If you’re anything like me, you’ve been raised with a healthy appreciation (and satisfaction of) a DIY project. When I was a kid, I had model DIY parents. My mom sewed a lot of my clothes until I was old enough to protest - she made every Halloween costume (from a pattern, not just a thrown-together job)...My dad fixed everything. He reroofed our house and decided to add a skylight mid-project like it was no big deal. 

I shared with my newsletter subscribers a bit more detail about that (you can join below)! 

I really did think I could do ANYTHING and expected the same from my poor husband.  BUT, alas. Life happened and it keeps happening, and I’ve finally come to grips with the facts- I CAN do anything, but I just don’t want to! 

I still love to craft and I love to tinker and figure things out, but the more life rolls along, the more I've realized that it's OK to hire someone to help us out.

This is why I’m passionate about the subject of DIY-ing

certain wedding planning aspects.

If you've given yourself enough time in the planning process, you can absolutely tackle some of the “fun stuff” yourself! I don’t encounter many couples that don’t plan to be hands-on with something. You simply have to decide which things you DIY, and which are better suited to pass off to the pros!

And in some cases… it can be a mix of both!  So, given that you’re on a stationer’s blog, you probably already know that the topic here is the pros and cons of DIY-ing your wedding invitations. 

And I'm NOT here to sell you on one or the other - GASP.

I want to equip you with some information so you can decide what's right for you-  what you want to tackle and what you want to pass on to someone else! There really is no right or wrong answer. You’re busy and there is no shame or judgment for getting help in the areas that you aren’t loving. The entire process should be fun (sure, there will be some stress, but overall, you’re getting married and this should be an exciting time!). 

If you haven’t already read, Wedding Invitations 101: What do you include?, I highly recommend you hop over there first, so you have some background on what your ideal invitation suite will be comprised of! 

PROS to DIYing Your Wedding Invitations

Budget Friendly: 

The number one pro to DIYing your wedding invitations is, (cue the drumroll), cost.   

If you are DYI-ing your invitations, you are likely purchasing an invitation template. You aren't hiring a designer, so you aren't paying for the hours she'll put in getting everything centered, changing the colors and making sure everything is set up for the printer.

Flexibility: 

Let’s be real- when you don’t have someone to answer to, you can do what you want. It can be exhausting to answer questions from your wedding vendors- it’s practically a full time job! When you DIY, you are working on your schedule. So if you decided that you want to crank things out at 1am when you can’t sleep, well, you can!  With a DIY template (like the ones I sell here....) you have the freedom to play around with different fonts and colors until you love what you see. No going back and forth with a designer, you can just DO it.  Once you have all the pieces together, you can assemble them while you’re watching TV or on a lunch break. 

CONS of DIYing Your Wedding Invitations

It’s a time investment:

Although paper is not usually the first priority for many couples, they often underestimate the amount of time the ever-important invitation suite can take to design, assemble, send and receive. Then, there are all the “extras” that have to be coordinated. 

You need to find the right paper, and the perfect envelope colors, wax seals, ribbons, vellum. You want an envelope liner but how do you CUT those and get them IN the envelopes? Do you REALLY have to cut 120 of them by hand??  All of this can take time and patience. A designer does this all day every day and likely has swatch decks, commercial equipment and connections in the industry to make this happen with ease.

Not having a pro in your back pocket to walk you through the timing, get the assembly just right and so forth means you have one more thing on your plate. Your stationery designer knows where to order, how to order, and when to order to make sure you don't fall behind.

Printing Cost: 

Cost of printing. Are you printing yourself? Are you sending it to a local printer? What type of paper are you using? This is often a hidden cost when DIYing your invitations, so It’s important to have a plan in place.  You may spend a ton more on paper if your home printer is fussy.

You’re on your own: 

This may be an obvious one, but as I mentioned, there are A LOT of decisions to make in the planning process. And it can sometimes feel like you're on an island. Or even worse, you have so many options and people to please, you’re in a state of analysis paralysis. And you may miss important deadlines.  You might not source the right postage. You may not get the wording right or forget an important detail on the RSVP card. 

I think the other big issue I see when I get a DIY invitation in the mail is that people don't know about print margins. They design too close to the edge of the page, not realizing that a printer is never perfect and they have a full 1/4" 'safety zone' - they may cut anywhere from this point to this point. So if people design too close to the edge, their text gets cut off due to these margins of error. 

And while I try REALLY hard to make sure my DIY clients are equipped to do all these things, the hands-on touch is, well, a nice thing to have, for both of us! 

I LOVE my custom clients. And I am honored to assist my DIYers with easy, beautiful designs! 

I truly feel that your invitations are one of the most personal choices you can make for your wedding day.

Your paper products set the tone for your celebration and I’m thrilled to be a small part of that. Your invitation suite is a tangible memory and memento long after the day is gone.  And that, at the core of it, is beautiful. 

Do you feel more equipped to make your decision? I sure hope so! If you decided on DIY, check this out (link to DIY shop). If you decided you’d like a pro to take over, let’s chat here. 

Also, be sure to check out When to Send Wedding Invitations (and When to Start Designing!) post to ensure your planning timeline syncs up! 

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