Save a substantial amount of money on invitations, without sacrificing quality, by making them yourself using your computer. It's easy and fun to create distinctive invitations, at a price you can afford, by layering fine printable paper over a heavyweight card and fastening them together with a unique embellishment.

Start by choosing heavy cover stock for the background. A wide variety of papers are available in many distinctive colors and textures -- try the new shimmering metallics, printed cards with subtle designs, or handmade paper embedded with real flower petals.

Next, choose the paper you will print on to layer on top of the background card. Select from translucent vellum to reveal the colored stock beneath, or a crisp opaque white for contrast against darker backgrounds. Be sure your chosen paper is compatible with the printer you will be using; a laser printer or copier is recommended. However, water resistant inkjet ink is available or you could use an inkjet printer to create the artwork, then photocopy it onto the overlay. Add your text and any desired graphics, experimenting with different fonts and sizes to design a unique custom look. You can use various methods to fasten the printed overlay to the background card. A faux wax seal could be used to bind the papers together for a sophisticated look; for pure romance, tie them together with sheer chiffon ribbon. For a unique touch, add a small metal charm or use a dainty crush- proof flower.

Your local post office can weigh your finished product to determine the correct postage. Your guests will be impressed by your one of a kind unique invitations and no one will ever guess you made them yourself!

Melissa Nyssen owns Formal Invitations by Grafcomm, providing unique and affordable invitation supplies online since 1996. She loves looking for new distinctive papers and embellishments to add to their growing list of premium supplies. Visit them at http://www.formal-invitations.com

RELATED ARTICLES

Wedding Favors
Your Wedding Favors are a little bit of your wedding that your guests get to take away with them.

Top 10 Wedding Decoration Budget Tips
When it comes to choosing your wedding decorations, you must decide on your theme. Once you have done this, you can then make your decisions about the budget that you will have.

Flowers in Her Hair
Before George W Bush became a President, John Quincy Adams was the first son of a President to become a President himself. But while John Quincy Adams lost that first, for him and his family there are still other firsts.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
When people think about great love stories, more often than not they'll think about Romeo and Juliet. These, of course, were no more than two hormone-sizzling teenagers whose major fascination for each other was their parents' opposition.

Creating A Wedding Budget You Can Afford
The most important part of planning a wedding is setting your budget. Your budget is important because it is next to impossible to know what you can afford for each major part of the wedding if you don't set an overall cost that is comfortable for you. You will probably find that deciding the budget is the hardest job to do because, of course, you want to have the best and most memorable wedding you can possibly have.

Bridesmaids Gifts: a Token of Love, Appreciation and Affection
No one has as much fun as the bride to be on her wedding day, except, perhaps, her bridesmaids. Bridesmaids enjoy all of the fun of a wedding without the stress and headaches of planning the blessed affair. Bridesmaid's gifts are a popular item among wedding parties and the brides honored attendees. Often the bride to be offers bridesmaids gifts to her wedding party at a rehearsal dinner, in order to thank her friends and family for participating in her union ceremony, and recognize them for all of their assistance during the planning and preparation stages of her wedding.

Classic White Color for Bridal Gown
Ever since Queen Victoria wed in 1840, however, white has remained the traditional color for wedding gowns and bouquets. A woman then used her dress for Court Presentation after marriage, usually with a different bodice. It has been accepted taditional color of the wedding dress, but wedding gowns were not always white. The marriage of Queen Victoria to her cousin Albert of Saxe- Coburg in 1840 has had more influence on weddings than any other. Queen Victoria put the wheels in motion by marrying in white.

10 Ideas for Perfect Wedding Gifts
Wedding ceremonies are the stuff fairy tales are made of. Marriages are made in heaven, it is said. Keeping this age-old adage in mind, a heavenly atmosphere is created at the wedding venue. Aromatic smells fill the air. Guests decked in their Sunday best walk the red carpet with wedding gifts in tow. Giving gifts on the wedding day is part of the ceremony. A gift symbolizes the good will guests have for the newly married. Through these gifts, guests wish the couple a long and happy married life. Naturally, when wedding gifts are purchased the most important thing that one keeps in mind is their durability. It is usually felt that a wedding gifts should make a lasting impression. Everyone wants to make a lasting impression. Here is how:

Planning a Special Wedding Shower
The wedding shower is a traditional party of the marriage process. Often times the bridal party, or the people who have been asked to be in the wedding, will through the party for the couple. Or, other times, friends or family members will hold it for them. Making a wedding shower memorable starts with planning. First, you need to decide if the party will be formal or relaxed and laid back. Often times, large families will have a formal wedding shower for the bride and groom which may include a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant. Other times, some of the brides close friends will get together at a house and throw a small get together for them. Either way, once this choice is made, the planning begins.

Wedding Gown Styles
The wedding gown is most important choice for a bride during her wedding. Every bride dreams of an enchanted wedding and a beautiful gown is what can make the bride look like a princess.

Low Budget Wedding Reception
The reception alone will bust your wedding budget if you're not careful. Of course, the most obvious way to save money on the reception is to keep it small. Where you host this grand occasion could make or break you.

The Perfect Bridal Makeup for Your Wedding Day
It's important that your makeup look its absolute best for your wedding day. Whether you plan to marry on a beach at noon or at night under the stars, by keep your makeup simple you will look and feel great. You don't want to much, nor too little, a natural look is very important. This is not the time to be experimenting with new looks. Your makeup should enhance your beauty not hide it. Here are some tips to help with you achieve your pefect bridal makeup:

Men?s Wedding Rings - Should a Man Wear One or Not?
Strange as it may seem the use of a wedding ring by men was not common until recently. Whereas women have worn wedding rings for eons, men have not. The use of rings as a symbol of everlasting love enshrined in marriage can be traced back thousands of years. But not so much for men.

Trust in Marriage
A couple should trust each other in many ways. When they meet new people they are expected to be trusted not to wonder from a marriage. Not to have an affair or become involved with anyone else. Trust in marriage is also needed when keeping finances under control. A couple should trust one another to respect each other for example when couples have a joint bank account it is on trust that you both use the account responsibly and trust that it will not be abused by either of you.

Wedding Loans in the UK ? Saving Future from the Present Wedding Expenses
It is wrong if you thought that typical British weddings are starving of novel ideas. In fact, there is a glut of ideas, and each idea sounds as enthralling as the previous ones. The only glitch then is of finance. Had weddings been the be-all and end-all of life, not an iota of concern would have been put on the expenses. It isn't though. Wedding marks the onset of a new life for the married couple. Rash expenses at this stage of life are only going to make things worse in the future.

Should You Send Save the Date Notices To Your Guests?
You've probably heard about Save the Dates since they have become quite popular with brides but you might not know exactly what purpose they serve.

Wedding Planning: Clear Communication with Your Wedding Guests
Effective communication between you and your wedding guests is essential in the months leading up to your wedding. But in this stressful time, how can you maintain healthy relationships with your family and friends when you're flooded with questions and feeling in over your head?

Personalized Wedding Favors
Personalized wedding favors are among the most popular of gift selections made by brides and grooms to show appreciation to the guests sharing in their wedding day. Traditional ceremonies have made wedding favors a part of the celebration since the sixteenth century. Modern technologies have made it affordable for many small gift items to be personalized to reflect the gracious sentiments of the happy couple.

Marriage Counseling: What to Do When a Spouse Flirts Too Much
When Alicia first met Tim, she found him outgoing, charming, and easy to talk to. She thought he was very witty and funny, always the life of the party with everyone gathered around him. Yes, he flirted a lot, but while he was talking, he'd turn to wink at her, take her hand, or put his arm around her shoulder as he continued talking.

7 Stupid Wedding Mistakes Even Smart Couples Make
"What in the world could they have been thinking?"

some more interesting links ......

Wedding Finances - Like some information on ways to finance that Wedding to Remember? Check out our library of over 430 articles on personal loans to help you find an affordable Personal Loan

Honeymoons - For some of the best current deals on flights and hotels for that honeymoon, please click Discount Flights

Weddings Worldwide - If you live outside the UK, check out our library of over 600 wedding articles from around the world: Wedding Dresses

Do all your friends seem to be getting married? - to visit a library of over 400 articles on Dating, please click Online Dating