It’s no secret that I LOVE free stuff. If there’s leftover birthday cake, Halloween candy, or any food at my office, I am all over it. (C’mon, who doesn’t love free food?!) And I always stash the mini shampoo and conditioner bottles when I stay in hotels. (They always turn out to be helpful when I’m road-tripping or camping!) So whenever I see something wedding related that is free, I jump on the opportunity. My favorite free detail is the design for our rehearsal-dinner invites. I found the template, created by the talented Betsywhite Stationery Boutique, on The Sweetest Occasion blog.
Free printable invite by Betsywhite Stationery Boutique via The Sweetest Occasion
The designer, Gia Graham, was inspired by Cinco de Mayo and al fresco destination weddings. So the theme suits our rehearsal dinner of South American fusion cuisine perfectly, no?
I downloaded the invitation template, and I typed in our personal info with the time and place of our rehearsal dinner. The default font, though, is Times New Roman, and I couldn’t figure out how to change the text size in Adobe, so I loaded the template in Pixelmator (a scaled-down version of Photoshop for Macs) and played with the text until I was happy with it. (I ended up using Copse, the same font as I used on our wedding invitations.)
Once I had finished my changes, I printed out 25 copies onto recycled card stock from Michaels, stuffed them into A7 envelopes from my vice (Paper-Source), and sent them on their way.
Our rehearsal-dinner invites, all ready to go / Personal photo
A7 envelopes in “Pool” from Paper-Source / Personal photo
Rehearsal-dinner invites were not high on my priority list, and I definitely wouldn’t have spent a fortune on them. But since this template was a free printable, the only cost of the project was the envelopes, which were $0.43 each. (I already had the recycled card stock on hand—I bought a huge ream of it early on in wedding planning, and I’ve probably used it for a dozen DIY projects.) I hope they gave our out-of-town guests, our families, and the wedding party a taste of what was to come and got everyone excited. And I could never resist a pretty paper product. 
Are you mailing out rehearsal-dinner invitations? What is your proudest bargain or free find?
I love that template: it’s gorgeous! Your invitations look great!
These turned out great! I did end up sending them out and was so happy I did!
And seriously, Paper-Source is the devil (but only because it is so addicting!)
@Miss Bat: Aw thanks!
@Mrs. Buffalo: Paper-Source is the death of me. I’ve been avoiding it since the wedding because I know that I would now pounce on all non-wedding-related stuff.
So pretty! I really want to DIY my invites. Did you just use your printer at home or something a bit more hi-tech?
What a pretty template, I love how your personalized them with your fonts!
These turned out great! You can’t go wrong with something free and making it your own!
I can’t decide if I’m sending the rehearsal dinner invites WITH the regular invitations or separately.
These are awesome! I love free printables. 
Mrs. Wallaby, Houston Age and Occupation: 24, Environmental Engineer Engagement Date: January 1, 2012 Wedding Date: November 2012 Venue: Oak Tree Manor About Me: I'm a free-spirited, adventurous girl who loves anything active, reading, traveling, cooking up new dishes for my fiancé, and working on my budding garden. My fiancé is an athletic, intellectual, animal-loving guy with an obsession with basketball and who treats me with the deepest compassion and respect. We are both engineers, and we met at our workplace. Together we complement one another and make a great team, and we are excitedly counting down the days until our outdoor wedding in Houston in November. We're planning a green wedding with lots of Persian cultural touches, and I can't wait to share all of the before-and-after details of our special day
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