Wedding Invitations Cost

• Wedding invitation costs can range from $1.50 each with do-it-yourself kits from craft stores to $3 or $4 each for mid-range standardized invitations on mid-weight paper to $9 or more each for invitations that use a high-end printing process -- such as engraving or letterpress -- on quality handmade or silk paper.
• The per-invitation cost goes up with extra folds -- tri-fold costs more than bi-fold -- or lining on the invitations or envelopes.
• The average couple spends $659 on invitations and reply-cards, according to The Bridal Association of America.

• Most standard wedding invitations come with printed envelopes, reply cards and printed reply card envelopes. Some couples choose to include reception cards and direction cards, as well.

• Save-the-date cards, sent well in advance of the invitations to keep invited guests from making other plans, are an added expense to consider. For more informal weddings, some couples send save-the-date e-mails.
• When choosing wedding invitations, be sure to factor in postage, especially if you will be sending a large number. Some invitations are larger and heavier or odd-shaped and will require more that the standard 39-cent postage (which will increase to 41 cents on May 14, 2007). When calculating postage, do not forget to include the cost of attaching stamps to your reply cards. TheKnot.com offers guidelines for calculating postage.

• To save on postage, use reply postcards instead of reply cards, or request that your guests R.S.V.P. by phone or e-mail, or using sites such as Evite.com.
• According to several users at IndyBride.com, it's possible to save about half the cost by using printers in India, such as IndianWeddingCard.com and IndianWeddingInvitations.com.

• Shop around. Wedding invitation mark-ups vary among vendors, so if you are going with a standard style, you might find the same wedding invitations somewhere else for a lower price.
• If you decide to order invitations online, allow enough time to order a sample invitation so you can see it up close and check quality.
• Do-it-yourself kits are sold at craft or discount stores such as Target and Michael's.
• TheKnot.com offers the pros and cons of using a large stationery store, an independent shop, a graphic designer or an online printer.
• Online printers, such as PrintRunner.com or iPrint.com often have the best prices for small printing orders. Most online companies allow you to upload a design or create your own, starting at less than $1 per invitation, with plain envelopes.

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