What are the best places to buy custom wedding invitations online?
Your wedding invitations are the first glimpse your friends and family will get of what’s to come for your wedding day. Why settle for something cookie-cutter when you can commission a custom design that reflects your unique love story? I’m Jaime Coast, a professional stationery designer and watercolor artist, and I’m going to share today the best places to find custom wedding invitations online today. The purpose of this post is to guide brides and grooms through the best online options including top retailers and independent designers. And a brief overview of custom versus pre-designed invitations, including the benefits of custom invitations over mass-produced ones. Let’s dive in!
What to consider when buying custom wedding invitations
There are a few things to consider when deciding if custom wedding invitations are right for you. Here are few important factors: budget, design style, timeline, and level of customization needed.
Let’s start with budget. Price ranges for custom invitations can vary widely. But a budget of at least $1,000+ is a good starting point. If you have a very small guest list (e.g. under 50 invitations) or are only looking for a small level of customization (e.g. just a venue illustration or crest) you may be able to squeeze in custom or semi-custom invitations under $1,000 but for most couples, you’ll need at least $1,000 if not more.
Many custom stationery designers have starting prices around $3,500. The amount of custom original artwork, printing techniques, paper quality, and more will have a significant factor on the price. More seasoned professionals who do hand calligraphy, original artwork, letterpress and foil, die cuts, etc. will have prices ranging from $5,000-10,000 for the invitations alone.
Next, design style is another important factor. If you love watercolor and whimsical touches, you should be looking for a designer who fits within that style. Or if you’re looking for more of a Fine Art, heraldic treatment for a formal wedding, then you need to find a designer in that style instead. It’s important to look over a designer’s portfolio and interview a few options before you make your final decision.
Third, your timeline is essential for whether you can opt for a custom design for your wedding invitations. Custom invitations take a lot longer than semi-custom or ready-made invitations. The typical timeline for custom invitations is 2-3 months to design, print, and ship or mail out. Semi-custom designs can typically be ready in a few weeks to a little over a month. And ready-made invitations can often be printed and shipped within 1-2 weeks. If you’re in a hurry, custom invitations will be harder to create in a condensed timeline because of the original artwork and design elements, as well as the printing method. Letterpress invitations take even longer than digitally printed invitations for example.
And lastly, the level of customization you want matters. If you just need a venue illustration or the ability to change the colors, a ready-made or semi-custom wedding invitation suite may be the way to go. But if you’re looking for something truly unique to the occasion, lots of artwork, control over the design, fonts, colors, materials, wording, and to create a true brand around your event, then custom invitations are the best option for the greatest amount of control and tailoring.
The best places to buy custom wedding invitations online
There are quite a few places to find custom wedding invitations online. I’ll break down some of my favorite options with the pros and cons of each. Let’s talk about custom wedding invitations from Minted, Etsy, Canva, and independent designers.
Minted
Overview
Minted has a vast network of independent designers and high-end customization options available at a premium price point. They work with artists all over the world to create ready-made designs that can be personalized. And that’s the part of Minted that you are likely most familiar with. They also have a roster of artist standing by to customize your order to your liking and a concierge team to help you pick the best options for your wedding.
Customization Options
The majority of their designs are customizable by you, allowing you to pick from a suite of color options, patterns, fonts, and accessories to make your design unique. They also have some advanced printing options like a choice of die cut shapes, letterpress and foil options, and the ability to add custom artwork to any suite.
What makes Minted unique
Their design aesthetic overall is very high end, and they offer a ton of choices for customization compared to other invitation websites which are more like template printing shops than something truly artist-driven. They also offer the ability to add custom illustrations to their designs and free envelope addressing and matching websites.
Price Range
Moderate – they are on the higher end of pricing for ready-made designs but their customization options are reasonably priced for original artwork and advanced techniques like letterpress and foil.
Pros
Overall Minted has a large variety of high-quality designs, paper choices, and printing methods. They also have more customization options than any other basic wedding invitation company.
Cons
Pricier than other basic wedding invitations companies, limited options to customize the designs compared to starting from scratch with a designer, no control over who you work with for original artwork or to pick a certain artist for their style and mastery of technique, no ground-breaking options for 100% one of a kind die cuts, laser cutting, non-paper materials, or sculpted embossing and layered print methods.
My experience with Minted
I sell my invitation accessories and some of my day of semi-custom options like menus and place cards on Minted’s marketplace. You can check them out here. I am also in the works to license some of my designs with Minted so that you can have the Cotton and Bow experience throughout the platform! I like Minted’s high standards for the types of designs they’ll accept and their hand curation. I don’t love some of their limitations for marketplace sellers as I’m not able to sell everything I offer on the platform or really stand out from other artists there. But I’m excited to see how Minted Marketplace and the connection to the main Minted platform evolves.
Etsy
Overview
Etsy offers one-of-a-kind designs by independent artists from all around the world. They are a very well known marketplace and attract business owners of all sizes and talents to their platform. There’s no limit to the type of designs and options you can find on the site.
Customization Options
The level of customization will vary widely depending on the individual shop you work with. Some designers only offer digital templates you’ll need to print yourself. Others offer everything from original artwork to custom, full-service options.
I mainly focus on semi-custom and ready-made designs on the Etsy platform to streamline the process for buyers looking for a small level of customization and limited original artwork. But I often connect with couples from Etsy who are looking for more personalization and work with them on custom, full-service offerings.
What makes Etsy Unique
The vast number of shops on the platform really sets it apart from other wedding invitation companies and platforms. Other than Amazon, there’s no other marketplace that offers the variety of options from sellers all over the world at different price points and with different styles. There’s no gate keeping other than developing a good enough product to rise to the top of the algorithm.
Price range
Cheap to expensive – it really depends on the seller and where they are located. Newer, hobby artists as well as artists outside of the U.S. tend to have cheaper prices for even really customized offerings with original artwork. More established shops with more professional operations range from moderate to expensive depending on their level of artistry.
Pros
Unique designs, ability to pick and work directly with sellers, variety of options
Cons
Quality can vary as greatly as the options and pricing, you have to be wary of who you work with since there’s very little vetting process on Etsy’s side of things. You often get what you pay for so while you may be tempted by sellers offering completely custom invitations for $75, you’re not going to get them same level of quality and artistry that you would with more normal pricing thresholds. Turnaround times and shipping policies vary from shop to shop so you may find it confusing to navigate timelines, communication, and refund policies if you’re buying items from multiple sellers.
My experience with Etsy
I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2017 and have had great success with the platform as a designer. I love that I can offer a wide variety of semi-custom and ready-made options to couples. I’ve moved away from selling wholly custom, full-service offerings directly on the platform because it’s difficult to explain and manage projects that are larger scale. But I always welcome couples to get in touch with me who find me through there and are looking for something more customized. Payments can be processed through Etsy still to keep everything on the original platform but I move contracts, proofing, and other project management and communication to an easier to navigate platform that’s linked to email.
If you want to take a look at my semi-custom offerings on Etsy, you can check out my shop here.
Independent Designers
Overview
For couples who want a completely unique, hand-crafted experience, working directly with an independent designer can’t be beat. You’ll able to pick an artist whose style you love and meshes well with your wedding aesthetic, work one-on-one to create the invitation suite of your dreams, and knock the socks off your friends and family with a wholly original work of art to announce your wedding. It’s also a great way to brand your wedding from start-to-finish and get complimentary pieces all in one place. You can customize the level of coordination from perfectly matchy-matchy to complimentary but varied.
Customization Options
Endless depending on the designer. The world of materials, artwork, colors, themes, and print methods is entirely open to you to choose from. There’s truly no platform out there than can match what a designer who specializes in high-end wedding invitations can deliver.
What makes an independent designer unique
What makes each designer unique will depend on the artist in question. I know for my business I specialize in watercolor and illustrated invitations, creating original artwork for each couple that they get to keep and frame after. So you’re not just ordering wedding invitations but commissioning custom artwork that can be cherished long after the wedding day is over. I also offer several key differentiations from other stationery designers like unlimited artwork, unlimited revisions, and extended use licensing for the artwork for all of my custom, full-service offerings. You’ll need to do some research and look into each designer’s proposal offering to find out what sets each one apart. For example, most designers will limit the number of revisions they will do without extra fees added and cap the use of your artwork to each piece. So if you want to use the crest they designed for your invitations on cups, welcome bags, menus, etc. there will be separate re-use fees applied to each item with some designers. It’s important to review any proposal or contract you receive for these differences.
Price range
Premium to expensive – working with a designer is a luxury service so be prepared for prices in the thousands of dollars just to work with them
Pros
100% unique invitations, original artwork, one-on-one level of service and attention, a truly heirloom-worthy outcome and the most fun process designing your custom invitations and stationery
Cons
Higher costs, longer lead times, and some due diligence research picking the right partner for your wedding and personalities
My experience as an independent designer
I love working with couples and their planners directly on custom, full-service wedding invitations and other stationery. It’s such a wonderful experience crafting something from scratch that’s inspired by their wedding aesthetic or personal love story. It can take a long time and a lot of communication but I love partnering with a few select couples each year to create something together that’s a true collaboration and a special work of art.
If you want to learn more about the custom invitation process, contact me here. For a more streamlined offering, check out our semi-custom invitation collections.
How to choose the right invitation option for your wedding
As you embark on the journey to finding the perfect wedding invitations, there are a few steps you’ll need to take to get there. First, define your priorities. Make a list of must-haves like design style, budget, timeline, and level of customization to determine which platform and level of customization (from ready-made, to semi-custom, to full-service, custom design) is right for you. Second, take special care to compare the different levels of customization. Ready-made designs may have some options to customize a color or font choice like those offerings from Minted. Semi-custom options are usually a set design with the ability to have a designer customize certain aspects for you. Some may even allow for custom artwork to be added in a limited way. Custom options often offer the greatest flexibility and highest level of service (from design to printing, assembly, addressing, and even mailing so you don’t have to make a trip to the post office!).
Once you’ve settled on custom invitations being the right offering for you, review samples and quality of portfolios to decide if a Minted or Etsy seller or an independent designer is a good fit for you. Minted offers free invitation samples of any design. Some Etsy / independent sellers may also offer free samples or the ability to purchase sample boxes. I offer free wedding invitation samples to anyone who requests one. You can sign up with your address to receive a free invitation sample here.
Lastly, read reviews and testimonials from past clients to make sure the level of customer service matches their portfolio and samples. It’s normal for designers to have the occasional bad review if they do a huge volume of weddings each year. But you should see mostly positive reviews and particularly glowing ones that are specific to the person involved in the design to ensure they are legitimate and have a high standard for customer service. This is a luxury service after all so you want to make sure the result matches up.
In conclusion
Your wedding invitations are more than just a piece of paper; they’re the first impression your guests will have of your big day. By opting for custom invitations, you’re not only sharing the details of your wedding but also setting the tone for the entire celebration. With personalized artwork, luxurious materials, and tailored designs, your invitations become a keepsake that reflects your unique love story.
Whether you choose a platform like Minted or Etsy or decide to work one-on-one with an independent designer, the extra effort and investment in custom invitations pay off in a memorable way. It’s a chance to brand your wedding with the personal touches that make your love story special. From the venue illustration on your invite to the day-of signage that ties everything together, custom stationery ensures your wedding stands out from the crowd.
Ultimately, custom wedding invitations are a reflection of you as a couple, and that’s something truly worth celebrating. So take your time, explore your options, and find a designer who can bring your vision to life in a way that’s perfectly tailored to your big day.
Interested in learning more about custom wedding invitations? Reach out to me to schedule an appointment to talk about your wedding and receive a tailored proposal for custom wedding invitations.
