How much does wedding stationery cost? That’s one of the first questions we hear from clients during our initial consultation. Wedding stationery can get expensive when you incorporate luxe details like gold foil, vellum wraps, and deckled edging. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great options for every budget.

In addition to photography, wedding stationery is one of the first products/services you’ll invest in. You’ll need to have your save the dates in the mail approximately six to nine months prior to your wedding date, and start designing your wedding invitations no less than four to six months in advance.

These days, couples have countless options when it comes to selecting their wedding stationery. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same experience everywhere.

Unlike marketplace e-retailers or your local hobby shop, Ivory House Creative is a business focused solely on the client’s needs throughout the design and printing process. Through our consultations, we’ll discover the best options and add-ons that suit both your vision and your budget.

But, before we get into the specifics about our process, let’s take a look at how much wedding invitations really cost.

Semi-custom Wedding Invitations

Semi-custom invitations offer a more budget and timeline friendly design option. You simply pick a design from the shop, select your color palette, send me your wording/customization details and I get to work customizing your chosen invitation suite to fit your needs.

Semi-custom invitations start at $5.00/each for a basic invitation suite which includes the invitation, reply and coordinating envelopes. Upgrades such as foil or white ink printing can be included as well as a variety of add ons - with envelope addressing being the most popular.

Semi-custom also offers clients the ability to choose more upgrades and add ons and still stay within budget.

Custom-designed Wedding Invitations

Custom wedding stationery offers a design completely tailored to you. Usually, these designs are more intricate and have specialty printing processes and/or materials. If you are looking for something more “out of the box” to better showcase your personality or wedding style/theme then a custom design is the way to go.

Custom design can be expensive depending on the elements you are looking to include. While most online retailers may be cheaper, working with a stationer gives you a one-on-one experience and the ability to fully customize your stationery. I can guide you through the design process, best practices and variety of options that can fit within your budget.

Unlike online retailers, I take care of all of the design work. Nothing is plug and play. No time wasted fiddling around with the customization options on a website. I offer both digital and printed proofs for all invitation orders. And I will not send your invitation to print without you seeing it in person beforehand and signing off on the final proof. I also offer full assembly — with or without postage.

My custom design options are bundled into packages to make the invitation selection process a bit simpler. To ensure I understand your design style and design needs, custom design begins with an inspiration board. This gives me a good foundation to work from when crafting your design.

Now Let’s compare costs: Semi-custom vs. Custom

Upgraded Details for Stationery Designs

Upgraded details are a great way to let your invitation suite make a statement. Envelope addressing is the most popular add on selection. Who wants to address all those envelopes?

Pocket folders, belly bands, and ribbon follow closely behind as popular add-ons, and offer a simple way to hold your invitation suite together while adding a touch of elegance.

Tips for Saving on Wedding Invitations

Skip the square invitations as they actually cost more for postage. A standard invitation size is A7 (5x7).
Get your orders in early or on-time in order to avoid rush fees.
Keep it simple. The more upgrades and add ons you have the more costly your invitation suite will be to design, produce and mail.
Use a wedding website to house all of those extraneous details. Simply add the website to an insert card or tag to inform guests where the information is housed.
Swap out the reply card with a reply postcard. This saves you a bit on postage and with Ivory House Creative, the addressing is included in the standard package price.
Keep your invitation as flat as possible. Bellybands are a great way to hold your invitation suite together without incurring that pesky non-machinable postage fee.

Pro tip: Remember your guest count is not the number of invitations you will need. It will be about two-thirds of your guest list. Be sure to count the number of households not the number of guests.