How To Make Elegant Wedding Invitations at Home

You can make beautiful wedding invitations at home so you can channel your wedding budget into other important stuff like flowers, catering, reception venue, and of course, your all-important wedding ensemble.

Several months before your wedding, you should already be sending out a “Save-the-Date” wedding invitation prior to your “real” wedding invitation.

Your “Save-the-Date” wedding invitation can be sent out via a non-traditional platform called social media. Since a wedding eats a chunk of your savings and nest egg, you should be able to tap and maximize the availability of this platform. Just compose your message with your pre-nuptial photos, post it on your Facebook, Myspace, or email account and send it to your network of friends and relatives. You can also use your cell phone to send picture messages along with your text message for this purpose.

Now that that’s done, you can buckle down to making your own elegant wedding invitation. The basic set included in a wedding invitation is your Invitation which tells your guests about your wedding details, the RSVP or Response Card which will allow your guests to tell you if they will or won’t be at your wedding, a Reception Card which directs guests on a different location separate from the wedding ceremony, and lastly, a Map Card which gives your guests clear directions on getting to your wedding ceremony and reception venues.

You will need the following:

• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• Ruler with a straight edge
• Pencil
• Clear paper glue
• 81/2 x 11 sheet of wedding paper that you will be using for printing
• Two sheets of two-tone decorative paper
• A set of matching envelopes
• Bow/Ribbon
• Pre-nuptial photos (recommended but optional)
• Stamp

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Print your wedding details on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of wedding paper.
2. After printing, place your wedding paper on the paper cutter and start trimming the edges and cutting the invitation in half at the center.
3. After cutting the invitation piece, you should have two pieces of wedding paper in your hands.
4. Take the sheets of decorative paper, take your ruler and pencil to measure it against the wedding paper then cut it to form the middle and top backing on your wedding paper. Then, glue these to the back of your invitation. You now have the paper where you have your wedding details on and two decorative sheets as backing to make it pretty.
5. Take the set of matching envelopes and use it as your paper to print your guest’s name and address. Use the Calligraphy typeface for this purpose.
6. When you’re done, line your envelope with the same decorative sheets of paper by tracing its shape with a pencil and cutting it just wee bit smaller so it easily slides into the opening of the envelope.
7. Once your lining is inside the envelope, take your glue and glue the decorative paper to the flap of the envelope.
8. Finally, after placing your invitation inside the envelope, you can use a pretty ribbon or bow and you’re all set to send these to your guests!

Congratulations on your wedding day!

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Beach Wedding Invitation

If you're planning a wedding on the sand, you need an appropriate beach wedding invitation to share your celebration with family members and friends. Fortunately, beach weddings are growing more and more popular, and there are many beautiful wedding invitation designs that can coordinate with sandy nuptials.

Coordinating a Themed Invitation

The first notice your prospective guests have about your wedding theme is through your invitation. A beach design is instantly recognizable and will let guests know how you plan to celebrate your union, but the invitation should also be coordinated in other ways. Many beach invitations, for example, are brightly colored, but a bold color palette is not as appropriate for a formal evening affair. Instead, you can opt for softer shades or a monochrome look with a beach theme. There are many invitation colors available to match your wedding colors, but take care not to overdo your use of color. A beach wedding invitation should also match the style of the beach's geographical location: an invitation with a beach and lighthouse is perfect for a Maine beach wedding but less suitable for an Oahu beach wedding.

Beach Wedding Invitation Designs

There are hundreds of designs for beach themed invitations, just as there are many variations for traditional wedding invitations. The cards may be single sheets or folded, may include a vellum overlay or accents, and can be nearly any size or shape including edges scalloped like waves. Colors range from simple, formal monochromes to delicate pastels to vibrant rainbows. Most invitations, however, use a single beach-oriented image as a focal point, either as a border, background, or beautiful accent to the invitation text. Popular images for invitations for beach weddings include:

• Shells, starfish, or sand dollars
• Palm trees or tropical beach flowers
• Cruise ships or yachts
• Treasure maps
• Beach chairs
• Sandcastles
• Fish, seahorses, dolphins, sea turtles, or other marine life
• Waves, shorelines, or other basic beach scenes
• Sunsets over the beach
• Lighthouses or docks
• Pearls
• Flip flops, beach umbrellas, or other associated beach accessories

If a couple can't find the right beach invitations for their event, another option is to create photo invitations with pictures of the beach where they will wed. Basic beach images, such as hearts or the wedding date drawn in the surf, are popular images to choose. Couples can also search for invitations with destination or nautical themes for other options that may suit their beach wedding.

Adding Accents

Many couples choose to add accents to a basic wedding invitation to create a custom, personalized look. Popular accents for beach invitations include:

• Tulle or other lightweight ribbon, usually in white, teal, aqua, or other beach colors
• An enclosed packet of beach sand or sand glued to the paper
• Small shells glued to the invitation or enclosed with it
• Beach themed charms such as a shell, sand dollar, ship, or fish

When adding these accents, however, couples should be aware that they can drastically increase the price of the invitation and the postage necessary to deliver it.

Crucial Invitation Information

While the basic wedding invitation wording is the same for a beach wedding as for any other wedding, invitations to this type of destination wedding do require some special considerations.

• If many guests will need to travel to the event, the invitations should be mailed earlier to allow them to find the best travel deals and arrange for any other travel plans.
• Considerate couples will note if the ceremony will take place on the sand so guests can dress appropriately, especially for footwear.
• Many beaches have only limited parking available, and enclosing a map of the area and alternative parking is a good idea to help guests find the site with ease.

The right beach wedding invitation can help your celebration set sail with elegance and distinction. With dozens of designs to choose from and many retailers offering these themed invitations, every couple is sure to find the perfect beach note for their happily ever after.

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