Crafting Cute Wedding Invitations: Creative Diy Ideas

Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, but making your own wedding invitations can be a fun and budget-friendly alternative to hiring a professional. From adding a few simple touches to customising a template, there are plenty of ways to create cute DIY wedding invitations. Whether you're a crafting whizz or a novice, you can make invitations that are perfectly pretty and fit your wedding's style and theme.

Customise your invites with stamps, ribbons, and creative edging

Personalised stamps are a great way to make your wedding invitations stand out. You can use them to make the invites themselves or to add a return address to the envelopes. You can find custom rubber stamps on Etsy or create your own design from scratch on Zazzle.

Ribbons are another gorgeous addition to your wedding invites. They can be used to tie together all the different elements you are including, such as travel information and RSVP cards. You can also add a little tag for an extra special touch.

To create fancy corners or edges on your invites, you can use a special punch or stamp cutter. These are available in a variety of sizes and designs from craft stores and online. Just make sure you have a steady hand and give yourself enough time to get the patterns right.

You can also add a touch of luxury to your invites with gold foil. This is a cheap way to add an elegant and luxurious feel to your invites. You can add gold foil anywhere on the invitation, and it doesn't have to match.

Finally, consider adding a wax seal to your invites. This is a fun way to secure your ribbon and will add a touch of olde-worlde luxe to your invites. You can find wax seals in specialist paper or craft stores, as well as on Etsy.

Address your invitations beautifully with calligraphy

Calligraphy is a beautiful way to elevate your wedding invitations and impress your guests. It's a chance to add a personal touch and make an impact even before the invitation is opened. Here are some tips to help you address your wedding invitations with style and finesse:

Practice Makes Perfect

Calligraphy is a skill that requires practice and patience. Don't expect to master it overnight. Start by finding online tutorials or calligraphy classes to improve your technique. You can find free tutorials on websites like Style Me Pretty, LCI Paper, and Bridal Musings. Practise on plain paper before writing on your final envelopes.

Choose the Right Tools

When it comes to writing utensils, you have options. A calligraphy pen or paintbrush might be the traditional choice, but you can also use a brush pen or waterbrush. Brush pens come in various colours and sizes, allowing you to match your wedding colour scheme. Waterbrushes use ink and watercolour paint, giving you even more flexibility in terms of colour.

Write Straight

Writing straight on envelopes can be tricky. One method is to use a ruler and pencil to draw lines on your envelopes. For darker envelopes, use a piece of transfer paper between the pencil and the envelope. Alternatively, use a light box with a template placed under or inside light-coloured envelopes. You can also purchase or make an envelope addressing guide, which helps you keep your lettering straight.

Set a Realistic Goal

Addressing envelopes by hand can be time-consuming and tiring. Set a realistic goal for yourself to avoid burnout. Consider addressing only a few envelopes a day or focusing on those for close family and the bridal party. Remember, this should be enjoyable, not burdensome!

Pick a Calligraphy Style

If you're not comfortable using your own handwriting, you can print out different fonts to mimic. Download and print the entire alphabet (upper and lowercase) and numbers for reference. Print out common words like "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Street", "Apartment", and city or state names to make the process smoother.

Allow Plenty of Time

Give yourself ample time to address your invitations. It can take several minutes to address a single envelope, especially if you're new to calligraphy. Time yourself addressing a few envelopes, then calculate how long it will take to complete your entire guest list. Don't forget to include extra envelopes for mistakes!

Hire a Professional

If the task seems daunting, consider hiring a hand-letterer. Envelope calligraphy typically costs $2-7 per envelope, depending on the artist. While it may be an additional expense, it can save you time and ensure a consistent and elegant look.

Maintain Consistency

Whether you're doing it yourself or hiring a calligrapher, maintain consistency throughout your wedding paper goods. From the invitations to the escort cards, place cards, and reception menu, a cohesive style will impress your guests and showcase your attention to detail.

Add a watercolour wash or gold edging for an elegant, expensive look

Adding a watercolour wash or gold edging to your wedding invitations is a great way to achieve an elegant and expensive-looking finish without breaking the bank. This simple DIY trick can elevate your invitations and impress your guests.

If you're a dab hand with a paintbrush, you can create a beautiful watercolour wash effect on your invitations. Search for 'watercolour flowers' online and choose an inexpensive package that fits the colour scheme and aesthetic you're aiming for. Once you've downloaded your chosen design, open it in a design programme, such as Adobe InDesign, and start customising your invitations. Play around with different fonts and text sizes, and add your chosen watercolour design to the background. When you're happy with your design, print it out on watercolour paper. Remember not to overdo the watercolour, as this can cause the paper to become misshapen. Practise makes perfect!

Alternatively, adding gold edging to your invitations or envelopes is an incredibly easy way to make them look glamorous and luxurious. Gold edging can be done yourself, with the help of online tutorials, or by a professional wedding stationery supplier. This technique traces back to master bookbinders, who gilded the edges of books with gold to indicate richness and importance. You can also experiment with other metallic shades, such as silver or copper, for a similar effect.

For a cohesive look, consider incorporating your chosen colour scheme into the watercolour wash or gold edging of your invitations. This will tie your invitations in with the rest of your wedding and create a seamless, elegant look.

Assemble your invitations with glue dots or double-stick tape

When assembling your wedding invitations, you'll want to ensure they look neat, professional, and perfectly bound together. Using glue dots or double-stick tape is a great way to achieve this. These adhesives are strong, clean, and flat, ensuring your invitations don't end up looking lumpy or curled.

• Prepare all the pieces of your invitation suite. This includes the invitation, response card, response envelope, and any enclosures with additional information for your guests.
• Arrange the pieces in the correct order. The proper order is usually as follows: invitation (printed side up), large enclosure (printed side up), response envelope (printed side up, with the flap on the right), response card (printed side up), and small enclosure (printed side up).
• Use glue dots or double-stick tape to adhere the pieces together. For glue dots, simply peel them off their sheet and place them on the back of each piece, pressing firmly. For double-stick tape, peel off the backing and press the taped piece onto the next piece of the suite.
• Continue adhering each piece until your invitation suite is complete.
• If you're using a belly band, lay it over your neatly stacked suite, centering any personalisation. Apply pressure with your thumbs to hold everything in place.
• Wrap your index fingers around the back of the invitation suite and pick it up.
• Flip the suite towards you so that all the information is facing down.
• Carefully pull one end of the belly band over the back and crease it. Repeat with the other end.
• Pull both ends of the belly band tight without bending the sides of your stationery.
• Adhere the ends of the belly band together with the included glue dots.

And there you have it! A beautifully assembled wedding invitation suite, ready to be placed into its envelope and sent to your guests.

Using glue dots or double-stick tape is a quick and easy way to assemble your invitations, ensuring a neat and professional finish.

Choose envelopes that fit and match your invitations

When it comes to choosing envelopes for your DIY wedding invitations, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure they fit and match your invitations. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect envelopes:

Size and Dimensions:

Ensure that your envelopes are the correct size for your invitations. The general rule is that the invitation should be smaller than the corresponding envelope size. Standard invitation envelope sizes include A1, A2, A6, and A7, and the size you choose will depend on the dimensions of your invitation card. It's important to measure your invitations carefully and select envelopes that are slightly larger to ensure a good fit.

Colour and Design:

The colour and design of your envelopes can enhance the overall aesthetic of your invitations. For a wedding, classic colours like white, cream, gold, or silver are popular choices, but you can also opt for coloured envelopes like navy, red, or yellow to match your wedding theme. Consider adding a personal touch with custom monograms, logos, or designs that reflect your style or the wedding theme.

Texture and Weight:

The texture and weight of the envelope can also impact the overall impression. For formal events like weddings, a high-quality, textured envelope in a neutral colour adds a touch of elegance and sophistication. The weight of the envelope is usually determined by the weight of the paper it's converted from, with heavier-weight envelopes appearing more luxurious.

Inner and Outer Envelopes:

Traditionally, wedding invitations included both inner and outer envelopes. The outer envelope is addressed and stamped, while the inner envelope bears the names of the invitees and contains the invitation. Using two envelopes helps keep the inner envelope pristine and provides an opportunity to clarify who is invited, such as plus ones or children. However, using a single outer envelope is becoming increasingly popular to reduce expenses and paper waste.

Assembly and Finishing Touches:

When assembling your invitations, remember to consider the order of the components. The inner envelope, if used, should include the guests' names and all other enclosures, while the outer envelope is addressed and stamped. Finally, add your finishing touches like wax seals, custom stickers, or ribbons to seal your envelopes and complete the look.

Remember to allow yourself enough time to assemble and check your invitations before sending them out, and always double-check addresses and postage requirements to ensure your invitations arrive safely and make a lasting impression.

Frequently asked questions