The Invitations

1. We ordered the invitations, response cards, and envelopes from Wedding Paper Divas. (I realize now that I could have made them myself, but as I'm pretty busy with work, it's probably just as well!).

2. We ordered the postage stamps from Zazzle, customized with a photo of our reception site.

3. I designed and assembled the area maps. I hand-drew the maps and copied them on a regular Xerox machine. We also created a list of all the places we like in the area (restaurants, beaches, etc.), which I printed from my computer. I attached the map to one side of a #10 flat card, and the list on the other side.

4. Using a rubber stamp and a black ink pad (from Papersource), I stamped 1" white circle stickers. Using 36mm black satin ribbon, I created a belly band around the invitation and the area map, with the response card sandwiched in the middle. (I was inspired to do a belly band because of the strip of brocade pattern already on the invitations, which was covered by the belly band.) I secured the belly band in front using the stamped stickers.

5. I created an address box on the envelope using the same rubber stamp and a brush-tip black marker to do the outline. Then I calligraphed the names, printed the addresses, and added our postage stamps.

This modified DIY approach really worked for me - I didn't have the time nor the patience to go 100% DIY, but by ordering our invitations from WPD and then customizing them myself, I think we got a nice balance between professional and handmade, with the right intensity of labor for me!