We've discussed how to print your own wedding invitations, we've talked about how to design DIY invites, but in all this DIY talk, we need to discuss something important: What NOT to do. For just a piece of paper, wedding invitations are important. They're your guests' roadmap to your invitation - the style, the formality, the directions - and you need to treat them as such, even if you happen to design a DIY invite.
1. Don't use your own handwriting unless you've taken calligraphy lessons. Saving money is great, but running invitations and envelopes through the printer is a better idea. Even if you have the most beautiful handwriting in the world, there's a good chance one of your guests won't be able to read it.
2. Don't cut out cardstock using just your hands and scissors. It's nearly impossible to cut a straight line, which is vital for making your DIY invites look like they were done by pros. Invest in a $20 straight cutter, which you can find at any local craft store.
3. Don't forget to proofread! This can't be stressed enough - spell-check, grammar check, then have someone else with great English skills look over the invitations. One of the most embarrassing things you can do is send out a DIY invite with a glaring spelling error. It's even worse if that spelling error happens to be the name of your future in-laws.
4. Don't forget to give yourself enough time. By waiting until the last minute to create your DIY invites, you not only risk them not getting to your guests on time, but you'll also create sloppy work. You need a lot of time to create homemade, beautiful wedding invitations, so don't cut corners.
5. Don't include registry information. It's just tacky.
7. Don't use abbreviations. It's so much more elegant to spell out "Saturday, the first of October, two thousand nine."
8. Don't just look at designs on the computer, print them out. You don't know how something really look until you see it on paper in the right lighting.
9. Don't design the invitation before you know you have the envelopes to send them. By creating a quirky-shaped design before you know you have the envelopes to send them in, you're basically shooting yourself in the foot. Buy envelopes first, then design the invitation. 10. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Take a good look at yourself, your free time and your design skills. Are all of them conducive to you design a DIY invite? Be realistic, and don't be ashamed to outsource part or all of the work to a professional.
1. Don't use your own handwriting unless you've taken calligraphy lessons. Saving money is great, but running invitations and envelopes through the printer is a better idea. Even if you have the most beautiful handwriting in the world, there's a good chance one of your guests won't be able to read it.
2. Don't cut out cardstock using just your hands and scissors. It's nearly impossible to cut a straight line, which is vital for making your DIY invites look like they were done by pros. Invest in a $20 straight cutter, which you can find at any local craft store.
3. Don't forget to proofread! This can't be stressed enough - spell-check, grammar check, then have someone else with great English skills look over the invitations. One of the most embarrassing things you can do is send out a DIY invite with a glaring spelling error. It's even worse if that spelling error happens to be the name of your future in-laws.
4. Don't forget to give yourself enough time. By waiting until the last minute to create your DIY invites, you not only risk them not getting to your guests on time, but you'll also create sloppy work. You need a lot of time to create homemade, beautiful wedding invitations, so don't cut corners.
5. Don't include registry information. It's just tacky.
7. Don't use abbreviations. It's so much more elegant to spell out "Saturday, the first of October, two thousand nine."
8. Don't just look at designs on the computer, print them out. You don't know how something really look until you see it on paper in the right lighting.
9. Don't design the invitation before you know you have the envelopes to send them. By creating a quirky-shaped design before you know you have the envelopes to send them in, you're basically shooting yourself in the foot. Buy envelopes first, then design the invitation. 10. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Take a good look at yourself, your free time and your design skills. Are all of them conducive to you design a DIY invite? Be realistic, and don't be ashamed to outsource part or all of the work to a professional.
About the Author:
Randolph Quan is a wedding photographers London, and advises people on awedding photographer blog at his website.
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