Weddingbee Blog

They’re gone - and aside from the RSVP postcards, they’d best not be back (if they know what’s good for ’em)!

Our DIY invitations were truly a labor of love. Designing, printing and putting together our own wedding invitations was about ten times more intense than the DIY Save the Date process. For some reason, there was a sense of importance within me that wasn’t there during the design of the STDs. It became an obsession - especially when I discovered exactly how much I did not thoroughly know how to use Illustrator, did not fully understand the printing process and did not have a clue what I was doing. Many of my nights in the past couple of months ended in tears of frustration. In the end, I’m at peace with the entire experience and would not trade it for the world!

Okay, group photo - everyone huddle together!
Please excuse the crappy photos.  Just as I am not a professional graphic designer, I am not a professional photographer.


A close up of the square knot ribbon binding.

An invitation peeking out from within one of my DIY lined envelopes.

I decided not to re-invent the wheel when it came to the wrap-around address labels.
Thanks Mrs. Lemon for the VIP Guest List - this one’s for the Governator!

To re-use my previous addy labels, I just re-oriented the return address seal and adjusted the length to better fit the size of the envelope.

I decided to go with a booklet design because there was a lot of information that I wanted to include - our wedding is a semi-destination event for our guests. The winery is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and is about a 45-minute drive for many of the attendees - so directions, accommodations and a map were crucial for most everyone. It was hard to shoot the booklet so you could see all of the details, so I have included the digital representations of each of the pages below - just click each image for a larger view.

The front and back cover - as if laid flat.

I placed a photo and quote inside the front cover that faced the invite on the right-hand page. The boxes around the quote showed up in PDF form, but not when printed.

My answer to a reception card sits on the left (with instructions to wear comfy shoes) and faces the map on the right-hand page.

I placed the directions on the back side of the map, in case a guest wanted to tear it out of the booklet and included the RSVP, Gift Registry (I was told this is a no-no, but I think it’s simply an inconvenience if you do not list stores) and Accommodations information on the last page.

The RSVP card with the return address and stamp on the front.

The back side of the RSVP postcard.
The line in the lower right will hold the group code that will allow guests to RSVP on our website (and to keep track of any returned RSVP cards with blank names).

I have gained so much from this experience. I feel so much more confident using Illustrator and have a much greater appreciation for the printing process. I can’t imagine doing it any other way - but I assure you, blood, sweat and tears were involved - ask Mr. Pomegranate.

Speaking of Mr. Pomegranate - he miraculously managed to build out a fun website for our guests to visit. It contains all of the information listed in the invitation - and more! Guests can RSVP online, click a direct link to our registries and get personalized directions to the winery.

Stay tuned to hear all about the DIY invitation design process and a little tour of the Pomegranate’s custom wedding website!