How to Order Custom Invitations and Announcements

Whether it's a new baby, a bar or bat mitzvah or a wedding, invitations and announcements run the gamut from charming homemade cards to embossed, foil-stamped pieces. What you choose will depend on personal style, number of guests and your budget, as well as how much time you would like to devote to the project.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Start working on wedding invitations as soon as you've nailed down the time and location, at least five months ahead of time. Invitations should be mailed four to six weeks before the event.
2. Mail "save the date" cards three to six months ahead if you're inviting guests who need to make travel arrangements.
3. Finalize your guest list to determine how many invitations you need. Plan to print 20 to 30 extra invitations and envelopes in case of late additions to the list or botched addresses.
4. Decide what you want to spend since your budget dictates your options including paper, printing method, design and calligraphy.
5. Place your order in a stationery store. Pick paper and a type style that suits the mood of the event. You'll choose color, texture and special effects like pressed flowers. Stay with standard sizes and save a bundle; otherwise envelopes have to be custom made.
6. Hire a designer to create a custom invitation or announcement if you don't find what you want at a stationer's. He or she will create a unique, fun, elegant or whimsical look to your specifications. (See How to Hire a Graphic Designer.)
7. Explore printing effects. Traditional engraving, elegant letterpress, and relatively inexpensive thermography are all classy extras. Plain offset printing with black ink is the least expensive.
8. Proofread your piece very carefully when your printer gives you a proof to check. Have fresh eyes read it too.
9. Hire a calligrapher to address the envelopes for a stunning, formal touch. A professional may charge $6 or $7 per envelope.
10. Be judicious about the number of enclosures and envelopes your invitation includes. There is no rule that says you have to have an inner and outer envelope as well as one for the reply card. Save money by using just one outer envelope and enclosing a prestamped RSVP postcard.

What to Look For:

• Order in good time
• Appropriate design
• Trustworthy stationery store
• Careful proofreading
• Envelope-addressing plan

Tips & Warnings

• Save even more money by having only the invitations printed, and then have a custom rubber stamp made for under $20 for the return address.
• Print directions and a map if needed on your own computer and slip it into the envelope. Add gift registration information on the reverse side of the directions (but not in wedding invitations).
• Order thank-you notes at the same time to match the invitations, and get enough to cover shower, engagement and wedding gifts.
• Don't mail your invitation without correct postage. Take the completed envelope with all the enclosures down to the post office to be weighed.

Who Can Help:

• Find Decorators & Designers Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.