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We LOVE how our DIY invites turned out, but did we really save money doing them ourselves?
The pieces of our invites came from four different sources: Paperandmore.com, Michaels, Office Max and VistaPrint. I ordered supplies to make 150 invites, although we only sent out 109. Extra supplies (such as paper, ribbon and full sheet labels) have found their way into other projects for the wedding.
Items from paperandmore.com
*The petal cards are now $3 cheaper per set of 50.
Items from Michaels
*Items from Michaels estimated based on the amount used for invites (I purchased at different stores during sales)
Items from Office Max
Items from VistaPrint
*Postcards were purchased with email deals that included free uploads & free postcards)
Postage
Total Materials = $271.44
Total Postage = $128.12
Total Per Invite = $2.49
Total With Postage = $3.67
Without looking at the postage (since we would have spent that on invites if we made them or purchased them), the total per invites was only $2.49. I think that’s a pretty good deal based on some of the online invites we were looking at. Was it the cheapest option? Nope. Of course there are less expensive invites out there (such as the box sets at Michaels and Target), but we couldn’t find any blue and green ones that we really liked.
DIY invites definitely take some time and can end up costing more than other invites available, but with the reactions of our guests I would say they were well worth it!
Were invites an area in your budget to save or splurge (that letterpress can be very tempting!)?
Very pretty! We splurged a little on letterpress, but I still think we got kind of a steal by buying them on special. If we didn’t find that deal, we probably would have spent just a tiny bit less to DIY (although they would have had a lot more components)… theoretically it could have been cheaper, but I’m sure I would have gone nuts. 
That’s an awesome deal! There’s no doubt I would have spent twice that trying to do ours ourselves! Great job! They look beautiful!
How many total people are you inviting??? I just wonder because I am not sure how many invites to order for 180 people!
[...] Elephant Invites - The Cost Breakdown | Weddingbee weddingbee.com/2011/01/25/diy-wedding-invitation-costs/ – view page – cached We LOVE how our DIY invites turned out, but did we really save money doing them ourselves? The pieces of our invites came from four different sources: Tags [...]
you did good, miss e! we majorly splurged on our invites, and we don’t regret it. we skimped on other things, like favors, STD’s, OOT bags and having an ipod dj to fund our invites 
@cabanagrl9: We sent 109 but some were for guests that did not get a plus one, so the total amount of people invited was 209.
These are absolutely gorgeous! I love the idea of putting the guests names on the belly band instead of having a seperate envelope. That being said, how did you do that? Did you just print it all on one sheet and cut the squares out?
I am DIY pocketfolds too. I think mine come out to about 3.50 per invite, which isn’t too bad I don’t think!
Your invites look fab!
You hit the nail on the head about letterpress! Oh… I melt a little inside every time I see an invitation. Unfortunately they weren’t in our budget. Still looking for an option that gives the same feel without the price tag.
@futuremrsloveday: Yep, that’s pretty much it! I made the it in word and printed out. I purchased a 2×2 punch from Michael’s to cut them out.
I have had many friends and family comment on how personal and how unique. Your invites are. What thought and love went in to this project
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Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TX Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations Analyst Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store Manager Engagement Date: March 29, 2009 Wedding Date: April 2011 Venue: The Tribute Golf Club About Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
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