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Make Your Own Invitations

Getting crafty for your wedding is a great way to put your own stamp on things. With the trend for vintage and rustic charm still going strong, what better way to embrace this than by sending out invitations to your guests, made by your own fair hand? Whether you rope in your partner, mum, bridemaids or even groomsmen, bring different skills and ideas to the (craft) table and add personality to the proceedings!
What are your colours for the wedding? Do you have a particular theme? Ideas are only limited by your imagination. The sheer volume of embellishments, ribbons, accessories, shapes and styles mean you will not be stuck for a little inspiration.
Kim from Kiss the Bride (with mum as a hand model!) takes you through the very basics of a simple design. Use this as a template, and let your create juices flow!

You will need…

A5 Cream Card – this is available to buy on the internet and all good craft shops. Pre-creased is preferable, but it can be folded neatly.
A5 Pearlescent Paper – usually a few mm smaller in length and width than A5. This gives a professional finish with a soft sheen, and is available in a variety of background shimmers. I opted for a soft gold, which adds warmth.
Embellishments – the world is your oyster here! I chose simple pearl and coloured diamanté gems, paper flowers, fine ribbon and mini pearl bows.
Colour Printer & Computer – vital bits of your kit. Run a clean on the printer heads before you start. Make sure you have plenty of ink!
Craft Knife & Metal Ruler are absolute musts. Scissors, no matter how steady your hand, will not produce a clean, straight line.
An Invisible Glue roller/double sided tape/a good quality glue stick – an invisible glue roller is my preference, for a clean, professional finish.
Craft Board – don’t sacrifice your dining room table! A piece of MDF or similar will also do the trick.

Step One 

Think how many invitations you will need. Look at your wedding list and group people into families, partners or work groups. Fold your A5 card in half, very precisely.

 Step Two 

Using your computers software (I use MS Publisher for its tools), design your invitation front. With A5 invites, you can get two fronts from one sheet of paper. I used a classic swirl font in a pretty, soft pink for a simple look. Be prepared to print a few test pieces to get your wording aligned perfectly, once the paper is cut in two. Print onto your pearlescent paper. Once printed, leave for a few moments to dry, and fold in half precisely. Using your craft board, craft knife and metal ruler, cut along the fold, to give you two invite fronts. I advise only cutting one piece at a time, so no movement of paper can result in wonky edges!

Complete the inside of your invite the same way, thinking about the wording carefully. Would you like the invite to be formal, from the Brides’ parents, or informal, “Kelly and Joe invite you…”? The internet is a great source of inspiration. Again, print a few test pieces, and PROOF READ! Errors can be costly and frustrating. Print onto pearlescent paper. As before, fold and slice the inners, two per page. This can be secured inside the invite with a single strip of glue at the top of the page. This looks much neater than gluing the entire page, and also avoids the risk of creases or bubbles.

 Step Three

You can now carefully glue the front page onto the front of the invite. Double check you have everything the right way round, and your card surface is clean. Lightly glue the reverse of the pearlescent paper, ensuring you go right into the corners. Gently lay the front onto the card, allowing for movement if it is not positioned perfectly.

You can now add the finishing touches to your simple invite. Using your tweezers, pick up your sticky-backed gemstones and press them into place on your invites. You can add a bit of sparkle onto the inside of the invite also. I suggest ending main sentences with a gemstone full stop.

Step Four

Don’t forget the additions to your main invite. You will need to, at least, include a double sided page for wedding information. You might want to think about Wedding Gift Lists, Transport, Hotel Information, Menu Cards…this is your chance to communicate as much as you can to your guests. On a separate piece, you may wish to add an RSVP card for return, including a return address.
These can be printed on pearlescent paper and cut as above. I have chosen here to holepunch them in the top corner and tie with ribbon, including a little pearl bow embellishment.

Your finished invitation can now be put into its envelope and sent out! You can also print your envelopes to match your design, for a very professional finish.
Using these simple steps, you can create many designs. Here I went for a simple summer garden feel, using greens and pinks, and pretty paper flowers, which I glued into place with craft glue.

Ready, Steady…Get Crafting!
Kim  ♥