Yesterday, I started receiving some of the RSVPs for our wedding, so I think it’s safe to assume that most people have received their invitations in the mail. Sooo… here is the invitation post!
Mr. Eggplant and I are by no means graphic designers, however we wanted to create our own invitations because we really wanted a cohesive look-and-feel with all the elements in our wedding. Our wed-site plays an integral part of the event, including hosting an elaborate online RSVP system that Brother Eggplant coded for me (more on that later). Mr. Eggplant works in marketing, so his one requirement was that all the pieces flow together seamlessly.
Originally, I started with a color palette of pink, mint green, and ivory. But brown kept showing its head as a base color, so we ended up with the colors below:
The circles were printed on my inkjet and cut from 80lb cover stock using my handy dandy Fiskar’s circle punch. I ordered a huge roll of 7/8 inch wide grosgrain ribbon from JKM Ribbon to close the invitation. JKM has affordable ribbon in bulk amounts, however if you order from them, give yourself three weeks since they only ship orders once a week.
When our guests opened the pocketfold invitation, they saw a main invite card plus three tiered cards. All the floral graphics and fonts were identical to the ones used on our wed-site and were purchased from istockphoto.com.
Our tiered cards tucked neatly in the pocket. Everything was printed on 80lb cover stock..
Card #1: Main Invitation. The card was matted on metallic pink cardstock from Paper and More. I bought one pack and had them cut it to size.
Card #1: Directions. I created this map using Adobe Illustrator. It was the first time I used that program, and I have to say… it’s a powerful tool, but not very intuitive for a first time user!
The little church, parking, and fork/knife icons were downloaded from Microsoft Clip Art.
Card #2: Reception. The reception card was simple and detailed the location and start of our dinner reception.
Card #3: RSVP. Everyone received a unique invitation code that we created specifically for each party. For one couple, we used their dog’s name. For another recently wed couple, their invitation code was their wedding date. We also used words from shared experiences or inside jokes. I liked the fact that all the passwords could be personalized to each party so that they knew we stopped to think of them individually.
Envelopes. Our envelopes were soft white linen envelopes from Paper and More and I fed them one… by… one… through my trusty HP printer to print the return addresses.
Addresses. By the time 150 envelopes had made their way through the printer, I did not have it in me to feed them again for the “to” addresses. Instead, I bought clear labels from Staples and created a mail merge on MS Word using our floral graphic.
I had most of our guests’ addresses on an excel worksheet pulled off of the wufoo form that we emailed in our save-the-dates. It was quite helpful to have solicited all the info during the beginning of our planning and I totally recommend wufoo as an easy way to gather information from people. You can create all types of forms, even a simple online RSVP form, should you decide to opt for web option.
The fruits of our labor!! I’m SO glad these are out of our hands now.
In closing, everything was done in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign because I wanted all the graphic elements to be in vector to ensure print quality. Out of all the graphic and layout programs, InDesign is my new best friend and I am using it to create EVERYTHING from our programs to our menu cards and favor tags. It is so intuitive and simple to use as a layout program. Plus, there are tools to create crop marks and such, which I used to prepare our file for printing. However, my friend who works in print told me that Photoshop files would work fine if they are at least 300dpi. To adhere all the pieces together, I simply used double-sided tape because it was the most affordable and easy to use adhesive available.
There were many, many hours of labor and love involved, and lots of mistakes made in the process. But it was also loads of fun and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 
Thanks for reading!
(Cost and resource breakdown to come.)
Very cute.
Lovely!
Please let us know the cost to mail these invites! I love the tri-fold, but I’m afraid it’ll be too pricey. (I love InDesign, too. I use it at work.)
WOW, those are AMAZING!! For a first time Illustrator user, you rock!! I took a class at a community college on Illustrator a few years ago and have used it in some elements of our wedding. but yours is awesome, hehe =)
nice.
photoshop works but isn’t always the best solution when printing/working with type.
Yes, please tell me where you got your pocketfolds! That looks like the exact size I need!
Yay! Thanks guys! Glad you like ‘em!
Irene: cardsandpockets.com. they’re only $1 a piece!
Beautiful! It looks professional 
how did you close your pockets? Was the circle punch a sticker or did your invites not close?
they look great! loved that circle punch!
Those are adorable!!! Please do let us know all your resources and prices……I would LOVE to be able to DYI our invites - tight student budget. = /
they look amazing! and professionally done! you’re totally making me rethink my design ideas. can i have your invites?
Your invites are beautiful! I love the color scheme. And I love the way Mr. E is so involved in invite planning!
I love them! The colors are so great. I also love the map, it’s really cute.. And I never knew maps could be cute.
You did a darn good job on that map for a first-timer. Illustrator is not the easiest program to figure out!
WOW! I absolutely ADORE your invites! They are fab!
Wow, amazing! Did you adhere ribbons to your pocket folds using double sided tape?
Almost Married: I used a small piece of double sided tape to gently close the envelopes without ripping.
Helen: Yup! All the pieces were put together using double sided tape. lots and lots of small pieces of tape.
how did you merge the floral design on your “to” labels. been trying to figure that out for our invites.
GOR-GEOUS!!!
Hey miss eggplant! your invitations are super-cute! i’m trying to DIY my invitations, and i’m so lost. i went on istockphoto last night, and i’m not sure of which image to purchase? is it better to use a photo or an illustration? and what the heck is vector editing? once i download the image, is it easy to use? can i change the colors?
also, what font style did you use? i like how it’s contemporary and not uptight.
sorry, for all the questions. any input would be major! (totally victoria beckham. ha!)
Overwhelmed: vector art is a graphic that does not lose quality when enlarged. you know how if you zoom in on a digital picture, you can see little squares or pixels? vector art can be resized and stretched without losing its quality and without those pixels (think of changing a font size). So, for example, if you were going to print a small 4×6 or a huge 20×30, you’d have pretty much the same quality graphic.
As for istockphoto, i use illustrations. once you download the image, you need a vector-based program like Adobe InDesign or Illustrator to play around with it. If you use Adobe Photoshop, the image will rasterize and you will not be able to stretch it without losing quality.
For fonts, the one I used is called Adine Kirnberg Script. Google it and you should be able to find some free font downloads. (try dafont.com)
I hope that all makes sense! good luck!
i love istockphoto! i use it all the time. and fantabulous work on the invites. i love love your rsvp system!!! 
ot: I rasterized the image in photoshop and saved it as a jpeg. I used the MS word template for shipping labels. I also used the merge wizard, specifically using the label function. if you select “update all” for the labels, it’ll repeat the graphic across all the squares.
hope that helps!
thanks mrs. bee!
OT: i forgot to mention that in MS word, I selected insert piccture –> from file to get the image into MS word.
your invites are amazing! i wish i could do something as neat…. i am going to read this post and all the responses over and over! thanks for all the tips.
Amazing invites!! Just one question from me - did you print all of these yourself? On your own printer?
Same question as Darci–did you print these on a home printer, or did you go somewhere?
I actually was dumb enough to cut and fold 100 pocketfolders b/c they did not have the exact shade of lime green I was looking for anywhere…I am dreading the thought of using my $30 Lexar Printer to print out the invitations, then cutting those suckers.
Darci & Arob311: After I designed them, I saved them as PDF files and Mr. Eggplant sent the files to a local printing company who print and cut the cards to size. It was totally worth it. The whole job cost about $260 for all the cards and they were cut PERFECTLY, which I could not have done with an at-home paper cutter. Not to mention, I didn’t have to deal with printing it myself.
[...] things via the internet, including responding online for a wedding. Yesterday I blogged about our invitations, and today I’m following up with an entry about our online RSVP [...]
Hey Miss Eggplant. Awesome job on the invites. Quick question. I see that you printed to the edge of the invite. Did they print all invites on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and then cut them down? …and was it one invite per sheet?
TYIA!
DYIbride: Thanks! When I created the PDF file for the printer, I ensured that the graphic elements extened at least 1/4 inch past the crop marks. Adobe InDesign has crop and bleed mark features built in, so it was pretty easy to do.
I believe the cost came out to be about $1.65-$1.75 per set of 4 printed cards, but i’ll have to check back on that later.
Ok, so they printed on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and then cut to size? I’m just trying to figure out if I should order 8 1/2 x 11 card stock or smaller. Thank so much. Sorry so many questions.
DYIbride: I’m pretty sure the professional printers print on sheets much larger than 8.5×11. I gave them the files in four pieces and they arranged themselves it to maximize paper usage. The print shop provided the paper, so I’m not exactly sure what size paper they used originally.
If you are going to print at home yourself, then I’d probably say get the 8.5×11 cover stock and cut to size to get the bleed effect. Most home printers don’t have the capacity to bleed to the edge when they print.
If you design at home, design your pieces to fit on an 8.5×11 size paper. I was able to get my invite, rsvp and reception cards on one piece of paper and I did mine in word. Not the best program, but I did manage to do it. Each of my pieces was layered with cardstock.
Use text boxes to create the sizes you want and make sure your box has lines or else you won’t know where to cut. You are able to get a bleed this way b/c whatever extends past the line will obviously get cut when you are cutting along the line. If you take it to a shop for printing and cutting, you need crop marks though. It’s always best to talk to your printer to see what file set-up they prefer.
I can share a pdf of something I did that probably makes a lot more sense for those that are doing a full on DIY project. selenakyle01@yahoo.com if anyone wants to see.
Miss Eggplant is right though, most home printers can’t print to the edge so if you ever tried to do a sign/flyer at a letter size with bleeding, parts of the design would be cut off.
hi i enjoyed the read
hi nice post, i enjoyed it
[...] Wedding planning has kicked in full force as I round the two-month mark! I barely have time to blog, but as I promised, here are the details of what it cost me to create my wedding invitations. [...]
i love your invites! so very creative!
i use istockphoto for various projects, but i don’t think that i’ve ever come across your particular flower design. may i ask what it’s called? it’s something very similar to a look that i’m wanting to achieve for my invites and would love to know exactly what to tell my printers!
You invites look great! Would you be willing to share your templates? If so, could you please email them to sheila_michele@yahoo.com thank you! And best of luck with your ceremony & reception.
I love love love all your crafty ideas. I am so the “NOT SO Crafty” girl. haha. I thought I’d TRY to do some things on my own. I see that you used programs like, Adobe In design. Did you already have these programs, or did you go out and buy it? I was looking online for these software programs, and they are quite expensive. I see that sheila asked if you would share templates. I know it’s all your hard work, so I understand if you do not want to share the templates. Please let me know if it’s a possibility. Thanks!
[...] stationery, and making them affordable at the same time. When I stumbled upon Mrs. Eggplant’s post about her wedding invitations, I finally had a direction and a [...]
Dear Mrs. Eggplant,
I know you posted about your invitations months and months ago, but I’ve come back to your post again and again as I’ve been working with one of my bm’s to design our invites. I just love the way yours turned out! So I’m using the same style of pocketfolder from Cards and Pockets - would you be able to tell me the exact sizes of the main invitation and the three inserts? Many thanks in advance,
Sarah (blugrl79@yahoo.com)
I love your invitations, would you share your template? Thanks.
Hi! I love the invitations as well. I have been searching high and low for cool invitations that don’t break the bank. Yours are excellent. I’d love the template as well. Would you mind sharing it with me?
Mrs. Eggplant,
Just wondering, are you already familiar with the “Graphics” industry, or did you learn Illustrator “just like that!?” I am looking for a fast, user-friendly graphics program to start with. I really have a huge heart, creative mind, but need to stop doing everything manually, can you tell me HOW I should start? I want to help my friend with her Infinity themed wedding, and have already created a Monogram for her, which she LOVES, on Microsoft Word. I only have PSP CS3, and MS Word and I have winged my wedding invitations, monograms, programs, and more. But, I KNOW there must be an easeir way!
This page has been my inspiration for my invitation these past few months as I put it together. Thank you Mrs. Eggplant! <3 You don’t know how helpful your post(s) have been! You are an inspiration to all!
Could you tell me the paper size specifications for the inserts? I’m printing and cutting the inserts myself so I want to make sure the files are set correctly!
Sorry, if it’s easier to send the specs for the inserts, you can email them to me at leisuregirl3@yahoo.com. If you could share the templates too, that would be so great! Thanks!
Mrs. Eggplant, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 28, Human Resources
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Associate Marketing Manager
Engagement Date: January 19, 2007
Wedding Date: October 20, 2007
Blogging Since: May 31, 2007
Venue: Ceremony at a cement and stained glass cathedral and reception at a boutique hotel ballroom
About Me: I'm a shopping junkie who lives to discover great deals and a craft addict that loves to scrapbook and knit. My profile picture was taken on the day I got engaged which is why my smile is so huge!
miss eggplant, i love your invites!!! in fact, i love all your DIY projects. you are amazingly creative and crafty!