Make Your Own Wedding Invitations

To help you find your way amongst the gazillion-and-one stationery options out there, here’s a complete guide to wedding invitations. Stationery novices worry not – you’ll soon know your printed translucent from your thermography!

Rock, scissors, paper

Choosing the right paper for your wedding invitations is a bit like choosing the right base for your Sunday night pizza. If it is too thin or too thick, the end product won’t be so inviting. The key word here is quality – cutting corners with paper will only make your invitations look a bit ordinary.

But amongst the cream of the crop there are sill myriad paper options available to you – white, coloured, glossy, matt, thick, thin, textured, smooth, handmade, recycled… To narrow your choices down, decide on the style of invitations you’re looking for and your budget. Here are a few options you might like to consider:

Recycled paper has a natural and textured look that can be rather classy in an earthy, casual kind of way.
Handmade paper is a hip alternative. But we’re not talking about the greyish scrap of paper you made in kindergarten with newspaper. We’re talking about amazing handcrafted paper that incorporates decorative elements such as dried flowers, dried seeds or tiny shells.
Simplicity is back in fashion. If this is the way you want to go, you might like to have a look at cotton or linen paper. These papers are the superheroes of the paper family – super strong and super ink-friendly. They have a rich texture to them that will make your invitations look and feel very classy. If you can’t afford 100% cotton or linen paper, you should be able to find cheaper versions blended with other recycled fibres.
Printed translucent is a translucent high quality paper – a bit like tracing paper – that comes in many weights, colour and prints. When backed with a thicker card, it give a nice romantic touch to wedding invitations.
Metallic paper is the newest kid on the block. It’s easy to print and comes in all the colour of the rainbow. Plus it gives wedding invitations this modern foiled look.

What’s your type?

Finding the right paper is important but it’s only the beginning – what’s a pizza without the topping? You need to think about the typeface and printing technique that will best suit the style of your wedding invitations.

Why not throw the paper to the wind?

Who says you have to use paper for your wedding invitations at all?

You can bring into play all sorts of exciting materials such as tin, steel, aluminium, wood, glass, fabric or even chocolate. Or why not send DVD invitations to your guests? Your imagination is the limit!

Typeface

You might find the Brush Script or Gigi typeface totally exquisite, but you must admit that they are not the easiest fonts to decipher. It’s important to balance the aesthetic and the practical side when choosing your typeface – ‘readable’ should always win over ‘decorative’, or your guests ay show up at the wrong address!

You can also use a combination of different typefaces. Why not print your names in a scripted font and use a plainer typeface for the rest? That way you can have that delicate feel without compromising on legibility.

Print technique

The printing is usually the biggest expense in the invitation-making budget – it’s important that you understand exactly what you’re paying for. Here is a brief review of the main printing techniques:

Engraving is the oldest printing method (it was first introduced in the 1600’s) as well as the most expensive. It suits the most traditional wedding invitations. This printing process can take a few weeks, so plan well ahead. The result is smart 3D lettering that is raised on the front of the page and indented on the back.
Thermography is to engraving what faux fur is to the real thing – it’s not as fine but it is much more affordable. It’s a great compromise if you would like the look of engraved printing but don’t have the funds for it, or if you can’t wait a few weeks to get your invitations back.
Lithography or offset printing is a cheap and easy option. The ext is transferred to a thin metal plate, which is then wrapped around a cylinder and transferred to the paper. The letters on the page are totally flat. Offset printing is a great option but it’s not ‘guest names’ friendly at all – you can’t change anything from one invitation to the other.
Digital printing is a fairly recent development of the offset method. Basically, a digital file containing your text is sent directly to the digital printer – no metal plate involved – sot that the image being printed is as high quality as the original. Digital printing also allows you to personalise your invitations with your guests’ names.

DIY paradise

If you can’t find a typeface you like on your computer, don’t despair!

Have a look at www.321clipart.com where you can download loads of free fonts. This website is definitely heaven for all the DIY junkies!