DIY Invitations (Part 1)

Lex and I are almost done with our suppliers list even if we are still several months away from the big day. Save for some minor suppliers, we can sit back and wait for the time when we should file for the necessary papers.

This lull time in wedding preparations got me thinking if I can squeeze some do-it-yourself (DIY)  projects like invitations, place cards and other print materials. It sounds like a great idea since I have been wanting to put a more personal touch to our wedding aside from the personal preferences we considered when canvassing suppliers.

Although DIY print projects seem like an easy task, the idea of having to prepare about 100++ invitations, about 200++ place cards and menu cards is already wearing me out. It would really be tiring and impractical to go through DIY projects without the right materials. I almost gave up on the idea when I couldn’t find an easier way to cut and fold hundreds of invitations and place cards. But lo and behold! Our friendly local bookstores and office supplies stores have all the things I need.

Here are the materials that I’ll be using for my DIY print projects:

In the photo: Fellowes Small Office Paper Trimmer, Veco Elit Board (220 gsm) in blue, Prestige Paper White envelopes (#8 3/4), Gluey Tape (6mm in width), Aluminum ruler and a pair of scissors.

The Fellowes Small Office Paper Trimmer is really the deal breaker. If I haven’t come across this product in The Office Warehouse, I would have given up on the DIY project. By the name itself, it is a paper trimmer but it also has 3 extra blades — the perforating blade, the wavy cut blade and the scoring blade. I was really after the straight-cut and scoring blades but ever since the purchase, I can think of more projects to do with the 2 other blades. It is a bit pricey, though. Lex even noted that the actual cost of our invitations might be the same as the commercially produced invitations. It did saddened me a little bit, but I was after the *DIY* part of the project and not necessarily the cost-cutting aspect. Although I will try hard to cut back on the other expenses like lessening rejects or borrowing a printer.

Here are some of the semi-mock invitations I did.

The square tri-fold invitations. Each partition measures 5 by 5 in. I just did some improvising (combined 2 two-folds) since I only have 8.5 by 11 in paper.

The pocket-fold invitations. I found the instructions here. Although I did a bit of improvising (again) because of the paper.

The boarding pass invitation. If you look closely, I used the perforating blade at the right.

It would be a waste not to use the wave-cut blade. Maybe I can use it for escort cards like this.

I used some left over paper to add a colored lining to the envelopes. However, to avoid making the invites blend too much into the invite, I might use printed paper. Whether pre-made or self-made, I’m still undecided.

I’ll not be using the same paper for the actual invitations, though. I just need them to practice on the paper trimmer and to better visualize the size and design of the invitations I would want. I’ll just go to Divisoria one of these days to order the paper that I need and have them pre-cut to minimize the labor.

DIY Invitations can really be time-consuming. I already spent one Sunday afternoon just doing these semi-mock invitations. Hopefully I can finish them all before the two-month deadline.