In today’s economy many, most people are looking for ways to save money. This is no different when it comes to couples who are planning a wedding. They still want a beautiful and magical wedding experience without putting them in the poor house. Weddings can run about $20,000 easily if little attention is given to the overall budget.

Wedding invitations can run anywhere from a couple $.50 per DIY invitation or less to close to $9.00 or more for professional invitations. For a party of 100 guests that’s $50 - $900. That’s a pretty big gap! Where do you fall in? Being cheap doesn’t have to look cheap. All it takes is a little creativity and you can have the invitations you’ve always wanted without breaking the bank.

DIY wedding projects are always a great option for wedding couples on a budget. DIY projects allow you to buy materials as you go along, so there’s no need to spend a large amount of cash at one time. Also, you are in complete control of the decoration of the invitations and can tell whether some materials or pieces work or doesn’t. Everyone hates wasting money on something they could have done without!

You can find do-it-yourself invitations kits in any craft store or any large branch store. Look around and you may be able to find an invitation that matches the theme or colors of your wedding exactly. The larger stores usually carry large stocks of items, even at different locations, so you shouldn’t have to worry about them running out. I would ask just to be on the safe side though.

You could also choose to make your own wedding invitations from scratch! Crafting stores carry many tools that can put different types of edges on when cutting paper to give you invitations a unique and clean look. Walk around and see what materials stand out to you. Pick up a few and go home to do some experimenting. Pick out good quality construction paper for your invitations. Go ahead and pay the extra money for the paper because it will go a long way! Look for small ribbons that will compliment the wedding colors. See if you can find sheer paper to fall over the invitation to give it a sophisticated look. You’ll also need a laser printer to print on the invitations and envelopes if you choose to.

For ideas on the construction of your DIY wedding invitations look at some samples of pre-made invitations or invitations that you’ve received over the years and go from there. You can also go online and search for other DIY invitations to get more ideas. What about them is appealing to you and what isn’t? How would you change it if you could? Would you rather have invitations that close or that are open-faced? What materials are used? If you can’t figure out the material, then ask yourself what material you can think of that carries the same effect. Be creative! The possibilities are endless.

Most wedding invitations come standard with RSVP and paid postage return envelops. To save money on postage consider using postcard RSVP instead of the standard approach. Or you could ask that your guest RSVP by phone or email.

If you decide that making the wedding invitations yourself is too time consuming or you don’t feel comfortable taking on the task, then shopping around for discount invitations maybe the option for you. When ordering online, be sure to order a sample so that you check for quality up close and personal. There are also online printing companies that allow you to customize invitations for about $1.00 per invitation. That’s a pretty good deal!

When deciding how you would like to spend your money for invitations consider the pros and cons to each approach. You could spend less money but would have to sacrifice your time or vice versa. Give something new a try! You never know, you might find that you’re a natural at it. Whatever you do be sure to enjoy yourself along!