Wedding planning is in full swing. Yesterday I attended the Portland Bridal Show at the Convention Center with my mom and my maid-of-honor, Megan. The show was a mad house of 150 vendors hawking their trades to brides and their entourages, akin to a turn-of-the-century Victorian market; “Do you have DJ yet?” “Do you have a venue yet?” “Try our delicious cake!” In a world where the average wedding costs $22,000 (Eugene Register Guard, Jan. 10, 2010), bridal shows are a scary place where your eyes may pop out of eye sockets when you see price tags. Patrick and I are trying to do our wedding on a $6500 budget. You read right, $6500. How are we doing it you may ask? First off, I got my dress on clearance, for $348 (and no, not at David’s Bridal-ew-I wanted to buy local, and I bought it from a shop in Salem), we’re skipping the DJ, and opting for an Ipod instead, and we’re making our own Save-the-Date cards and invitations.

Making your own wedding stationary is certainly a money saver, it also gives you more freedom and control, not to mention a totally unique design. Since we’re a couple with more computer skills than money, the DIY option was obvious for us.So over the course of a week, Patrick and I fought over lay-out designs and fonts and settled on this design:

The image is of course the proposal moment that took place in the photobooth located at the Ace Hotel. The font we purchased from Font Diner, a fabulous retro font site. As for the back…

We’re planning on ordering cardstock from a shop on-line that Patrick has used before, and we will be printing them at home. The total cost of purchasing the all of the paper (including the postage for the invitations) will be under $200, including postage. Not bad at all, considering the average cost is about $800. Of course, we have to then do all of the labor, but it’s fun, and we have the time.

For the couples who may have their credit cards encased in ice in their freezers or that their wallets are looking a little slim, the DIY option is great, fun and, of course, costs a fraction of what it would be to go pro.