They announce all the vital information about your wedding day and present the style and tone of the celebration. You put them on refrigerators and in scrapbooks, and if you have a sweet mother-in-law like mine, in beautiful frames so they can be treasured forever. We’re talking about your wedding invitations — and designing them can be a stressful pain in the butt!
With all of the different options available — from craft store DIY to elegant custom calligraphy — just choosing where to create your wedding invitations can be the most difficult hurdle to jump. Some artsy brides prefer to make them themselves, and others (with loftier budgets) may be excited to hire an artist. If you’re more of the “leave your PJs on, watch Friends reruns and peacefully put together your wedding invitation suite from the comfort of your couch” type, these websites are the perfect places to start.
Minted
If you’re looking for the meeting point between quality and variety, Minted is a great place to look. With hundreds upon hundreds of design options, a variety of paper styles, and even unique approaches to the idea of what a wedding invitation can be (check out their mini-book option), any bride is sure to find something she loves. There are even options for foil embossed or letter-pressed designs if you’re looking to add that extra something-something.
Minted also offers a free sample pack, displaying their different paper options, envelopes, and products, so if you — like me — have no idea what the difference is between signature, pearlescent, and luxe museum board might be, this gives you a chance to find out without spending a dime.
The variety offered for matching products is also pretty astonishing, covering everything from standard RSVP cards and table numbers to wax seals and custom stamps. You can even order matching seating charts and signs!
A few of the other perks are an option for custom designs (modified existing designs, designs from scratch, fully designed wedding looks, and custom watercolor elements), an option for pre-addressed envelopes, and a free matching wedding website.
However, the designs you can choose from don’t offer too much in the way of customization. You can change color themes, but not individual colors; and while you can move text boxes, you can’t move most design elements. It is also extremely easy to rack up a high price tag with all of the options, add-ons, and customizations, so proceed with care!
Zola
Did you know that you can do more than just host your wedding registry on Zola? In addition to setting up a free wedding website (as well as free wedding planning tools such as their Guest List Manager), you can also order your wedding invitations with them!
With hundreds of designs and the widest variety of paper options, they are a great choice for brides on a budget, as they ship for free and offer free guest addressing (and as mentioned above, you can also get a free matching wedding website). They also send free customized design samples, so you can get an idea of what your exact invitation would look like before placing your order.
And with the freedom to print on the back of the invitation, this also a great option for bilingual wedding celebrations.
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Vistaprint
For brides on a tight budget, Vistaprint is also a great option.
There are still a host of design options to choose from (although fewer than Minted), including paper options and even an option for foil on some of the designs, but the low-end of the price range is decidedly more affordable.
SEE MORE: This is How Much Couples Are Spending on Their Wedding
These designs are also fully customizable in a way many wedding invitation websites are not. Love the text layout but not the image? That’s fine! You can easily replace it. Love the image but not the layout? Move the text around to your heart’s content. This can, however, lead down a rabbit hole of adjustments and indecision that doesn’t work well for some brides, so beware.
But if you get overwhelmed, don’t panic! You can request help from a designer for a nominal fee.
And while there aren’t quite as many options for matching products as some services offer, the suite items they do have are more than enough for the majority of brides. Vistaprint is also a great option for bilingual weddings, as you have the freedom to totally customize the back of the invitation.
Basic Invite
With more design options than Vistaprint but fewer than Minted, Basic Invite has designs for just about every possible wedding day style. But what sets them apart is their degree of customization, as the site boasts “over 180 custom color options, including 10 shades of yellow.”
Through Basic Invite, you can perfectly match the shades of your wedding day rather than just selecting “purple” or choosing from prearranged themes. And with five paper options and four different shape options, these invitation templates can easily become something very unique.
Basic Invite even has a unique clear or frosted vinyl invitation for brides who are really looking for something unique to send out to their guests.
They also have a variety of matching designs for items like RSVP cards, accommodation cards, and save-the-date magnets, though the choices are a little more limited than other sites. And while you can request samples of your design before ordering, they are not free and can actually become fairly pricey.
Paper Culture
For the bride with a heart for sustainability, Paper Culture is the way to go. With all of their invitations made using 100% recycled paper, brides can feel good about their designs. Paper Culture also plants a tree in honor of each couple’s marriage with every order!
However, because of the eco-consciousness of the brand, the design and paper choices are the most-limited among the five options. On the other hand, while some websites boast more designs and matching suite items, each of the designs found here are extremely unique and distinctive. And if none of the designs strike your fancy? There is an option for you to totally DIY your design using their service!
Another perk offered through Paper Culture is the option for free, pre-addressed envelopes.
No matter which website you choose, the best part about designing your invitation from home is the freedom to play around with what the final product could look like. So take a risk. Try something you never thought you’d like. You might be surprised by what you fall in love with from the comfort of your couch!
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