Custom Wedding Invitation

A Factory Versus a Custom Invitation

Modern brides have dozens of choices when it comes to wedding invitations. Many brides order cards from a printing company or factory. The bride or couple chooses a style from among a company's pre-designed collections, which are printed with the appropriate information, such as the couple's names, date, time, and location of the wedding, etc. There is usually a wide variety of designs, colors, styles, and motifs.

The expansion of the wedding industry allows for more options than ever before, however, including many options for the specially designed custom wedding invitation. Brides may choose to opt for a specific custom made invite rather than a factory card for several reasons:

• A custom invitation makes a beautiful keepsake, and in some cases, as in Simply Unique Invitations designer Sherri Weese's collection, the invitation can double as the favor.
• For theme weddings, the bride may not be able to find a predesigned invitation that fits the wedding.
• Bride and groom are not restricted by templates, they are free to choose whatever designs and wording they want to express their invitations.
• The uniqueness of special order invitations is intriguing -- many couples want to choose something very special for both their guests and for themselves to remember their wedding.

Types of Invitations

One of the advantages of choosing one original or distinctive cards is that your imagination is the limit. Many designers or companies specialize in a certain area of expertise in regards to their invitations, so you can choose according to your vision. Popular mediums include:

• Hand painted cards
• Sewn vellum cards
• Custom foils or embossing
• Specialty graphic art
• Handmade papers, i.e. woven grass paper or paper with infused with pressed flower petals
• Three dimensional or scroll invitations, sent in tube mailers or boxes

Picture invitations, including a photograph or print of the couple, are another invitation trend. Custom wording, including poetry and special phrasing, also adds a unique and very personal element to the invitation.

Costs

A custom wedding invitation is usually costlier, in some cases much costlier, than its factory made counterpart. This varies widely, of course, depending on the designer, the materials used, the difficulty of the design and motif the couple chooses, and the time needed to complete the project. Many couples find that the trade-off for the high cost is well worth it when they receive their exquisite invitations.

Creating Your Own Custom Wedding Invitation

For the budget-conscious bride, there are also less-expensive options for distinctive invites. Some companies, like Formal Invitations', have unique kits which allow you to choose background cards, embellishments, and printable overlay cards you put together yourself.

For those who have the ability to craft --or are willing to learn-- you can cut the cost of personalized invitations even more. There are many books dedicated to crafting and creativity for weddings, including suggestions on invitations, such as:

• Handcrafted Weddings: Over 100 Projects and Ideas for Personalizing Your Wedding by the editors of Creative Publishing International
• The Creative Wedding Idea Book: Bold Suggestions to Make Every Aspect of Your Wedding Special -- from the Invitations to the Honeymoon by Jacqueline Smith
• Wedding Papercrafts: Create Your Own Invitations, Decorations, and Favors to Personalize Your Wedding edited by North Light Books

In this digital age, computer crafting may be the way to go. You can create your own custom wedding invitation with no more than some quality cardstock, a color printer, and an Internet connection. There are ample resources for wedding clip art, card and invitation templates, card software programs and interactive card sites.

Ordering or Preparing

If you are making your own invitations, you may be able to put them off a bit, but if you are ordering custom wedding invitations, plan to do so earlier rather than later. Custom cards may take significantly longer to receive than factory customized cards, especially for individually painted or other one-of-a kind invitations.

Once you have an idea of what you are looking for in your invitation, you may want to request samples from a few designers, which are usually available for a minimal fee, to see what you like best. Allow several weeks to receive the samples. Keep in mind that some custom card makers may require a deposit at the time of the order. Finally, order or make your custom wedding invitations so as to ensure you can prepare them to be mailed at least six weeks before the wedding.