Wedding Blog
Today’s diy project comes from Lan, who made her invitations entirely from scratch for only $1.50 each!
Our wedding colors were going to be pink, raspberry, and platinum in a garden setting. We were on a tight budget so from the beginning I was certain that I would make our invitations from scratch. Now when I say scratch, I mean scratch. The only thing I paid to get done for me was the cutting of the card (only because I didn’t have a cutter that long). I pressed the crease into each card with an embossing pen to make the fold, used a paper cutter to cut all the inserts, printed, glued, sewed, & stamped everything to create my look. I even had extra paper to make my
table numbers, escort cards, menus, program, & labels for my drink favors!
I bought my paper from Kelly Paper, ribbon from Fabric Barn, & stamp from Paper Source. Everything costs about $1.50 per invite (100 invites)! Everyone loved the invite & most didn’t
even realize that the leaves were stamped!
Lan 
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I LOVE them!!! Are you for hire?
wow! beautiful!
how do you make a crease with an embossing pen?
You rock chica! They’re beautiful!
Those are SO beautiful! I love the whole look, so elegant, yet still whimsical! And you had the patience to hand-stamp all the cards, that’s amazing. And the ribbon is perfect– really set off the whole ensemble!
inspiring!
These are AMAZING!!! how did you hold down the RSVP wrapped in the ribbon? Glue dots?
These are phenominal. I can’t believe how great they look and the fact that someone MADE them. You’ve got my vote hands down.
very talented & creative use of resources!! u should start your own business…
Those are lovely invitations and look professionally made! Awesome job on those.
Beautiful! I have the same question as becky about the ribbon holding the RSVP. Also, what size paper did you use to make the trifold? It looks like an unusually large piece of paper.
I love them. Do you have any other information to offer. HOw much paper did you buy to make everything for 100? what measurements etc…
i love these.
can you put up info about the paper and the other materials?
i’m totally blown away by these - they’re so cute! where did you find the fans for the programs?
AMAZING! Please help me to get an idea of how you did these, I’m on a budget since my wedding is in Australia!:) I’d like to say I’m crafty and I’d love to know more!:) please help!!!
wow amazing!!!! you should go into the invitation business. those invitations are awesome. it makes me want to do DIY invitations =) I veered away from it because of how expensive it can get.
thanks ladies! i’m so excited to be on wedding bee!!!
nkm - you need a ruler, good measuring skills, & a strong firm hand to hold the ruler in place while using the embossing pen to press. & LOTS of patience. since i had to measure where i wanted the crease first & mark it w/ little pencil marks, i thought i was going to worsen my vision!
becky - i used a regular mini glue gun to glue the ribbon down. just make sure you tie the ribbon kinda tight so the cards don’t fall out. it was actually really simple.
rzblna - i don’t remember the actual size…. i think the card is 5.75×5.75 when closed because i used a 6×6 envelope. so… it was probably a 5.75×16 or 15.75. it was quite long that’s why i had to get it cut professionally but the cutting cost was cheap - it only cost me a 1 time fee of $15 and about $89 cents per sheet (i was able to make 8-10 cards per sheet so really cheap!).
more responses to follow….
leesuh & danielle- i bought 2 reems(? 250sheets) of white cardstock (knowing that i would need it for the other DIY paper items), 1 reem of the pink paper (this was only 67lb paper)
i actually printed the invite (2 per sheet) and the insert cards (4 per sheet) first w/ a laser printer. then i manually measure and using my handly paper glider/cutter cut it down to the right size. i made many errors in the beginning but had bought enough to plan for the mistakes.
i then stamped after it was cut to the correct size.
the white invite (w/ invite wording) measured 5×5 while the pink underlay was about 5.5×5.5. the cards (map/rsvp/dinner) was 3.5×5. the envelope was the 3.5×5 (it’s always slightly larger to fit the cards)
my biggest rec’d is to use the adhesive transfer tape (scotch tape #924). i ordered mine through papermart. they layed really flat w/ no bumps.
good luck to all the ladies doing DIY! YOU CAN DO IT!
Didi - ordered the fans online through orientaltrading
Lan,
I am AMAZED at what you did for your wedding! You give me hope! How long did it take you to do your invitations? We helped my cousin do hers and it took us hours just to glue the printed invite to the backing sheet to the pocket! AND SHE HAD OVER 150 INVITES! I was cross-eyed after every DIY session.
CC - thanks! the whole process was a few months since i was on a hunt for design inspirations & the right font. i think the actual work took me maybe 2 months on & off to put it together (about 3 days per week after work). & yes, after long sessions i was cross-eyed too! but well worth it! i think i’ve seen invites similiar for about $7-9/each which was only the invite - no inserts.
i was one of the lucky ones to see these amazing invitations in person! they are as beautiful as they look in the pictures. i was the one who could not tell that the leaves
were stamped on. when you feel the stamped area, it’s flat and blends into the texture of the paper. just amazing! Lan is my inspiration for my wedding! =)
I love these! I am saving this for inspiration for my invites! Great work, Lan.
Lan - can we email you with any other questions? Do you have the word docs for the invites? man……i love them and you make me feel like i could do them too!!!!
Lan - you bought the regular 81/2″ by 11″ cardstock? what did you use as your outer “envelopment”? the measurements please..so i don’t go wasting money buying the wrong sizes. thanks for inspiring us with you invitations..now you must teach and guide us!!
Leesuh1 - the card was 5.75×15.75 when unfolded.
if you have questions you can contact me at lanbabybaby at yahoo
Thanks Lan - expect me to email you!! i’m so excited!! i wanna buy everythign and start now! haha
WOW!!! You have amazine talent. Your invitations are gorgeous, you serve as an inspiration.
Lan, your invitations are absolutely beautiful and the fact that you made them yourself just makes them even better!!! I’m thinking of making my own invitations as well after seeing you creation! Would you mind if I emailed you as well? Since so many people are asking for your help, would you consider setting up a little “how to” page? =)
BEAUTIFUL!!! Lan! - you give me inspiration to DIY my invitations! It’s seriously beautiful work! I love it all! I was wondering what kind of stamp ink you used? that shade of pink is beautiful! Was the bamboo shoot on the menu stamped on as well? Did the ink dry quickly? Or did you have any issues w/ smudging? THANKS!!!!
conne - if you have questions feel free to email. and yes, i’m actually trying to put my married knottie bio together w/ instructions. thanks.
kp - i think i just used regular stamp ink. i think the shade called rose. it dried fairly quickly. i just laid them out for a few minutes. so funny, the bamboo shoot is actually the paper wrapper holding chopsticks.
hi lan! beautiful colors and designs! may i ask who is your caterer? sounds delicious!! and where your reception venue was?
Lan is one of my friends, and I’m happy to see that her talents are featured here. All of her DIY projects for her wedding were extraordinary! Lan is truly dedicated to her craft.
Lan you are so talented! The invitations are beautiful…I wish you can make me some and i will buy it from you! You should continue making cards. I’m sure you can have your own card business one day! =)
misslisa - our food was catered by Battambang Seafood Resturant . our wedding site was at Arcadia Congregational Church.
Hey, Lan! I already saw thes pics, but I just wanted to send a shout-out from the LA Knot Board!
Lan, what size is your ribbon? I’m trying to decide between 7/8″ and 1.5″.
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