DIY Tip #4: Making Your Own Invites

I'm probably fortunate that I have a brother who is in the design business.
So when the time came for me to decide on my wedding invitations and motif, I went to him first to see if he could bring to life the sweet ideas I had. Turns out that he outdid my expectations

Here's what my wedding invites looked like: 5.5" x 5.5", chocolate brown envelope (available from Printed Matter, Serendra). We printed them at home on a good-quality colored printer. The thick card paper was from National Bookstore (available in packs of 10 boards).


I wanted the following elements for the invitations:

1. chocolate brown and baby pink (wedding motif)
2. semi-formal
3. alluding to the "garden wedding" theme we had
4. to incorporate my husband's and my preferences (a little bit "manly" and a little bit "girly)
5. a "chocolate and ice cream" look and feel (Both were key elements in our wedding too)


Since the wedding invitation is a guest's first peek into your wedding, you must ensure that the theme and feel of the invitation is carried on throughout the rest of the wedding details. In our case, my brother designed a daisy border for the invites, which also spilled over to all the other wedding stationery (i.e. menu cards, escort cards, table numbers, thank-you cards).

We invested in the envelopes, as this would be the first thing that our invited guests would see. When we delivered them, our guests thought they looked like they came from a chocolate shop! We were glad, as this was the effect we wanted to evoke: something warm, sweet and familiar.

Our invites consisted of:

1. Invitation insert
2. Entourage insert
3. Envelope with satin ribbon seal
4. Name tags
5. Gift registry inserts
6. Venue maps (colored according to brown and pink motif; also printed at home, using GSM 120 copy paper)

Production cost:

- Envelopes: P15.00/piece, Printed Matter = P900.00 (for 60 pieces)
- Ribbon: P8.00/yard, Kamuning = P160.00 (enough for 60 envelopes)
- Board: P37.75, Concorde White GSM 220, National Bookstore = P226.50
- Ink: P850 + P425, EPSON, PC Gilmore = P1,275.00
- Double-sided tape: One roll, from 3M National Bookstore = P35.75
TOTAL: Php2,597.25 for 60 invitations


Like my invites? Contact kayomobile.multiply.com for designs on custon-made wedding invitations and other wedding stationery.