A labor of love
December 12, 2012 7:18 AM Subscribe
Help/ideas/moral support needed for handmade wedding invitations for a 10-person wedding.
Hello. I am getting married this July and want to hand make my invitations (and save-the-dates, plus possibly programs depending on how ambitious I get). It will be a destination (Hawaii) wedding and I my 'theme' is pineapple. I am not a calligrapher, but willing to learn simple calligraphy (if that's not a disastrous idea), and am a reasonably crafty person.
Some inspirations:
Hello. I am getting married this July and want to hand make my invitations (and save-the-dates, plus possibly programs depending on how ambitious I get). It will be a destination (Hawaii) wedding and I my 'theme' is pineapple. I am not a calligrapher, but willing to learn simple calligraphy (if that's not a disastrous idea), and am a reasonably crafty person.
Some inspirations:
- Laser Cut Pineapple Wedding Invitations (waaaaay fancier than what I believe I'll be doing, but so inspiring, I'd love to incorporate some of these elements!)
- Square Pineapple Plumeria Invitation - really like the embossed pineapple and Hawaiian phrase
- Pineapple Invitation (Green Kangaroo) - one I might just have done if the "make it myself" plans are too ambitious
- Pineapple custom snap embosser - an embosser I think would be really cute for the envelopes or the invitations themselves (couple's name, location of wedding, date!)
- Am I insane for thinking it's possible to do it myself? Will I really regret this? I have seen previous posts where others detailed the torture -- does that still apply since I'll be making a "small" quantity?
- Is there some compromise I could strike in terms of having part of the invitations printed (since I'm no calligrapher)
- On a similar note, would it be possible to print my own invitations if letterpress is not a requirement? I'm assuming no, that would require an expensive printer capable of handling a higher weight paper.
- What are your favorite sources for paper & other materials? I'm willing to buy online or locally (NYC or eastern PA are options).
- What about envelopes? Should I even think of making those myself?
- Your suggestions for unique Hawaiian phrases appropriate for the invitations/save-the-dates/other would be lovely
- Any suggestions for a super paper cutter or papercutting method (exacto too daring?) - my mom's papercutter is old enough to cut on a slant, which will not do.
- Anything else I haven't thought of?
Learning calligraphy might be a bit too much to take on, especially with the stress of everything else. Why not hire someone who does calligraphy to letter the invitations and do everything else yourself? For 10 invitations it probably won't cost much- you can probably find someone's mom or friend who does it as a hobby.
posted by windykites at 7:44 AM on December 12, 2012
posted by windykites at 7:44 AM on December 12, 2012
If this wedding is so small, you know what might be awesome? Handwritten invitation letters to the invitees, explaining why you and your SO love them so much and want them to share your special day. You could have all the amazing stationery and have a more heartfelt expression for people than they'd normally get, and everyone's could be personalized. A bit left-field, but perhaps more fun?
posted by mdonley at 7:45 AM on December 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by mdonley at 7:45 AM on December 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Shoot! first link: Laser Cut Pineapple Wedding Invitations
posted by xiaolongbao at 7:45 AM on December 12, 2012
posted by xiaolongbao at 7:45 AM on December 12, 2012
Best answer: Calligraphy is HARD! It takes years of practice to be able to capture the lightness and elegance of the examples you show. So consider this an opportunity to perfect your desktop publishing skills (and pick up some fonts you like -- I like fontsquirrel.com for this type of thing) and mix and match to suit your taste. Copy shops can print nice color if you need color printing. If your heart's set on calligraphy, check etsy for some wonderful artists.
posted by mochapickle at 7:48 AM on December 12, 2012
posted by mochapickle at 7:48 AM on December 12, 2012
I think it would be really cool to deliver a pineapple with each invitation. Congratulations!
posted by carmicha at 7:55 AM on December 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by carmicha at 7:55 AM on December 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: No, you're not insane. With only 10 invites going out, you'll escape some of the "oh my god I just tied 150 1" ribbons into tiny perfect bows and now my hands are shriveled claws" agony. Just know your limits.
I personally see no problem with getting all of the text printed. Calligraphy is lovely (and might be nice to have done/do yourself on the envelopes), but it's difficult, expensive, and takes forever. As for printing it yourself, it depends on your printer. You might be able to get them printed at a print shop for cheaper than sending out for them. You could also consider printing onto slightly lighter paper and then attaching that to a heavier cardstock.
I wouldn't make envelopes, but if you really want to fancy it up, you could make pretty envelope liners, which can make boring envelopes look like Super Expensive envelopes.
If I were in your shoes, I would probably get the invitations printed (text-only) somewhere on good paper, then go to town with stamps and embossing powder. Layer it with some really nice fancy paper, bundle the rsvp card with a silk ribbon. Hand-letter the envelopes, stamp them up too, and put it all together.
posted by specialagentwebb at 8:25 AM on December 12, 2012
I personally see no problem with getting all of the text printed. Calligraphy is lovely (and might be nice to have done/do yourself on the envelopes), but it's difficult, expensive, and takes forever. As for printing it yourself, it depends on your printer. You might be able to get them printed at a print shop for cheaper than sending out for them. You could also consider printing onto slightly lighter paper and then attaching that to a heavier cardstock.
I wouldn't make envelopes, but if you really want to fancy it up, you could make pretty envelope liners, which can make boring envelopes look like Super Expensive envelopes.
If I were in your shoes, I would probably get the invitations printed (text-only) somewhere on good paper, then go to town with stamps and embossing powder. Layer it with some really nice fancy paper, bundle the rsvp card with a silk ribbon. Hand-letter the envelopes, stamp them up too, and put it all together.
posted by specialagentwebb at 8:25 AM on December 12, 2012
Best answer: This is completely doable! I agree with the others above, though, that calligraphy is time-consuming and frustrating to learn. I’m saying this as someone who has taken calligraphy classes just for kicks and really enjoys the process: I STILL wouldn’t do the calligraphy on my own wedding invitations. If you want hand-lettering, you can hire someone, but really, there are so many good fonts out there that you might not really need it.
For supplies: I love Paper Source for projects like this (and I did my own invites with Paper Source supplies and my home inkjet printer a few years ago). Great cardstock, excellent color choices, some unique envelope designs. With only ten invites you won’t have the sticker shock of needing to purchase 100 invitations, inner envelopes, outer envelopes, etc. and you can spring for the more interesting envelope designs without doing too much damage. If you’re just using a home printer, I’d go for smooth cardstock like the cards they have featured there instead of handmade paper, by the way. The ink will print much more nicely and evenly on a smoother surface. (and I had a really basic HP inkjet printer that had no problem with printing on cardstock.) If you do want to use handmade paper, you can find another way to incorporate that – line the envelope, maybe (Paper Source has template for that too!), or wrap a band of handmade paper around the invitation itself.
The embosser is a nice idea, and I’ll also second the suggestion of using rubber stamps and embossing powder with for your pineapple motif. There are lots of videos and tutorials on embossing available online if you’re not familiar – basically you stamp your design with an adhesive rather than ink, then put colored embossing powder on the surface while it’s still wet, and apply heat (there are heat guns created especially for this job) that melts the powder and creates a raised design.
When I made my invitations, I used a corner rounder punch and remember being really impressed that that small (and easy!) detail made my square invitations feel so much more special. There are crazy, intricate paper punches available now, which may or may not be of interest to you, but at any rate, it’s an easy addition and way less time-consuming than cutting anything out with an exacto knife.
Have fun, and congrats!
posted by ella_minnow at 9:22 AM on December 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
For supplies: I love Paper Source for projects like this (and I did my own invites with Paper Source supplies and my home inkjet printer a few years ago). Great cardstock, excellent color choices, some unique envelope designs. With only ten invites you won’t have the sticker shock of needing to purchase 100 invitations, inner envelopes, outer envelopes, etc. and you can spring for the more interesting envelope designs without doing too much damage. If you’re just using a home printer, I’d go for smooth cardstock like the cards they have featured there instead of handmade paper, by the way. The ink will print much more nicely and evenly on a smoother surface. (and I had a really basic HP inkjet printer that had no problem with printing on cardstock.) If you do want to use handmade paper, you can find another way to incorporate that – line the envelope, maybe (Paper Source has template for that too!), or wrap a band of handmade paper around the invitation itself.
The embosser is a nice idea, and I’ll also second the suggestion of using rubber stamps and embossing powder with for your pineapple motif. There are lots of videos and tutorials on embossing available online if you’re not familiar – basically you stamp your design with an adhesive rather than ink, then put colored embossing powder on the surface while it’s still wet, and apply heat (there are heat guns created especially for this job) that melts the powder and creates a raised design.
When I made my invitations, I used a corner rounder punch and remember being really impressed that that small (and easy!) detail made my square invitations feel so much more special. There are crazy, intricate paper punches available now, which may or may not be of interest to you, but at any rate, it’s an easy addition and way less time-consuming than cutting anything out with an exacto knife.
Have fun, and congrats!
posted by ella_minnow at 9:22 AM on December 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I think that given the low number of invitations, it's reasonable for you to make your own -- if it takes you an hour per invitation, that's 10 hours, which could be done over one weekend. Even if it takes you 2 hours per invitation, it's still doable. I think the craziness comes in when someone is trying to make 70+ invitations (or even 25 invitations).
I do think it would be good to start early enough that you have time to have the invitations printed if they don't turn out in a way you are happy with. A backup plan will make it more "fun crafty project!" and less "stressful required project."
posted by insectosaurus at 7:30 AM on December 12, 2012