There are a lot of decisions to make all at once, and it can be very frustrating to create and stick to a budget. Our goal in this post is to help you identify the key factors necessary to create an invitation budget. To get started, determine the following:
1) How many people are you inviting? This can be a rough number at this point, but you need to have a sense of how many invitations to send. Keep in mind that you'll only send one invite to friends and family who live together, so your actual number of invitations will be smaller than your total guest list.
2) Where are your wedding and reception taking place? Although you may certainly start drafting invitation ideas without these details, you can't send them until you know! If you are planning a destination wedding, or expecting many out-of-town guests, you may need to budget for additional inserts with maps, directions, hotel information, and other travel details.
3) Will you be sending a printed "save-the-date?" A save-the-date lets invited guests know the day and general location of your wedding so they can begin planning to attend. Many couples choose to mail printed save-the-dates, while others call, email, and text to let friends and family know. Don't forget to include the cost of a printed save-the-date in your overall printing budget!
4) Do you have a rough budget in mind? If your funds are very limited, and you know that from the outset, you can save a lot of heartache and frustration during the design process by avoiding design features that add extra costs. If invitations are something you want to splurge on, you can expand your options before settling on a design style.
Now, let's use your answers to the above questions to estimate a very rough budget.
Step 1: Postage estimate - Many couples neglect to calculate postage, which can significantly increase your overall invitation costs! The US Postal Service has a very handy postage calculator on their website. Keep in mind that postage for square envelopes and rigid items (anything that does not bend easily, which can include wedding invitations with multiple inserts) is higher than normal postage stamps.
As an example, a normal letter weighing one ounce or less costs $0.49 to mail. In contrast, a square envelope of the same weight costs $0.70! For 200 invitations, that could increase your postage costs from $98 to $140, yikes! It's best to expect you will be paying the higher postage rate, and include that amount in your estimate. There are invitations specifically sized to fit in a normal envelope. If your budget is very tight, or you like a less-traditional style, consider one of these as an option!
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| This invitation is scaled to fit in a normal envelope, significantly reducing postage costs! |
Step 2: How many pieces will be in your invitation? A traditional wedding invitation includes the formal invitation, an RSVP card, a return envelope (postage paid!) for the RSVP, and an information card that includes details about the style of dress, wedding and reception locations, hotel accommodations, and any other useful details. All this is typically placed inside a larger envelope. Very formal wedding invitations include two envelopes, the exterior mailing envelope and an interior envelope containing all the cards.
Your choices here are limitless, but certain decisions can significantly impact your budget. On the very affordable end, some couples elect to avoid traditional wedding invitations altogether, either sending only electronic invitations or sending a postcard. With this option, guests are given options to RSVP such as emailing the couple, visiting a wedding website, or calling. While an excellent way to save money, be sure to account for guests who may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar with digital communication. You may need to plan to call certain invited guests, or have a few traditional wedding invitations to send. Digital invitations can be free, or only around $1 apiece depending on the website you choose to use.
Since a standard printed wedding invitation includes an invite, RSVP, and information card, all included in a single envelope with a smaller reply envelope, this suite of options can often be your next most affordable choice. Deviations from this style will often require custom design work, which can be very expensive (think $40-$80 per hour). A simple and easy way to reduce your budget costs here can be to opt for an RSVP postcard instead. Not only does this eliminate an envelope you would otherwise need to purchase, the postage cost on a postcard is also more affordable. You may also want to consider eliminating the physical RSVP altogether, instead asking guests to RSVP online.
For a standard invitation, expect to pay between $1.50 - $4.00 per invitation plus postage. The cost variation here depends mostly on the type of paper and the particular source you are working with.
What can contribute to a higher per invite cost? First and foremost, the number of pieces. As mentioned above, if you are planning a destination wedding, or have complicated information to convey (such as driving directions, hotel accommodations, or other details) you may need additional cards in your invitation. To roughly estimate your budget, allocate an additional $0.50-$1.00 for each additional item.
Step 3: Determine your style - A key factor in increased costs is specialty printing. Do you want foil? Letterpress? Full color? Double-sided printing? Raised lettering? Each of these can increase your per-invitation cost by as much as $2.00 per invitation. If that's in your budget, great! If not, consider designs that look just as luxurious, but without the luxury price tag.
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| A simple, black and white design such as this will create a very luxe look for your wedding invitation at a very economical price! |
At this stage, when you are just estimating, it's best to assume the higher cost. For example, if you think you may want letterpress invitations, add $2 to your total. If you opt not to pay for this feature later on, you can apply those funds to something else!
Step 4: Do you DIY? A crafty couple may choose to significantly decrease costs by printing and assembling wedding invitations themselves. Going this route can often cut your costs in half! If you know you'll be doing this yourself, be sure to invest in quality papers and do some test printing to make sure you'll be happy with the outcome. It's better to do this well in advance to allow time to make adjustments without the stress of a pending mailing deadline!
If you haven't yet read our article on printing your own invitations, find it here. Be sure you are willing to take on the extra work in the midst of wedding planning before choosing this option!
At this point you should have a very rough budget range. It's always better at this stage to assume the higher amount than to be shocked later at increased costs. Although your budget will likely shift somewhat, assuming higher costs at the outset allows you to decrease your budget later, rather than struggling to cover costs! Unless you plan to do all the work on your invitations at home, now is a great time to arrange a meeting with a local printer and designer. This will give you a chance to see papers, samples of other invites, and printing styles, and to confirm that your tastes align with your finances!
Next, we'll discuss the details behind designing an invite, and what you need to look for whether you're using an existing template or having invitations designed from scratch!
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Learn more about our company - AEC Printing
Find all of the featured fabulous designs for sale on Etsy - Finer Print on Etsy
Learn more about our company - AEC Printing
Find all of the featured fabulous designs for sale on Etsy - Finer Print on Etsy
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