The first step is to get organized. This is where a large tabbed file folder comes in especially handy! Begin by making a list of the people you just can’t stand to get married without them there. This will probably be mostly relatives and close خريد دفتر. Ask your parents and the groom’s parents to provide you with a list of who they would like to invite. Make sure you have accurate addresses for all your invited guests.
One caution here: don’t think you HAVE to invite everyone you know. If you haven’t talked to your high school tennis partner since graduation, he or she probably doesn’t need to be invited. And don’t get all caught up in possibly offending someone by not inviting them to your wedding.
Often, people get sick of attending weddings for people they barely know or don’t keep in touch with. Unless you talk to them every week at least, chances are pretty good that they won’t give it a second thought when your invitation doesn’t arrive. Remember, you’re trying to save some money on your big day. Extra people means extra expense – cut corners here.
Wedding invitations shouldn’t be a big expense for you. Yes, when it’s delivered all pretty in its customized envelope and small tissue square inside, it can make an impression – for about a minute! Most people read it once, note the date, take out the RSVP card and throw the invite away. So why spend a lot on them? Remember, we’re trying to save money here!
The obvious thing to do with your invites is to create them yourself on your personal computer using FREE or inexpensive digital stationery. You can use Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or just about any desk top publisher (DTP) to create beautiful custom invitations that are ALL about you!
There are also inexpensive programs and websites out there specifically made for creating stationery, invitations and greeting cards. The best part about buying programs like this is being able to use it again after the wedding is over! These types of programs and websites have saved me time and again when I need to print out a special occasion letter or card (Birthday, Anniversary, Graduation) at the last minute when I’ve lost track of the month or date!
Just do a search on the web for “free-stationery.com” or “free-photo-greeting-cards” and you’ll find an assortment of sites and software. When creating your own invitations and stationery, you can easily buy heavy card stock at most any office supply or discount store. I would also propose that you consider some pre-designed FREE stationery which is also available all over the Internet.
I don’t recommend pre-printed stationery if you are really trying to save money. You know, the kind you see in the stores in packs of 50 or 100 pages. There just aren’t as many stationery designs to choose from and most of the really nice ones are almost as expensive as those you would have custom printed for your wedding. The digital stationery has taken over and have 1000s more designs to choose from for a real-you kind of feeling.
Don’t have a good printer or just not really hyped up on using up all your printer’s ink on your wedding invitations? Not a problem… Take your invitations or stationery to a specialized copy shop or office supply store. They can usually copy onto whatever paper you want (heavy card stock, pre-printed, etc.) and in color if you choose and your budget allows. If you are really on a budget and one of the crafty and artistic types, you could also print out simple text of your invitation then use rubber stamps or embossing powder to decorate them. Keep in mind, though, the number of invitations you’ll need to embellish. If you’re looking at a few hundred, you could be up late nights just decorating all of them!
