8 DIY Wedding Invitation Ideas You’ll Love at Zola

They might just be pieces of paper, but wedding invitations still hold a lot of weight. Since they’re often the first aspect of the wedding that your guests see, they’re also a great opportunity to create a powerful first impression.

Whether you’re using one of Zola’s designs, hiring a professional, creating customized wedding invitations, or doing DIY invitation cards, there are a lot of different ways to infuse your personality into your wedding day stationery, while still keeping them classy.

With so many options, knowing how to design a unique wedding invitation can often be an overwhelming part of wedding planning. Read up for some of our quick tips on how to create customized wedding invitations that are worthy of your big day.

Pull Visual Inspiration.

Most likely, you wouldn’t walk into a bridal salon without a picture or two of dresses you like, so it shouldn’t be any different when it’s time for you to design a wedding invitation. Photos not only help as you navigate through digital options or work directly with a designer, but they also give you a visual reference to use as you plan other parts of your wedding. For example, as pretty as that deep burgundy and gold invitation suite may be, it’s not going to feel right if you’re having an all-blue farm wedding. Inspiration could be anything from a picture of your venue to a pretty menu card that caught your eye. Think broadly and creatively!

Consider First Impressions.

Aside from the Save the Dates (which are often sent long before you have your color or theme ironed out), your invite is a window into what your wedding might look like. Shape, colors, paper options, and other illustrations are all elements that influence the overall look and feel of your wedding stationery. If you’re having a laid-back, farm wedding, then off-white, deckle-edge paper might work well for you; while a black-tie affair may demand darker colors, cleaner lines, and a thicker cardstock. If you’re having trouble deciding what “feeling” you’re going for, browse through some of Zola’s designs, or look back at your inspiration images for ideas.

Think About Your Color Scheme.

Color is important for a lot of reasons—not just how you want your wedding stationery to look. For example, maybe you always pictured navy cardstock with white envelopes and professional calligraphy. However, you might regret that decision if your invitations are traveling long distances or through the rain. Luckily, many of Zola’s invitation suites come in a wide variety of colors to choose from (and you can always opt for free guest addressing). At Zola, we offer some of the hottest trends in wedding invitation designs. Whether you’re going for a popular wedding invitation theme or you prefer something a little more unique, we offer a beautiful selection of high-quality designs. Try to incorporate some of your wedding colors, but don’t be afraid to branch out when it comes to things like envelopes and script colors. Most importantly, you don’t need to have every color in your color scheme included in your invitations. When in doubt, simplify.

Make It Cohesive.

In addition to making sure that the invitation design aligns with other aspects of your wedding, it’s important to make sure that the invitation suite, as a whole, feels cohesive. Keep in mind that the more you customize your wedding suite, the more opportunity there is for elements to feel disjointed, so it can help to have an extra eye or two looking at your personalized wedding invitations. There’s no reason that the whole suite has to “match,” but your partner or maid of honor may be a good judge of whether certain colors and themes work well together. You’ll also want to make sure that you have all the different elements laid out (ie. invitation, RSVP card, map, etc.) so you know exactly what you’ll need to order.

Think Personally.

As with every aspect of the wedding, there’s nothing more heartwarming (or impressive) than personalized wedding invitations that really seem to embody the couple themselves. For example, an artistic duo with traditional, illustration-free invitations will feel just as out-of-place as a more traditional couple sending out invites with bright colors and bold, graphic fonts. If you’ve taken calligraphy classes in the past, consider addressing the envelopes yourself. If your partner is a photographer, try using a photo of his or hers as the background. If you both are seafarers, tie the suite together with string and a sailor’s knot, in lieu of a belly band. These are all simple ways to make a pre-designed invitation suite feel more personal.

DIY What You Can.

If you’re artsy, embrace it. From writing your own funny wedding invitations to hand-painting watercolor wedding invitations for a more rustic look, there are so many ways that you can add a personal touch to your invites. You can even upload your own custom design to Zola if you still want the professionally printed look, but prefer the artistic freedom. While you might opt to print your own wedding invitations, printing with Zola ensures that each and every invite will look its best. If you’re planning to do a lot on your own, just make sure that you start early, so that there’s enough time to get it all done.

DIY Wedding Invitation Ideas

DIY wedding invitations go beyond the invitation card itself. You can customize most details of your invitation suite, from the envelopes and envelope liners to wax seals and stickers. Here are 8 DIY wedding invitation ideas that can really help ensure your invites pack a personalized punch:

1. Seal it With Wax

For a romantic and nostalgic finishing touch, add a wax seal to the envelope of your wedding invitation. Most couples choose to seal their envelopes with initials or a decorative image like a heart or flower. While it may look like an expensive add-on, it’s actually quite affordable - and it will definitely make your invitation memorable.

2. Use an Embosser

If a wax seal is a bit too traditional for you, consider embossing your envelope instead. While it also makes your envelope look expensive, it won’t add much cost to your invitation budget. Some couples opt for their name or initials, while others emboss other details—like their return address or the wedding date. It’s a subtle touch that can really make your wedding invitations stand out.

3. Show Off your Monogram

While monograms can have a traditional feel, they’ve become a stylish mainstream decoration, seen on everything from bath towels to tote bags to stationary. And since there’s something really exciting about celebrating the combination of your own initials with your fiance’s initials, why not showcase your couple monogram on your DIY wedding invitations? You can personalize your font and monogram style for a look that’s more traditional or modern—and even carry this theme into other wedding decor elements, like cocktail napkins, wedding favors, and thank-you notes.

4. Add Stickers

Stickers are another great way to add a finishing touch to your wedding invitations or to seal the back of your envelope. When it comes to what kinds of stickers to add to your invite and/or envelope, the sky is the limit; for example, you might show off your wedding monogram, create a sticker that highlights your wedding date, or add a pretty heart or the word “love” as embellishment. You can even create a custom sticker with a photo of you and your soon-to-be-spouse!

5. Personalize the Inserts

Even the simplest wedding invitations will include a few enclosures to share any relevant information your guests need to know that don’t fit on the invitation. For example, you might want to include an accommodation card, an RSVP card with an envelope to reply “yes” or “no”, or a separate card to share your wedding website. Whatever kind of inserts you want to include, they offer a great opportunity to personalize your invites and add a bit of DIY flair. Design the cards to match your wedding theme and/or add other personalized touches, such as your monogram, stickers, or other embellishments.

6. Tie it Up With a Ribbon or Twine

Wrap your invitations with a silk or satin ribbon for a simple yet beautiful addition to elegant wedding invitations. If you’re going for rustic wedding invitations, use some twine instead. Both options add an extra special touch and are sure to impress guests when they receive your invite in the mail. And tying your invites with ribbon or twine isn’t just stylish; as it helps to keep all the other enclosures (RSVP card, directions card, etc.) together, it’s also functional! Add a tag or small artificial flower to really make the wrapping pop.

7. Decorate With Embellishments

Another great DIY wedding invitation tip is to jazz up your invitation by changing and embellishing your paper. A few flourishes to the edges and folds of your wedding card can make a bold statement. You can create unique corners or edges with a fancy paper punch (which you can grab online or at a speciality stationer). If you prefer to create signature shapes, use a template and a paper cutter. You can even get creative with gate and petal folds to replace inner envelopes for your insert cards.

8. Include a Wedding Envelope Liner

The envelope is really the first thing your guests will see when they receive your invite—and, as such, you want it to make an impact. Even if you pass on a wax seal, embossed return address, or sticker embellishment, you can still leave a memorable impression with an envelope liner. A liner not only protects your invitation and enclosures, but it also provides another opportunity to add a personalized touch, For example, you could choose a solid color to complement your wedding color palette or use the space to add a pattern, photo, or artwork.

Zola, The Best Choice for DIYing Your Wedding Invitations.

Ready to DIY your wedding invitations? Zola can help! Zola’s wedding website has a DIY card feature that gives you the tools to quickly and easily design your perfect wedding invitation—no design experience necessary.

With Zola, couples get access to everything they need to create, personalize, design, and print their wedding invites, including:

• fA wide variety of choices in shape, size, and paper type
• A huge library of wedding invitation templates
• Affordable pricing (pricing for DIY invitations have the same base price as the rest of Zola’s design suite)
• Full flexibility to upload your own designs, add a third-party design, or design your invite from scratch
• Full customization options, including full bleed photo uploads and editing tools
• Professional printing services (and at an affordable price!)

Ready to design your dream wedding invites? Get started with Zola DIY wedding invitations today!