Our Invitations!

[JennF]

I'm not sure that this is technically DIY since I did them with the help of my boss who happens to make invitations as a little side business. She guided me through the design process. The great thing was the fact that we started out with a trip to a paper store and she got my input on whether or not I wanted something flat or with a pocket, colors, paper type, and etc... I wouldn't have been able to come up with this on my own. But I did get to do a lot of the actual construction myself and I think anyone could do it fairly easily. The great thing is that the materials came in under $150, but we only did 40 invitations so that's something to consider.

We used a precut pocket in forest green. The faux wax seal was ordered from a local company that I found online. I picked out the ribbon at Michael's. And it was just a matter of cutting to the right length and carefully attaching the seal to the ribbon. For anyone wanting to do this, you should think about making the ribbon at least as wide as the sticky on the back unless you want your seal to stick to the invitation as well. I wanted to be more of a slip on and off sleeve, which is why I chose this ribbon width.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n10/JennGrey/PICT00761.jpg

We used 3 layers of paper inside (pressed, burgundy, and parchment) and two layers for each of the enclosures. I tucked the response envelope in behind the enclosures.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n10/JennGrey/PICT00791.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n10/JennGrey/PICT00831.jpg

[ladymelissa]

Wow! They are fabulous!

[WebLady]

those are really nice :D

[Jenn060306]

Your invitations are stunning!
Great Idea! I love how everything is so well contained!

Awsome work!

[mariaandmanish]

Those are beautiful! So simply designed, but so elegant and organized! Gorgeous.

[Kacie_bride]

Your invitations look really reall good! I love them! Great job!

[JennF]

Thanks all! The woman who helped me design them is brilliant. We had so much fun doing them. I'm feeling a little guilty about calling them DIY since I never would have been able to do them without her. It just dawned on me though that someone with better design instincts could totally do something like this on their own.

They were so much fun to put together too. We spent a bunch of time playing around with the fonts and text layouts. She did all the cutting (because I knew I'd screw that up.) So I printed and did a bunch of the gluing.

Shopping for the ribbon was fun...but I just couldn't decide on my own, so I brought a bunch of different spools home from the store so that Jonathan could help me choose. He liked the burgundy...which was my own secret first choice. A couple other people thought that the white or ivory would look better, but I'm a little sick of decision making at the moment so I just stuck with the burgundy. I like it.

[hummingbird521]

They are beautiful. I think you done a very good job on them.

[MOB Karen]

Very elegant! I love them!! :D

[Twigler]

I love your invites! I am planning on making my own (I am a Graphic designer and the place I work for said that they would pring them for me). I wish I could do something that nice, but I have to keep them pretty simple to keep the cost down. What are you going to do for your programs?

[JennF]

What are you going to do for your programs?

I'm not sure yet. We have a lot of the parchment paper left over, so I think I'll pick up some more of the burgundy and use the two together. I've got a rough idea that I'll do the long type with several layers. (The first layer is the shortest and each successive layer gets a little longer...) The burgundy will provide the backing and would fold over the top so that I can use some sort of clip to hold everything together. I'm not sure if I'm being very clear.

Check out the Paperzone. We bought most of the paper there. Their website isn't the greatest though. If you can go into the store it's easier to see what you're buying.

[Twigler]

Thanks! I have been going through some of our cataloges at work to see what type of paper I want. I am still not sure what I am going to do. Make sure you post your programs once you get them made!

[septemberbride06]

Those are beautiful!!:D

[countrygirl]

Those invites are so pretty Jenn. I like the cascading idea there.

[AngelinLove]

Your invites are beautiful and very elegant!!!

[kevinsbride2B]

What an awesome idea!!!!! Plus it looks so professional with the stamping on the outside! Fabulous!

[JennF]

Thanks again everyone. :)

I finally got them all in the mail! That was a relief. Since the invitations were going to three different countries, the postage for the response cards and the invites themselves got a little complicated. Whew!

[jeni740]

Wow those are very nice I am soo glad I found this site, I am getting so many creative ideas from everyone:D