Mrs. Spider, New York
Age and Occupation: 27, Paralegal
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Advisor Research
Engagement Date: December 30, 2005
Wedding Date: October 2006
Venue: Jericho Terrace - Long Island, NY
About Me: My favorite parts of wedding planning are DIY projects and figuring out ways to incorporate old traditions into a modern affair.
Nickel and Dimes…
May 31st, 2006 @ 12:26 pm by Mrs. Spider
Nothing makes you start counting and SAVING nickels and dimes more than planning a wedding. All of a sudden those quarters under the couch cushions no longer look like rusty, dusty old pieces of metals but pretty favors, rounded edge RSVP cards and pearl embellishments on your bouquet. Indeed, for couples like Mr. Spider and I who are financing the wedding ourselves, NOTHING can be purchased, ordered or even bookmarked under Favorites without a complete session of hardcore comparison shopping.
Being a DIY couple, we decided long ago that we would make our own invitations - we had imagined long nights of cutting, scoring, designing, printing, pasting and assembling - then we learned about Thermography and Engraving and Letterpress (Terms Defined) none of which can be imitated with your household printer. So as a comprise, we have decided to order our invitations printed but pre-assembled. My perusal of wedding blogs and forums have led me to two final sources: Paper Presentation and MyGatsby.com.
Ordering wedding invitations is very, very, very complicated 
. You gotta think about quality, quantity, colors, size and of course $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. One thing we or I know for sure, I want the ubiquitous pocket fold invitation in brown metallic card stock.
Paper Presentation: $12.90 per pack of 10 when you order 10+ packs = $1.29 per invitation.
MyGatsby.com: $270 for 150 invitations = $1.80 per invitation (plus shipping)
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Paper Presentation is the way to go. The thing is MyGatsby.com prints your stuff for you and we quite like Thermography so what does this mean? Price comparison for each and every part of the invitation literally down to the ink. I think I will pick up all the unprinted parts at Paper Presentation and order all the printed parts from MyGatsby.com. That way, we still get to assemble everything and satisfy our DIY addiction.
Any words of advice? Or better yet, do you know of a better deal?
12 Responses to “Nickel and Dimes…”
Hi, I ordered from mygastby.com the 5×7 gatefold pocket invites (which I could only find at mygastby), the backings separately & unassembled, and envelopes w/return addresses in thermography. I am having my graphic designer friend do all the printed parts in thermography. It’s saved me a couple hundred dollars to do the assembly myself and the printing separately. I had to work up a couple scenarios and this one worked out the best. Hope that helps a bit 
Wow..I just got that same exact invitation in the mail this week (in purple).
I ordered my invites, save the date cards, envelopes, etc. from MyGatsby. I didn’t order the pocket invite, and while I have not actually received the invite I ordered, the save the date cards came out great. I was very pleased with the paper, the font, the feel and the look.
I like to see and feel the paper in person, so I have a hard time ordering online. The picture you displayed is an Envelopment (www.envelopments.com) picture. I ordered my bronze pockets from http://www.envelopme.com and paid $1.69 each. What’s nice about this brand is that you can go online and see what local retailers carry this line so you can see it in person. =) You can also purchase a sample pallette, but the store should also have one. I hope that helps!
Thanks for all the info girls- it looks like paper presentation is the cheapest. I’m going to swing by there tonight and take a look in person (for the umpteenth time really). Mygatsby.com’s prices for their printed parts are pretty low considering it includes thermography printing.
check out not from a box - their envelopment invitations might actually be cheaper than mygatsbys.
http://www.weddingbee.com/2006/05/25/not-from-a-box/
if not, i think your combo of diy and thermography printing is a great idea! and paper presentation is awesome. all the wedding planners shop there. 
If you’re interested in this type of invitation please let me know! I’m a stay at home mom with a small stationery business and love doing wedding invitations. I use envelopments as a supplier and have done tons of invitations using their papers. They are truly lovely. Give me a buzz! http://www.pixiedustpaper.com.
I am probably going to order Envelopments for my 2007 wedding. The company I found which was the cheapest is called “Renaissance Writings”. They are based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. You can customize samples and receive an actual invitation in the mail. The owners are great to work with too.
Renaissance Writings is offering free shipping for the month of September too!
I ordered my save-the-dates from Renaissance Writings using Envelopment products and they were beautiful. I received expert advice and recommendations to enhance my own design and received many compliments! I am still checking around for prices for invitations, programs, etc. since I found that Renaissance Writings is not the least expensive out there…but they are great to work with!
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