DIY Wedding Invitations Part 1: Vision + Design

I know it’s going to sound counter intuitive for a professional stationery designer to be not only encouraging DIY but giving away trade secrets! Hear me out- I know not everyone can afford custom invitations with all the bells and whistles, but you can have luxe for less with a little effort and support from a seasoned pro (that’s me!).

If you’ve ever been on the “Craft Shaming” side of social media you know there are some bad (really bad) DIY projects out there. When it comes to weddings, they can be downright disasters. So come along with me as I help you DIY your wedding invitations like a pro. We’re going to break it down into some easy-to-follow steps:

STEP 1: Vision and Design- I’ll help you plan out your dream invitations and set up an actionable plan.

STEP 2: Supplies- I’ll show you some of my very favorite supplies that I use every day in my studio.

STEP 3: Printing + Assembly - This one can be tricky, but I’ll help you through it.

STEP 4: Mailing- I’ll walk you through all your options and help you get these beauties off to their new homes.

Without further ado. .

STEP 1: VISION + DESIGN

To get started, hop on everyone’s favorite inspiration source- Pinterest! Start with a “wide net" pin anything and everything that catches your eye. Don’t worry about practicality or price at this stage.

Once you’ve pinned all your inspiration, take a good look at it. Are there common threads? Do a lot of them have the same embellishments like wax seals? Are they all “Minimalist?” You’ll find some patterns in your choices as you look. Start to then narrow down and delete pins for anything you don’t like or won’t serve your vision. You should be left with only inspiration you love.

Next, you’re going to actually plan out what you will design. Make a list of all the pieces you liked and what you want them to look like. You can use our free DIY Wedding Invitations Worksheet pictured here. Don’t forget to list everything you need and set up your mailing and production dates so you can keep track of when they need to be done.

For me, having something I can refer back to when I’m ordering supplies or designing pieces really helps. I provide more in-depth proposals than this worksheet to my clients, but it’s the exact same system to keep us on track and make sure the end result is exactly what we discussed and envisioned.

Lastly, you’ll need a plan for the actual designing and wording of your invitations. If graphic design is so not your thing, that’s ok! There are some amazing templates out there. The example in this blog is actually available in our Two Dollar Template shop. For ideas on wording, Brides magazine has a great detailed article. Personally, I like to write a list with two columns like the one on the right to get organized and make sure I don’t forget anything!

And don’t forget, we have some great DIY templates in the Two Dollar Template shop to get you started.

Next up “DIY Wedding Invitations Part 2: Supplies”.