Weddingbee Blog

We originally wanted to keep our save the dates low budget, but they ended up costing more than expected. We realized DIY, doesn’t always mean cheaper. But, we are still happy we did go the diy route. I love that the save the dates reflect both of us. They are sort of simple and classic like me, with a bit of humor thrown in, which is so Mr. Starfish.

The most expensive part of the save the dates were the magnets. Because of our indecisiveness, we ended up paying more. We ordered them through Vistaprint during a promotional sale. Free Magnets- the first 10. We ended up having to pay for 5 design fees. If we only had one design we could have cut down on costs.

So how much did they cost? Here’s a breakdown by the sites/stores we used:

VistaPrint

• Magnets (100): $88.00 with discounts and shipping included

PaperSource (All prices listed are with a 20% discount from a sale)

• Night A6 Envelopes (80 envelopes): $22.40
• Pure White A6 Notecards (150 notecards): $18.00 - we had technical difficulties and needed to buy extra
• White Oval Labels Sheets (100 labels): $8.32
• *Envelope Liner Template (multi pack): ($8.76) -already had from prior craft project
• Sketch Starfish Rubber Stamp: $4.80
• Save the Date Rubber Stamp: $7.96

A.C. Moore

• *Heat Embossing Tool- (19.95- 11.97 with 40% off coupon) - already had from prior craft project
• Navy Ink- $2.37 with 40% off coupon
• Clear Embossing Powder: $2.37 with 40% coupon

USPS

• Gulf Coast Lighthouses stamps (80)- $36.20, $1.00 service charge included
• Additional 17 cent stamps (80)-$13.60

*Other items needed, not included in budget breakdown:

• Computer
• Printer
• Color Ink
• Printer Paper- for envelope liners
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Double Sided Tape

Our Total Cost: $204.02*

* not including items listed in “other”, heat embosser or envelope liner template as we already had these.

At 80 Save the Dates, it came out to about $2.55 each.  This was more than we originally wanted to spend, but we are happy with the results. These will be our guests’ first glimpse into our wedding, so we wanted them to be special.

We could have cut the magnets to save on costs. It would have brought the total to $116.02, or about $1.45 each—over a dollar less per save the date. They would have received this:

But we are happy with our addition, as it makes our set complete.

Did you splurge on your save the dates?

photos used for save the dates taken by: David Bibeault