So whether you’re engaged, know somebody who is engaged, almost engaged, or just want to read for fun, here are some money saving tips I have when it comes to paper/printed items!
Postcard Save the Dates
If you decide to send save the dates, you can cut costs by making them postcards! Postcard stamps in the US are only 35 cents while a regular stamp is 55 cents. That may not seem like a huge difference, but when you're talking about sending out 150 save the dates, that's a $30 savings! We designed ours on our own and then printed them through VistaPrint for even more savings.
Design Invitations Yourself & Order on VistaPrint
We were lucky enough to have a Photoshop-savvy family member who designed our invitations for us but we probably would have figured it out ourselves if need be. Once the invitations were designed, we kept an eye on VistaPrint for a discount. VistaPrint is always offering deals so my suggestion is to get your design done early enough that you have the time to wait for a deal.
RSVPify
RSVPify is a website where your guests can RSVP online using their email or a specific code you generate for each guest. This will save you the cost of a stamp and possibly even an envelope for guests to return their RSVP cards. The website does have a fee (starting at $29) if you have over 100 guests, but most likely that fee will be outweighed by the cost of everything else you'd need to purchase for the response cards. Also, RSVPify is super customizable. John and I went back and forth with them to come up with a package that worked best for us. Along with guests being able to RSVP online, you are provided with a seating chart tool to seamlessly create your reception seating chart. Oh, and no more response cards getting lost in the mail :)
Print Seating Chart
Individual place cards to tell guests where their table is can add up. Instead, create a seating chart that can be posted at the entrance to the reception that lists who is sitting at which table. This can be done fairly inexpensively if you do it on your own and not through a designer. We purchased a template off Etsy for just a few dollars, edited it on computer, and then printed it through Staples for about $10. You may be able to do individual place cards for each guest for cheaper but just think of the time you save by printing the chart!
I already told Alex when we get married I'm going cheap for the invites haha. I'd rather spend a few dollars for a nice one for us, our parents and pictures than send fancy ones to every guest. To me it seems like a waste of money! I'd rather put that towards food lol. I've heard great things about buying templates for things off of Etsy since they're cheap and you can control the type of paper and size it gets printed on to save more.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about the cost of invites until my sister got married and I threw her bridal shower. I spent all this time and money to pick out the nicest invites. Leading up to the shower I had multiple people call or text me to ask for the info because they lost or threw out the invite. I then realized it was a waste to put all the effort into something most people will throw out lol. I love your idea of getting nice ones for just you and your parents. So smart!
DeleteEtsy became our best friend leading up to the wedding! I thought I'd be all crafty and design everything on my own but then once I got busy it was just easier to use pre-made templates! We found some awesome templates that were super customizeable.
Maybe it's just me but I don't throw out invites because I know I would forget info haha. It could be because it's something my mom did growing up so I've just kept up the habit.
DeleteI always save them until at least the day of the event. I didn't realize people just threw them out expecting to remember the info haha
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