Custom Made Wedding Invitations

All couples want every aspect of their wedding to be unique, including their invitations. However, when you go to a commercial printer, your chance of having completely unique wedding invitations is not likely. You'll probably end up choosing from a selected number of designs, paper, etc.

Of course, you can also create your own invitations, but this can be time consuming and the end results may not look as professional as you might want. There is another option, however: custom made wedding invitations.

Choosing a Graphic Designer

If you are interested in custom made wedding invitations, then you'll first need to contact a graphic designer. Most graphic designers are eager to do this type of work because it's fun and is a great way for them to show off their creativity.

Before you choose a particular graphic designer, you're going to need to ask a few important questions:

– Do you have experience creating custom wedding invitations? (This is not a must, but it's definitely something to look for in a potential graphic designer. Specific experience is always a definite plus.)
– What kind of paper choices are available?
– Can I see examples of your portfolio?
– Can I talk to your other examples?
– Will you take care of the printing, as well as the designing?
– Do you guarantee your work?

You can find graphic designers in a few ways. First, talk to people you know. If they have experience working with graphic designers, not necessarily for wedding invitations, you might want to listen to their recommendations. If not, then you can check your local Yellow Pages and search the Internet.

Make sure to ask these questions to several graphic designers and get price quotes from at least designers who have strong potential. Remember not to make your final selection based solely on price – you want the best quality and that usually means you have to spend a little more.

Also, keep in mind that custom made wedding invitations are going to cost more than other types of invitations. Generally, the quote from your graphic designer gives you will only be an estimate. You should request a specific price after you've agreed on the final invitation design.

The best time to start searching for your graphic designer is at least four months before the date of your wedding. Although, it's really never too soon to start looking. The more time you have the more likely you are to find the best graphic designer you can afford.

Working With Your Graphic Designer

Once you select a graphic designer, you'll need to meet with him or her to discuss the specifics of what you want. That means it's a good idea to have something in mind already. Of course, if you don't know yet what you'd like, you might want to do some brainstorming with your graphic designer.

During your first meeting, you should feel comfortable with him or her. This is important because if you don't feel comfortable, then you won't voice your opinions or share your ideas – that means the resulting invitations won't be what you really want. Your graphic designer should be easy to talk to and should seem open to your ideas. If not, you might want to look elsewhere (you may want to think different ideas i.e. Wedding Initation symbols and their meanings).

You should talk about the details of the wedding with your graphic designer. Show him or her samples of your flowers, your color theme, your location, etc. All of this information is going to help them capture the feel of your ceremony.

Generally, once you've talked about what you want, your graphic designer will create a few mock ups. You'll probably have another meeting or two to look at those mock ups, then choose the one you want or make corrections to the some of the ones which have the most promise. After you've decided on the design you want, you'll either need to take that example to the printer or ask the graphic designer to print up the entire batch. Of course, when the invitations are finished, you'll want to proofread them carefully.

Other Graphic Designer Services

Besides helping you create custom made wedding invitations, your graphic designer may be able to provide another useful service: setting up a wedding web site.

A growing number of couples are using the Internet as a way to keep guests informed about the wedding details and as a way to share their memories of the planning stages. Your web site might include maps to your ceremony and reception, an online response card (etiquette rules frown on this but it's worth considering), your registry information, seating charts, and more. If you do have a wedding web site, make sure to include the web site address with your invitations, usually on a separate enclosure.