How much should I be paying for my invitations?
When I got married, all of my vendors asked me what my budget was in our first meeting, and I was clueless every time. My budget?! Uh…. I don’t want to spend any more than I have to, to get what I want? It was confusing! Online research wasn’t very helpful either - the budget breakdowns varied wildly.
photo by Mikkel Paige, photo styling by Janet St. Clair
It’s hard to come prepared for a consult when you don’t know what you want to spend, and you don’t want to offend the person you are meeting with. Being unprepared often results in sticker shock. Clients haven’t thought about their budget is, want all the things, and then they can’t believe their quote is so high!
Your custom stationery budget should be around 7 - 11% of your total budget. That means if your wedding budget is $35,329 (the national average according to The Knot’s 2016 poll,) you can plan on spending between $2400 - $4000. This includes your save the date, invitation suite, and wedding day stationery.
What can you expect for that price? Beyond a designer who is creating custom designs just for you (I create almost every piece of art that is on my stationery designs), you also have an actual person (hi!) on your team, who is there to answer any questions you have, offer advice on how to get the most out of your budget, dream up ideas for your wedding, and make sure you only have to do the fun stuff when it comes to your stationery.
photo by Mikkel Paige, photo styling by Janet St. Clair
Printing itself is not inexpensive. The larger companies can offer wedding stationery at a much lower price point is because they are working with much larger quantities, and the customization options are limited. Ever notice that those companies don’t offer your name in foil on your invitation card? That’s so that they can use the same plate for every single other person who orders that invitation - no customization necessary!
I go into the process in a little more detail on a different blog post - you can click here to read why custom stationery is priced the way it is.
So you have your number - what do you get for that price? Since custom invitations are so well, custom, it’s hard to say! You may want to prioritize foil printing over a lot of cards, or you may want a custom map more than you want specialty printing, and the good news is, a lot of the time we can get you exactly what you want without going over budget! The best way to find out is to schedule a consultation. I’m happy to go over all the options with you!
Was this helpful for you? If so, please pass it on to someone else who might find it useful! If not, I invite you to hit up the comments and let me know where I missed the mark! I’m here, I’m listening, I’m ready for any constructive feedback you’d like to share.
