Creating Wedding Invites: Paper Craft For Beginners

Wedding invitations are a great way to showcase your creativity and add a personal touch to your special day. With various online tools and templates available, creating your own wedding invitations has never been easier. From rustic and vintage to modern and minimalist, you can find a wide range of themes and designs to choose from. You can also customize your invitations with images, fonts, colours, and shapes to make them unique and memorable. Whether you decide to print your invitations or share them electronically, crafting your own wedding invitations is a fun and cost-effective way to kickstart your wedding planning journey.

Choosing a template

When choosing a template for your wedding invitation, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, you'll want to select a design that reflects your personal style and the theme of your wedding. If you're having a rustic wedding, for instance, you might opt for a simple design printed on recycled brown paper. Or, if you're going for a modern vibe, a minimalist template could be more suitable.

There are thousands of editable templates available online, with a range of graphic designs, colour schemes, and fonts to choose from. You can also select from various orientations, including portrait, landscape, and square. If you want to include a personal photo on your invitation, you can choose a template that allows for this, with text overlaid on the image.

Another thing to consider is whether you want to send your invitations electronically or by mail. If you opt for electronic invites, you can add animation effects and easily share them via email or social media. On the other hand, if you prefer the traditional route of sending physical invitations, you'll need to choose a template that can be printed. Many websites offer printing services, or you can download your template and print it at home.

Finally, cost may be a factor in your decision. While there are many free templates available, some premium templates require a one-time or subscription fee. Compare prices and consider your budget when choosing a template.

Customising the design

Choose a Theme or Style:

Start by selecting a theme or style that reflects your wedding's overall aesthetic and atmosphere. Are you going for a rustic, elegant, modern, or minimalist look? You can browse through various online templates to find inspiration and ideas that match your vision.

Select a Colour Scheme:

Colour plays a significant role in setting the tone and atmosphere of your invitation. Choose colours that complement your wedding theme and create a cohesive look. Consider the paper colour, font colour, and any additional design elements you want to include.

Upload Personal Images:

Adding personal images, such as engagement photos or other meaningful pictures, can make your invitation truly unique. You can also include graphic designs, illustrations, or icons that match your theme.

Play with Fonts and Text Effects:

Experiment with different fonts, text sizes, and effects to create visual interest. You can choose from a variety of free images and graphics or upload your own to match your style. Consider using script fonts for a classic and elegant look or modern fonts for a trendy and minimalist feel.

Include Special Printing Effects:

If you're printing your invitations, consider adding special printing styles like embossed text or gold foil to enhance the look and feel of your invitation.

Add Personal Touches:

Incorporate meaningful symbols, quotes, or other unique elements that represent you as a couple. This could be a favourite poem, song lyrics, or a special date. These touches will make your invitation even more special and memorable.

Utilise Online Tools:

Take advantage of the user-friendly tools offered by online platforms, such as drag-and-drop editors, which make customising your invitation a breeze. You can also use their extensive libraries of graphics, icons, and illustrations to find the perfect elements for your design.

Remember, your wedding invitation is a reflection of you and your partner. Have fun with the customisation process, and don't be afraid to get creative. By incorporating these design tips, you'll be well on your way to creating a beautiful and personalised wedding invitation.

Adding personal touches

Choose a Design that Reflects Your Style

Select a design that speaks to your personality and the style of your wedding. Whether you're going for a rustic, vintage, elegant, or modern look, there are endless options available. You can browse through the hundreds of templates offered by online platforms, such as Canva, Greetings Island, or opt for bespoke design services.

Incorporate Colours and Patterns

Adding colours and patterns that you love can make your invitations stand out. Consider using tonal shades for envelopes, or fun patterned wrapping paper for envelope liners. You can even use coloured envelopes, with platforms like Paper Source, Paper Presentation, and Envelopes.com offering a wide range of colour options.

Customise with Photos

Including photos of you and your partner is a wonderful way to personalise your invitations. You can upload your own images to platforms like Canva and Greetings Island, and overlay them with text. This adds a unique and memorable touch to your invites.

Experiment with Fonts and Textures

Play around with different fonts to find one that suits your style. You can also add a unique texture to your invitations by using rubber stamps or calligraphy addressing. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even try learning calligraphy yourself with online tutorials and supply kits.

Add DIY Touches

If you're crafty, consider adding some DIY elements to your invitations. For example, you could use bakers' twine to tie together the different components of your invitation suite, or create your own envelope liners with patterned wrapping paper or scrapbooking paper.

Include Special Details

Think about including small details that reflect you and your partner. This could be anything from a favourite quote or saying to a meaningful image or symbol. You could even incorporate your hobbies and interests, such as a model plane or globe if you're avid travellers.

Remember, your wedding invitations are a reflection of you and your partner, so don't be afraid to get creative and have fun with the process!

Printing and sharing

Once you have designed your wedding invitation, it's time to share it with your friends and family. You can either print out your invitations or share them electronically.

Printing

If you want to physically send your invitations, you can print them at home or use a professional printing service. If you're printing at home, you can download your design as a PDF or JPEG file and print it yourself. If you want to use a printing service, you can send your design to them, and they will print and deliver the invitations to you. This option is useful if you want to use special paper or printing styles, such as embossed text or gold foil.

Sharing

If you want to share your invitations electronically, you can usually do this directly from the platform where you designed your invitation. You can also download your invitation as a JPEG or PDF and then email it to your guests or share it on social media. Some platforms allow you to add animation to your invitation if you're sending it digitally.

Cost and quantity

The cost of wedding invitations varies depending on the design, quality of materials, printing method, and additional features like RSVP cards and envelopes. On average, couples in the US spend $160 for 100 wedding invitations, but this can range from $1.50 per invitation to $20 or more for luxury options.

To save money, you can opt for free online templates and print the invitations yourself. For example, Greetings Island offers free, printable wedding invitation templates, with the option to pay a small fee for premium designs. Canva also provides free templates, with the added feature of printing and delivering the invitations to your doorstep for a fee. Adobe Express has a similar offering, with free templates and a free online editor, but printing and delivery are not included.

If you prefer to send physical invitations, the cost will depend on the quantity you need. It is recommended that you order 10-15% more invitations than the number of guests on your list to account for last-minute additions and to keep some as a memento. For example, Greetings Island offers 10 printed invitations with envelopes for $18.80, 100 invitations for $134, 200 invitations for $248, and 400 invitations for $472.

Frequently asked questions