This is a series of posts currently being featured on the Real Weddings Magazine blog and was previously posted on February 13th.

There are many local invitation design companies that offer a semi-DIY option, such as custom-design invitations but you do all the printing and assembly work.

For our Recessionista Bride, Stevie, she wanted a unique design that really expressed her personality and the look for her wedding, but her budget wouldn’t allow a full complete design, assembly and mailing package. So to better fit her budget, we offered to let her do the printing and assembly herself while only charging her for the design work itself. Again, there are many local invitation companies that will do the same thing — you just have to call them and ask! Stevie enlisted the help of friends and family to add a few special finishing touches to her Invitation Suite – and you can easily do the same:

Custom Invitation Liners
We designed a custom pattern that Stevie printed, cut, and mounted into her Invitation Envelopes. As she had chosen to use Paper Source’s A6 Envelopes in Curry, she was able to use Paper Source’s Envelope Liner Template Kit to cut out exact matches for her set.

Monogram Ribbon Wraps
We designed sheets of Stevie & Blake’s Monogram and after Stevie printed the pages, we turned them into sticker paper using a Xyron. She then used a custom-punch to create monogram seals that secured Paper Source Curry ribbon around her Invitation cards.

Rhinestone Accents
This is where the real bling begins – we found bronze rhinestone stickers in three sizes to add a beautiful sparkle to her suite. Stevie placed each rhinestone over a portion of the Invitation flourish, creating a custom bedazzled look at DIY prices.

The options are endless – sewn fabric pockets, custom hang-tags and even loose lavender pieces are only some of the extra special touches some of our Recessionista Brides have used to embellish their invitations. All it takes is a little time and some extra elbow grease!

Did you DIY any portion of your wedding Invitation Suite design?

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazine blog on February 20th or to the KME Blog on February 20st for the next installment: Recessionista Bride Series: A Non-Traditional Guestbook