Wedding Supplies Expert

The date has been set, the church has been booked, and the gown has been chosen. All that’s left are the wedding invitations.

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. It’s also a once-in-a-lifetime event so it should not only be special, but reflect your personality and taste as well. One of the best ways to achieve this is by making your own invitations to suit your own personal style.

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DIY wedding invitations are not only specifically tailored to your particular wedding, but they’ll also save you a considerable amount of money as well. Handmade invitations can be a symbol of the love shared between the bride and groom, as well as a memento that people will remember for years to come. And, because you’ve managed to save money on invitations, you can splurge on something else for your special day.

How much can you save with DIY wedding invites?

Price is often the number one factor when deciding to make your own wedding invitations.

The average couple normally spends around $650 on the invitations alone, with custom-printed invitations costing about $2.50 per piece. Of course, this figure can go up dramatically if you choose high-end engraved invitations from a specialty shop.

By making your own invitations, you can save between $1 and $1.50 per invitation, as they can cost as little as $1 each to produce. That adds up to about $260 total, a difference of more than $390.

Pros and cons of DIY wedding invitations

In addition to price, a benefit to DIY wedding invitations is that you have a far greater selection of background papers to choose from, as well as the option of customizing your invitations to individual guests. Additional invitations, perhaps having been thought of after the main batch, can also be printed quickly and cheaply.

The downside to making your own invitations is first and foremost the amount of time you will have to spend on your project. It will take approximately one to two minutes to print and assemble each invitation, using an invitation kit designed for easy creation. If you’re designing your own invitations, it will take considerably longer, depending upon how complicated you want to get.

Options for making your own wedding invitations

There are generally two options to consider when planning to make your own wedding invitations. You can either design them yourself, buying all of the supplies a la carte, or you can purchase one of the numerous DIY wedding invitations kits available. There are, of course, pros and cons to both approaches, such as time, money, and control over the finished product. More creative types will probably want to design their own invites from start to finish but for everyone else, a kit is the way to go.

DIY Wedding Invitation Kits

Printable invitation kits contain everything needed, such as the blank invitation, response set, and envelopes, and are relatively simple and straightforward. Kits are available in almost any style and design format, including pocket folder, self mailer, handmade paper, and distinctive layers. Designs can range from the very simple, such as plain paper with an embossed or color border, to the more intricate, like the Laura Ashley Hydrangea invitation with vellum overlay and a white silk bow.

A La Carte Wedding Invitations

On the other hand, if you choose to make the invitations yourself and buy all of the supplies, it becomes a bit more complicated but the end result is well worth the effort. Supplies needed can include tweezers, a hole-punch, pressed flowers, ribbon, paper, vellum, and envelopes, depending upon what kind of look you’re seeking. With this option, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity. The invitations can be as simple or intricate as you would like, with loose sheet handmade paper and eco-friendly attachments, like ferns and bamboo.

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Considering the options, designing your own wedding invitations is a smart, budget-friendly choice. However, if you aren’t the artsy-crafty type, a project of this magnitude may not fit in with all of the other things that need to be accomplished before the wedding. Chic brides will find it difficult to obtain the needed materials in craft and office supply stores; generally speaking the type of paper and templates that are carried in these stores are rather subpar.

One of the best places to shop is the Internet, where everything you can dream up is readily available. Invitations should be one-of-a-kind and worth saving and remembering long after the occasion is over. Cheaply made invites will not convey this message properly.

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Of course, handmade invitations are much more likely to be one-of-a-kind and unique. However, no matter which option you choose, your invitations are sure to set the tone for your wedding. Invitations convey personality, theme, and style in one piece of paper, so ensure that the most important day of your life starts with beautiful DIY wedding invitations.

Beach weddings are increasing in popularity due to their informal and unrivalled romantic setting. Being surrounded by family and friends against the backdrop of the ocean really creates a fairly tale wedding. The atmosphere is dreamy for you to exchange vows with the soft sand beneath your feet and the gentle sea breeze cooling you down. The waves and sand twinkling in the late afternoon sunlight softens the ceremony ready for the “I do’s”.

The cost of a beach wedding is also a lot lower than a traditional ceremony as you have the beautiful free scenery as a backdrop. You will also probably have fewer guests to worry about but you can still enjoy shopping for the beach wedding supplies that will make your day special. You will be amazed at just how many themed accessories there actually are and with the scaled down costs you can let loose a bit more and buy more varied items.

Beach weddings may be less formal but they still need planning and many of the usual wedding supplies need to be slightly different. This complete guide to beach wedding supplies should give you pointers on everything you need to think about to achieve that special beachy feel.

Beach Wedding Stationery

First of all you need to tell your guests that you are planning a wedding by the sea. They may have to travel a fair distance to attend so they will need to know well ahead of time. Use a beach theme wedding invitation to get the mood going early on – something with a gold shimmer effect will do the trick nicely.

Beach Wedding Attire

Wedding gowns to wear at beach weddings need to be a lot simpler and more informal than the huge, meringue style affair with long train you could get away with indoors. You need a light weight material, preferably very floaty that will look elegant and stunning when combined with a few flowers in your hair. Do not over accessorize or you will end up mixing your messages by combining a more formal dress with an informal theme.

Photo by johnunrue007.

Once you have the dress picked out you need to consider whether you will want to stay in this for the after party or whether you will want to slip into something a bit more comfortable. A set of matching spaghetti strap tank tops printed with Bride, Bridesmaid and Flower Girl would be perfect for these members of the wedding party.

Beach Wedding Shoes

Consider your wedding shoes carefully as you do not want ones that will sink into the sand when you walk. Special beach wedding flip flops are ideal or for something dressier consider barefoot bridal sandals. These bottom-less, beaded foot jewels are in fact a strap of beads that run from toe to ankle and make your feet twinkle with elegance. They are comfortable for your walk down the aisle and for dancing the night away and will complete your beach wedding look.

Beach Wedding Podium

Some beach wedding venues have specially designated areas with pergolas or the like where their weddings take place. If you are marrying on a beach that is not set up with such a facility you will probably want to create a temporary area to define the wedding party boundaries. A simple wooden frame can be used and decorated with shimmering fabrics and boards can be placed on the sand to provide temporary seating. Just make sure these temporary structures are sturdy enough should strong sea winds decide to join your party. And do not forget to find out about the tide so that you can position your setting out of its way.

Photo by livingonimpulse.

Beach Wedding Decorations

By choosing a beach wedding you are choosing to use nature as a main decoration. The array of beautiful scenery means that you can cut back on other decorations as otherwise you will overdo the whole effect. For a captivating beach theme stick with ocean type colors of blues, greens and yellows for the flower and fabric accessories that you do use.

You could adorn the podium with a few simple flower arrangements and consider using Hawaiian leis or flower chains. These could be worn by the bridal party as well as given to guests as they arrive to make everyone feel included in this intimate affair.

Other decorations with the beach theme include shells which are very versatile; parasols which can be practical for shading guests, food or drinks; starfish which can be used to adorn almost everything; and table lanterns which will add soft, whimsical lighting as the sun drops from the horizon.

Beach Wedding Accessories

There are many opportunities to accessorize your wedding with beach themed items. Flower girls could throw their flower petals walking down the aisle with baskets made in the style of a bucket and spade type pail or half coconuts on strings.

You can also find beach wedding sets of the standard wedding supplies all decorated with starfish, or seashells, pearls and diamond dust. These include the unity candle, ring bearer pillow, guest book and pen, toasting flutes and cake serving sets. This is an easy way to show your guests the attention to detail you have put in.

Beach Wedding Breakfast

What food to offer at a beach wedding reception can be the biggest headache of the whole affair? Try and find a caterer that specializes in these sorts of venues but you are unlikely to be able to have a five course sit down meal. Moderate your expectations early on – finger food or a barbeque will probably be your best option. And when you are planning your beach wedding venue, make sure there are toilets and washrooms close by.

Beach Wedding Centerpieces

Whether you have a simple sit down meal or casual finger food dining, your wedding reception tables will need some beach themed centerpieces. There are an infinite number of wedding centerpieces to choose from that use flowers and candles or fruit, coffee beans and peacock feathers for the more adventurous, and beach themed centerpieces are not much more restricted. As with everything in a beach themed wedding, keeping it simple will work best. Consider tea light holders in the shape of white lighthouses or wooden trays painted in pastel colors, filled with sand, shells and candles. Hurricane vases are another good idea being both practical for a possibly windy beach but also very in theme with their sand and candle. You could even put some starfish accessories inside to add to the interest.

Photo by downing.amanda.

Beach Wedding Cake Toppers

The wedding cake is such an integral part of the wedding day that you should not forget a beach themed wedding topper to complete the celebrations. Consider a design that uses real shells, chocolate seashells, palm trees or starfish.

Photo by clevercupcakes.

Beach Wedding Favors

The usual way to thank your friends and family for coming possibly a very long way to celebrate your special day is with the perfect wedding favor. As your day is all about the beach, the perfect way to remind your guests of the day is with a beach wedding favor. Why not consider beach pails, cocktail drink mixes, palm tree cookie cutters, edible marbled chocolate starfish or any number of other themed favors?

As you can see, choosing a beach wedding should not cause you any problems when it comes to finding and choosing your wedding supplies. In fact, on the contrary it should make things easier and cheaper. Keep everything simple and enjoy the most romantic day you will ever spend at the beach.