How great is it that we live in the day of internet businesses and innovation where instead of going to the local printer and getting formal hand pressed invitations you have your heart’s desire of invitation options and prices?? Wedding invitations can range from fun to formal, hot pink to traditional white, geometric to simply elegant. And the options don’t stop there- you have your choice of printing style, inserts, ink color, shapes and sizes, -- is your head spinning yet?? With so many options, you can select the perfect invitation to fit your budget and your wedding style.

Since there are so many budget-friendly invitation options, we won’t go through each and every one here, but here are some of the strategies for finding the perfect invitations for cheap that we’ve seen work.

1.     Knock Yourself out on Google. There are tons of really fabulous online invitation vendors that give you many high-quality options for cheap—some even below $1 and $2 per invitation set. Which site is best for you depends on what you are looking for, but we have had good (and well-priced) experiences with Wedding Paper Divas, Magnet Street Weddings and Invitation Consultants. As a bonus- many online companies offer discount or free shipping codes, which can help tremendously with the price. These sites have so many fabulous options in every shape, size, and style out there, so grab a cup of coffee and start browsing!  

2.     EBay Stores. Several small businesses sell wedding supplies and services, including invitations through eBay. These run the gamut of simple, basic invitations to pocketfolds with multiple inserts. The nice thing about these stores is that they often have very decent prices, and you can read feedback and ratings on the stores just like any eBay seller. Tip: Make sure to compare those prices! We were surprised to find some adorable pocketfolds that were more expensive in the small eBay stores than on large invitation vendors like those mentioned above. Make sure to compare the price of the whole package before committing!

3.     DIY (ish). Stores like A.C. Moore, Michael’s, Joann’s, Staples, and Hobby Lobby all have beautiful DIY kits that could rival any printed invitation. Yes, you have to set up the formatting, run it through your own printer, and do a little bit of the assembling, but the bulk of the invitations are done for you- the design, the paper, the inserts, are all ready to go. You can make these even more budget-friendly by using coupons for each set you buy. Each of the craft stores above typically have 40% off (one regular price item) coupons in the newspaper each week (Hobby Lobby and Joann’s also offer online codes), so make the most of your money- clip those coupons and have you and your fiancé buy one set each week until you’ve scored all of those invites!  

4.     DIY- hardcore. For all of you really crafty brides, DIY invitations are always an option. This is a way to truly customize your invitations from the beginning. You can select the paper of your choice at specialty paper stores and create the exact type of invitation that is inside your head while controlling your cost of materials. If you are one of those talented artsy people, your invitations will be beautiful and perfectly customized to your aesthetic and budget. These will take time though and are not for the faint of heart!  

5.     Evites/Electronic Invitations? (No really- hear us out!) While electronic invitations are certainly not the right fit for all weddings, they may just work for certain brides. For a smaller or more informal event or for a tech-savvy couple and guest list, invitations sent over email may be the perfect fit. Plus, with more and more companies offering electronic invitations for free, you have more options to find a style to fit your event.  The cost benefits, of course, are huge- no printing costs, no mailing costs for the invitation, no stamps needed for RSVPs. Certainly something to think about. Still not sure? Think about evites for the rehearsal dinner instead!  

6.     Things to consider when making your final decision. Of course first and foremost you want to find those invites that you love and that match your wedding style and tone, but keep in mind some other considerations when choosing budget-friendly invitations:

• Enclosures—how many enclosures do you really need? Each card will make your final order costs go up and will make your invitations heavier, thus adding to shipping and mailing costs. Will most of your guests visit your wedding website before the wedding? Then put your directions up there and skip the map and directions card in the invitation. Is your wedding site the same as your reception site? Then put it on your website and skip the reception card. Tip: Make SURE you take your entire, fully assembled invitation packet to the post office to have it weighed BEFORE you buy stamps. Don’t assume what the postage will be. Take it from our experiences— it’s worth waiting in line at the post office to avoid all of the returned invitations and extra envelopes and stamps you’ll have to buy if you have insufficient postage.

• Shipping—Don’t forget to consider shipping costs when ordering invitations online. Look at websites that offer free shipping when comparing final costs and make sure to search for free shipping codes before you place your order.

• Shape—Remember that the shape of your invitation will impact your mailing costs: Square invitations (or at least, square envelopes) require extra postage. If you are in love with the square invitations, just order rectangular envelopes for them- they will cost less to mail.

• Response cards—Keep in mind that it is custom to include a stamp on response cards for your guests. To save on response cards, consider a postcard rather than a card and envelope. Then you could use a postcard stamp which will save you some money— postcard stamps are $.28 versus the $.44 of a regular stamp- that difference can add up for a large guest list!