Homemade Stationery Disguised as Professional

Craft House, who offer every material, product, service and assistance needed to create unique and beautiful DIY stationery, have 10 GREAT TIPS for you to design and create professional stationery yourself!

There undoubtedly appears to be a resurgence of interest in hand crafts, paper crafts and the like...which certainly extends to couples wanting to create their own wedding stationery and accessories. We have noticed interest double year on year - which is not just due to general business success, nor the challenging economy at present.

It seems many couples just want to do it themselves...and even more so when they realise how much fun, easy and affordable it can be. A few tips to ensure handmade wedding stationery does not look homemade, in no particular order, are:

1.    Choose good quality products and adhesives. There are lots of low-cost products you can find via websites, warehouse stationers etc. - but no matter how hard you try, it will always look and perform as such. Colours can be limited and uninteresting, the papers may leach or bleach; adhesives just don't cut it, and items may fall apart or simply not hold.
2.    Chose the right product for the right job. This is particularly important when dealing with paper and card weights, printing and adhesives. Home printers don't always handle card weight product; however, that doesn't mean you should "go light" on an item like the RSVP postcard just because that's the one that your printer handles. Commercial/Print Shop printing is not expensive and can save you time, product wastage and frustration - plus, you will get the right result for each item. Many common paper or card items (metallic, frosted, transparent finishes) are just not suited to inkjet (typical home printer technology) and smudge, fade, don't dry or just don't have the desired impact. In addition, the adhesive used for paper is rarely right for ribbon, rhinestones etc...use the right adhesive for the job to avoid a "kitset" invitation arriving in the mail to your guests.
3.    Lose the scissors! They are great for fabric and ribbon, but scissors are rarely consistent and accurate for cutting card and paper. Use a trimmer, guillotine or a steel ruler and knife to get clean, straight and accurate edges.
4.    Think your requirements through from start to finish. You want to be consistent - from your Save the Date cards to your Thank You cards - to ensure the theme flows throughout your stationery elements. This is a major contributor to achieving a professional look and feel - and it can save you both money and frustration. Off-cuts from one item can be used for another - for instance, smaller pieces of card are ideal for place cards. Consistency in fonts, colours, materials and elements when creating your theme matters. Think each item through carefully...and plan. What quantities of product will you need for each item, and should you buy it all now to ensure it's available when you need it? Consider each item carefully and list everything you need for it - quantity of product, types of adhesives, the items to be included, number of envelopes and stamps needed, type of envelope seal to use, how to include a return address, sizes of each item and how they fit etc. List everything.
5.    Avoid the use of fancy fonts. They are good for the bride/groom names, but not for most other text elements, as readability is important.
6.    Simple is good. Well thought through wedding stationery and accessories can look stunning without being a chore to create.
7.    Think postage. Try to ensure your invitation fits a standard "letter/envelope" size. Stepping outside this size (i.e. a square design) could double or more your postage costs.
8.    Timing is everything...particularly for NZ summer weddings. Invitations for these weddings (particularly between December and March) should be sent out in September/October to allow guests to plan leave, accommodation and travel. Think about public holidays, sporting and other events - and how will they impact accommodation availability etc.
9.    Put yourself in your guests' shoes when designing content and detail. What do your guests need to know? In other words, what would you like to know if you were them? Accommodation information, maps, gift registry details or suggestions, day-after activities etc will go a long way to reassuring guests that your wedding will be a well-planned, prepared for and enjoyable event.
10.    Google for ideas and inspiration. An incredible amount of information, designs and styles for weddings is "out there" - all of which will help you design and create your handmade wedding stationery.

-    David & Rhonda from Craft House