Inspiration to Make Your Own Wedding Invitations by Nicola Ray

To make your own wedding invitations is not only easy, but it allows you to have a creative flair and is extremely cost effective as well.

Here are some ideas to give you inspiration to make your own wedding invitations.

Get your creative juices flowing...

* 'Just the two of us' - you could use a photograph of you and your fiancé on the front of a card. Use passport size photos (you can get digital ones done really cheaply) or create a custom pose for each of your guests. Definitely individual and unique!

* You could also use an image from an image library. You can pick up lovely shots or illustrations for less then £1. If the shot's royalty free, then you can use it as much as you like too.

* Use a pretty postcard and then print out the wedding information and glue it to the back of the postcard. You can buy packs of postcards for half the price of normal plain greeting card. Just insert it in an envelope with the rest of your info and you're off.

* Try experimenting with water-soluble pencils. They're easy to use and give a nice effect when treated with a bit of water. They make repeating a hand drawn design easy. Try hearts, couples, rings or flowers for simple illustration ideas.

* Use a coloured glue pen to give a relief effect to your designs. They come in all different colours so you can easily match your theme.

* Embellish your cards with ribbon, bows, beads, foam cut-outs or dried flowers. These will add to your cost, but still be much cheaper than buying pre-made cards.

* There are lots of wedding stickers and transfers in craft shops. From modern designs to antique styles - there's lots to choose from. A couple of packets will see you through invites and be really cheap too.

* If you're a dab hand with publishing packages or Photoshop, you could create your own custom design. Tinker with some of your photos or create an illustration yourself.

* Last but not least, try a calligraphy pen for a traditional approach.

Don't forget if you make your own wedding invitations you'll also need envelopes. Plain and simple envelopes are often the best and cheapest route to go. Don't forget to check that the card you buy will fit the envelopes!

About the Author

Nicola Ray is the owner of Cheap Wedding Success, a website dedicated to planning and creating the perfect cheap wedding. With lots of advice, tips and ideas to lower the cost of your wedding, Cheap Wedding Success is the perfect place to start.