DIY Wedding Invitations in the UK
- 1). Determine an invitation theme. Opt for a floral-themed card replete with flowering calligraphy and floral borders, on which you could even attach dried flowers. A contemporary theme might boast block-style fonts, bold colors and structured borders surrounding a photo of the happy couple. Alternatively, choose a satin-finish card and glue-on heart motifs, ribbons, glitter and tiny beads for a romantic theme.
- 2). Choose cards, envelopes and paper inserts. Paper and card comes in all sorts of colors and weights and can be purchased from craft shops in the UK and many online stores. Select colors that complement the wedding colors, such as flowers or bridesmaids' dresses. Consider the type of card you choose too, and how it reflects the event. For example, satin-finish or pearlized cards may suit a more formal event, or perhaps even the style of the bride's wedding dress, while a textured card ingrained with wood shavings or dried flowers may suit a more informal event or a wedding with a rustic theme. Heavier cardstock tends to be more expensive, but offers a more professional finish and are best for stick-on elements to your invitations.
- 3). Choose embellishments. Embellishments are many and varied and in the UK commonly include ribbons, dried flowers, beads, bows, lucky coins, glitter, stickers and plastic or metal motifs, such as horseshoes. These are readily available in arts and crafts shops across the UK. If you have a little more time and inclination, you could also pick and dry your own flowers to glue onto your cards, make figurines of the happy couple using modeling clay, or even knit or sew a design onto your card.
- 4). Consider the number of people on your guest list when you create your initial design. The more detailed and intricate the design, the longer it will take to make each card, and this could prove an issue if you have hundreds of guests and little time to spare.
- 5). Write the text to go inside the invitations. Text can be written inside the card or on a paper insert that sits inside the card. In the UK, invitations are often quite formally written, but they can be as formal or informal as you wish. The text must contain all the essential information a guest will need to attend the wedding: in the UK this typically includes the names of the hosts (usually the parents of the bride), the name of the bride and groom, the date and time of the ceremony and reception, details of the venue and location, maps, RSVP information and details of any gift lists. Some couples also choose to include other helpful information for guests who may be arriving early--local places to stay, places to see and activities to do in the area, for example.
In addition, consider the font you use--calligraphy-style fonts are a particular favorite for traditional weddings in the UK and can be found on most software packages, such as Microsoft Word. You could also choose to do your own calligraphy using ink and a calligraphy pen, though it may take a bit of practice to pick this up. - 6). Print off your card design and /or insert. It can be quite tricky to get text aligned, so you may have a play around with your printer settings to get the text where you want. To save hassle, download a template design where the text has been aligned for you. Downloadable inserts are often available free from wedding craft websites, but be warned that you may struggle to find an insert to fit if your accompanying card is an irregular size.
