Pick Your Battle

I was going to make my own wedding invitations because I wanted to save money, and not be lured or pressured into getting the whole outer-inner-envelopes+vellum+insert+tissue+ mo'tissue+mo'envelope+mo'vellum shebang. While I love to design, paper is my least favorite medium. So despite having the paper purchased and a template all worked out, I changed my mind and went to a shop recommended by friends. This is what I got:

The colors are a bit off in the pic, and I think it looks better in person. The red sleeve is used in place of the inner envelope.

Even though it is not the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen, this is certainly one of the best decisions I've made. I saved me a world of headache and heartache by paying a few extra bucks. Now of course, shopping around for a good deal is pretty much a given. Here was mine:

• 100 invites printed on both sides, with sleeves and envelopes (I needed less but it was the minimum order) - $128
• 100 matching rsvp cards with printed envelopes - $30 (actually, if you ordered 500 invites, it would still be $30 to get 500 rsvp sets)
• I printed a small insert on plain vellum that includes map, directions, and wedding website addy - $10 or so
• this comes to a pretty good price of $168 for the whole thing

The lesson here, for the ambitious DIYers out there, is to know your limits. Ask yourself "is this worth doing myself?" If you don't love it, it isn't too easy, and the item isn't priced ridiculously, you're better off finding a reasonable vendor. Having a good gauge on when to work and when to pay can be critical to pleasant wedding planning experience indeed!