Weddings: When Doing It Yourself Costs More!

By: Brenda Frezell

There are times when doing it yourself, unless you are a professional crafter or artist, will end up costing more money. Before deciding on a full DIY wedding, make a list of things you KNOW you can do (or find someone to do) for your wedding. Then ask yourself - Are you going to be satisfied with the results if you do it yourself?

Wedding Invitations

For example, unless you own a really good printer, you may not want to do your own wedding invitations. Simpler is better in some instances. Instead of going crazy with your ink jet printer, you may opt to buy inexpensive printed invitations and embellish them yourself with ribbons or charms. Online stores such as Grafcomm, Inc. (www.formal-invitations.com) offer charms and embellishments for wedding invitations even if you’ve had them printed elsewhere. Order a set of 100 simple invitations for $50 and spend another $10-$25 to embellish them and you’ll end up with invitations that look like they cost over $200! Other places that you can find charms or embellishments include Michaels Arts & Crafts (www.Michaels.com), JoAnn Fabric (www.joann.com), Impress (www.impressrubberstamps.com) and other craft stores.

Another option for wedding invitations, especially for an informal affair, is going with an online printer such as VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com). For around $50 for 100 you can create your own invitation or announcement online and have it sent to you within a few weeks. They come with white envelopes at no additional cost. For a few extra dollars you can upload your own design to have printed. These are professionally printed and won’t smear like an ink jet printer.

And remember, you can cut costs on your invitations without making them look cheap. Do you really need the blotting tissue? Inside envelopes aren’t really necessary and they add to the cost of the postage. RSVP postcards will also save you a bundle. At Grafcomm, a set of 25 preprinted reply cards (which can easily be turned into post cards with an address label and a post card stamp) run about $3 plus shipping. Another invitation tip is to go with a standard size envelope. Non-standard envelope sizes, such as a square, can cost you $0.20 or more per invitation to mail. It all adds up.

Wedding Flowers

Wedding flowers are another area where doing it yourself may not be the best option, especially fresh flowers. If you have someone who can do it for you the night before with fresh flowers, go for it. But as a bride, you have WAY too much to do the night before to sit and make bouquets and boutonnieres. Silk flowers are an option which would allow you to do them ahead of time. Another option is to buy pre-made silk flower bouquets from places like Brides Bouquet (www.bridesbouquet.com), Save-On-Crafts (www.save-on-crafts.com) or Budget Bride (www.budget-bride.com). I personally bought my silk flowers off Ebay and had a cousin arrange them into bouquets and pew decorations for me.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

This article is brought to you by Brenda Frezell of www.shoestringbrides.com Stop by for tips on how to save big on your wedding day.

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