks refers to the FOLDED dimensions of the card.
For envelopes you need the corresponding C size - so a C6 envelope goes with an A6 card & a C5 envelopes goes with a A5 card, and so on... The envelopes will be slightly larger all round so they fit your folded card easily.
Which size card to use for Order of Service:
Most people choose a larger size card for an Order of Service so that there will be plenty of room for printing hymns and/or readings etc without using a tiny font size or lots of pages - A4 folded to A5 is the most common size.
Which size card to use for RSVP Cards:
If you are including RSVP cards, you should normally make these smaller than the invitation as you will need to fit the card (and reply envelope) into the main envelope. Or use an unfolded piece of card the same size, A6 postcard style or A7 Size cards are good for RSVP.
Our Suggestions:
Wedding Invitations - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, Square 155 x 155 single fold, Square 155 x 155 gatefold, or Tall(DL) Single fold, Tall(DL) Gatefold
Evening Invitations - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, A6 postcard style, or Small Square Single Fold (130x130), Small Square Gatefold (130x130)
RSVP - A6 postcard style, or A7 Singlefold.
Order of Service - A5 Singlefold.
Menu - A5 singlefold or Tall (DL)
Thank You - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, A6 postcard style, or Small Square Singlefold (130x130), Small Square Gatefold (130x130).
This is very much down to personal choice - but there are a few pointers to consider & bear in mind.
1. Choose your envelopes first or at least check the Size of envelopes are available for your chosen card size.
Its usually not a problem if you are going for a nice Ivory or White envelope and a standard size card, but if you want something a little different and more unusual, then check that you can get the envelopes you want in the right size before deciding on your card size. It is relatively easy to cut a singlefold card to fit an unusual size envelope, but envelopes are not so easy to make yourself and unusual envelopes tend to come in a small range of sizes.
2. The difference in the card sizes A5 & A6...
Most people will recognise A4 as the size of paper you put in your printer. A5 is half the size of A4 and A6 half of A5 and so on. Card blanks are usually described in the same way. Remember that the size for card blanks refers to the FOLDED dimensions of the card.
For envelopes you need the corresponding C size - so a C6 envelope goes with an A6 card & a C5 envelopes goes with a A5 card, and so on... The envelopes will be slightly larger all round so they fit your folded card easily.
Which size card to use for Order of Service:
Most people choose a larger size card for an Order of Service so that there will be plenty of room for printing hymns and/or readings etc without using a tiny font size or lots of pages - A4 folded to A5 is the most common size.
Which size card to use for RSVP Cards:
If you are including RSVP cards, you should normally make these smaller than the invitation as you will need to fit the card (and reply envelope) into the main envelope. Or use an unfolded piece of card the same size, A6 postcard style or A7 Size cards are good for RSVP.
Our Suggestions:
Wedding Invitations - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, Square 155 x 155 single fold, Square 155 x 155 gatefold, or Tall(DL) Single fold, Tall(DL) Gatefold
Evening Invitations - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, A6 postcard style, or Small Square Single Fold (130x130), Small Square Gatefold (130x130)
RSVP - A6 postcard style, or A7 Singlefold.
Order of Service - A5 Singlefold.
Menu - A5 singlefold or Tall (DL)
Thank You - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, A6 postcard style, or Small Square Singlefold (130x130), Small Square Gatefold (130x130).
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Allow Plenty of Time To Make Your Invites
But please do remember that you will need to allow plenty of time to make your wedding invitations, make it a special enjoyable time, invite some family & friends around to help out.
Rule of Thumb!! Give Yourself Enough Time. You may think you are saving time and money by making your own wedding invitations, but these crafts are not always as time saving as you may think. Especially if you have never made any before. If you are making your own paper and handwriting 200 invitations, then you need to start working on those invitations early. Make sure you determine how long it will take to make one invitation, then add 20 percent extra time, and decide if you have enough free time to get them completed before you have to mail out those wedding invitations.
Rule of Thumb!! Give Yourself Enough Time. You may think you are saving time and money by making your own wedding invitations, but these crafts are not always as time saving as you may think. Especially if you have never made any before. If you are making your own paper and handwriting 200 invitations, then you need to start working on those invitations early. Make sure you determine how long it will take to make one invitation, then add 20 percent extra time, and decide if you have enough free time to get them completed before you have to mail out those wedding invitations.
Decide How 'Handmade' Will My Invites Be?
Before you decide to make handmade wedding invitations & stationery, you need to decide just how "handmade" your wedding invitations will be and how much work you want to do yourself. Buying a DIY wedding kit, many are now available to purchase and will give you a sense of achievement, as lots of the work has been done for you, but you put it all together, this isnt the cheapest way, but still cheaper than buying pre-printed. And can work out cost effective, if you dont have all the tools needed to produce handmade wedding stationery.Some brides to be choose DIY wedding stationery so they can use luxury materials without paying top of the range designer prices.
a) Decide How "Handmade" They Will Be?
b) How far do you want to go in your handmade wedding invitations?
c) Do you want to go completely from scratch by making your own paper?
d) Do you want to do your own calligraphy? Or are you just interested in saving money by printing the invitations on your home pc printer?
a) Decide How "Handmade" They Will Be?
b) How far do you want to go in your handmade wedding invitations?
c) Do you want to go completely from scratch by making your own paper?
d) Do you want to do your own calligraphy? Or are you just interested in saving money by printing the invitations on your home pc printer?
Our Best Cost Cutting Tips
Here are our best cost cutting tips if you do fancy making your stationery for your wedding:
1) Print the words “Wedding Invitation” directly onto the card instead of using peel-off stickers or foil panels, using a template and a little practise this very easy to achieve.
2) If you have lots of Invitations to make, think about investing in a card bone folder or scorer and a paper or card trimmer, then purchase flat card to cut, score and fold yourself.
3) RSVP cards are not necessary - many people will reply by phone, buy a special card or reply by email.
4) Make your design easy to follow, remember the term ' less is more', dont make it all too difficult. Do a little research, and check the resources are readily available, nothing worse than setting your mind on something to find it is soon to be discontinued!!
1) Print the words “Wedding Invitation” directly onto the card instead of using peel-off stickers or foil panels, using a template and a little practise this very easy to achieve.
2) If you have lots of Invitations to make, think about investing in a card bone folder or scorer and a paper or card trimmer, then purchase flat card to cut, score and fold yourself.
3) RSVP cards are not necessary - many people will reply by phone, buy a special card or reply by email.
4) Make your design easy to follow, remember the term ' less is more', dont make it all too difficult. Do a little research, and check the resources are readily available, nothing worse than setting your mind on something to find it is soon to be discontinued!!
Make Your Own Invitations & Save Money
If you like the look of handcrafted cards, you can save a considerable amount money by making your own rather than purchasing from a professional designer. Many of these designers started in business because they made their own wedding stationery and enjoyed it so much they wanted to carry on - so you too can achieve fantastic professional results with just a little care and attention to detail.
Making your own Wedding Stationery gives you control over your spending and allows you to have special great looking designer stationery even on the tightest of budgets, what an achievement, and how great will you feel. Low price DIY wedding stationery can still look good - and there is no need to tell your guests how little they cost. Wedding Invitations are the first sneak preview into how your special day will look, so it is important to take your time.
Lots of brides these days want to add their own special touch to their wedding invitations, and creating handmade invitations can give a sense of individuality and flair to your special wedding day. However, before you head out to the craft store to start building your own handmade invitations, there are some tips and tricks of the trade that will keep you from getting frustrated as you make your own perfect wedding invites.
Using decorative papers and your own PC and printer you can create invites at minimum cost. There are the most beautiful papers now available. Floral papers are great for a summer wedding & Winter themed paper for a winter wedding etc.
Buy your cards, envelopes and inserts in bulk, this will definately save you money in the long run. Once you have decided what card, paper, embellishments you want. Purchase in bulk quantities, normally the more you buy, the less per card you will pay.
DO remember: Practice, Practice, Practice, this saying, practise makes perfect, really does work.. Some brides decide to make their wedding invitations, yet they have never really done any crafting before. Although you may think this is 'easy', stick a few bits here and there. It really is a good idea to try out your ideas before you order 500 fancy paper flowers or blooms to decorate your wedding invitations. Then find you cannot adhere them, or you have changed your mind on the look. By practicing, you will not only become more adept at making your own wedding invitations, but you will be able to perfect your design. It may seem cliché, but in this case practice really does make perfect, and will pay off in the end.
As with any other aspect of your wedding, set a budget and work to it. The good thing about making DIY wedding stationery is that it is easy to make adjustments if necessary.
Making your own Wedding Stationery gives you control over your spending and allows you to have special great looking designer stationery even on the tightest of budgets, what an achievement, and how great will you feel. Low price DIY wedding stationery can still look good - and there is no need to tell your guests how little they cost. Wedding Invitations are the first sneak preview into how your special day will look, so it is important to take your time.
Lots of brides these days want to add their own special touch to their wedding invitations, and creating handmade invitations can give a sense of individuality and flair to your special wedding day. However, before you head out to the craft store to start building your own handmade invitations, there are some tips and tricks of the trade that will keep you from getting frustrated as you make your own perfect wedding invites.
Using decorative papers and your own PC and printer you can create invites at minimum cost. There are the most beautiful papers now available. Floral papers are great for a summer wedding & Winter themed paper for a winter wedding etc.
Buy your cards, envelopes and inserts in bulk, this will definately save you money in the long run. Once you have decided what card, paper, embellishments you want. Purchase in bulk quantities, normally the more you buy, the less per card you will pay.
DO remember: Practice, Practice, Practice, this saying, practise makes perfect, really does work.. Some brides decide to make their wedding invitations, yet they have never really done any crafting before. Although you may think this is 'easy', stick a few bits here and there. It really is a good idea to try out your ideas before you order 500 fancy paper flowers or blooms to decorate your wedding invitations. Then find you cannot adhere them, or you have changed your mind on the look. By practicing, you will not only become more adept at making your own wedding invitations, but you will be able to perfect your design. It may seem cliché, but in this case practice really does make perfect, and will pay off in the end.
As with any other aspect of your wedding, set a budget and work to it. The good thing about making DIY wedding stationery is that it is easy to make adjustments if necessary.
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