DDIY - Don't Do It Yourself

Crafty, I am not. In fact, I think that is an understatement. I can barely draw a stick figure, like, seriously.

Personal Photo

See what I mean? I really drew that...not when I was five but actually today. At the ripe, old age of 28. I'm hoping now you can begin to see my dilemma over DIY invites.The reality of the work that needs to go into these puppies has hit, and I think I've found a plan to preserve my sanity!

You see, the world of graphic design alludes me. Hell, Microsoft Word alludes me. While I was (and still am) fine with the idea of cutting, rounding corners, and assembling my invites and other stationary ,I was not aware of the massive obstacle in my way: the design process.

The fact that I even managed to download Inkscape was pretty incredible on its own. Following a wonderful tutorial from WeddingBee, found here,  I was able to download it and open it up and....well, that was it. I just stared blankly at the screen as anxiety swelled up inside of me. Then, in an even more productive endeavor, I began to panic. About the wedding. About money. About acquiring the perfect vector image. It was in this moment that I knew I had been defeated before I even began.

A graphic designer, I am not. BUT, searching Etsy? Yeah, I could do that. And so I did. I poured through pages and pages of sellers offering PIY (print-it-yourself) invitation templates. Bonus points went to the shops that offered templates for matching stationary (save-the-date, program, menu, placecard, etc.) I stumbled upon a few good options, and then I completely fell over when I saw their prices. $50 for an invitation template?! $25 for a save-the-date template?! I was feeling more defeated by the moment.

I found three shops that offered exactly what I was looking for. They provided matching stationary, customized color, and all I needed to do was pull up the template and print. I can do that. The problem is that the costs range from $95-$171. At this point I'm leaning towards the cost-effective option, but for full disclosure, here they are from cheapest to most expensive:

From H&G Paperie

From e.m.papers

From TwoYellowShoes

Please note, the respective prices, $96, $129, and $171, are for the templates ONLY. And they would include the save-the-date, invite with rsvp and reception card, menu, program and placecard.

So, what do you think? Have invitation templates given you sticker shock? Which design would you choose?

My plan now is to price out cardstock and envelope options. I then plan to price out the costs of printing through VistaPrint and Staples. Our original goal was to buy all of our stationary through Wedding Paper Divas, so I plan to stop by there to re-add-up the costs. I need to make sure that DIY invites will save me enough money to be worth the time and aggravation, despite the cost I will pay for the templates.

How much did you spend on DIY invites? And more importantly, how much do you think you saved on your wedding stationary?