12 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding Invitations

Embrace your budget with these clever tips.

Your budget doesn’t have to be a blocker for having beautiful wedding stationery (or a beautiful wedding, period). We’re here to show you how to save money on your wedding invitations and other paper essentials (while still getting the most bang for your buck). According to our survey of over 15,000 newlyweds, couples spent an average of $530 on stationery in 2021. That includes an average spend of $250 on invitations and RSVP cards combined. Knowing how much other soonlyweds are spending is a great starting point for setting a realistic budget. Once you’ve got that number down, use these helpful tips and tricks to make the most of your hard-earned dollars. Here’s how to really do wedding invitations on a budget.

1. Sign up for The Knot Savings Program.

At The Knot, we’ve helped over 25 million couples celebrate their love to date—and we’re committed to doing just that, no matter your budget. There’s no denying that the cost of a wedding adds up fast, which is why we created The Knot Savings Program. For a one-time $50 fee, you get access to exclusive discounts and freebies that’ll save you $250 as soon as you join. When it comes to paper, Savings Program members get 50% off save-the-dates, 40% off customizable invitations and 25 free thank-you cards from The Knot Invitations. And the savings don’t stop at stationery. Enjoy a free copy of The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner and Organizer and a complimentary gift (worth $50) from The Knot Registry Store.

2. Make strategic design swaps.

One of the best ways to save money on your wedding invitations is to make clever swaps that give you the aesthetic you’re looking for without the hefty price tag. Luxe printing techniques like letterpress and foil stamping look great, but they can quickly add to the cost of your invitations. Luckily, digital printing is a great alternative nowadays, producing high-quality stationery quickly and cost effectively. And the good news is that you don’t have to compromise on style. If you’re still seeking a little something extra, designs with faux foil or bold typography are excellent options.

3. Use plain envelopes.

Here’s how to save money on wedding invitations without having to change anything about your actual invites. Plain envelopes are the way to go if you’re looking to save a few bucks. They’re the one part of the invitation suite you know will be thrown out—so why not put that cash toward something on your must-have list instead? When it comes to your wedding stationery, it’s what’s on the inside that matters most. That said, if you’re feeling hung up on the finer details, there are some fun ways to zhuzh up your envelopes without splashing too much cash. DIY liners and on-theme stamps are both budget-friendly ways to make those invites stand out in the mail stack.

4. Don’t shy away from predesigned stationery.

While having completely bespoke wedding invitations is a nice touch, it’s not a necessity. Predesigned stationery can be just as eye-catching (without the extra cost). Plus, most online stationery sites still allow for customization—for example, at The Knot Invitations, you can play around with different fonts and colors or request design assistance, free of charge. Besides, there are lots of other ways to make your stationery feel like you without going completely custom. For example, you could use casual wording that reflects your playful nature or choose hues that match your wedding palette.

5. Pay attention to paper weight.

When it comes to mailing wedding invitations, size matters. Big or oddly shaped stationery will up the price of postage, so stick to standard sizes where possible. Heavier stationery also calls for additional postage, so keep that in mind when you’re comparing different types of paper and building your stationery suite. Remember, it’s not just your invitations that’ll go inside each envelope. Enclosure cards and RSVP cards add more weight too, so think carefully about what you really want and need. (Psst, this is where having a wedding website really comes in handy.)

6. Use your wedding website.

What if we told you there’s a way to get all the necessary information across to guests without needing a full stationery suite or making any etiquette faux pas? Save on paper by forgoing optional extras like enclosure cards. Instead, point guests in the direction of your wedding website on the bottom or back of your invites. There, you can add all the fine print, like information about hotel blocks and transportation. Just make sure your paper invitations still include the date, time and location of the celebration. The Knot offers matching wedding website and invitation designs, so you still get that cohesive feel.

7. Ask guests to RSVP digitally.

If you’ve got your heart set on keeping enclosure cards, consider skipping traditional RSVP cards instead. Nowadays, more and more couples are asking their guests to RSVP digitally to the wedding. And it’s not just beneficial for couples’ budgets (no spending extra dough on response cards, envelopes and return postage for everyone on the guest list). It makes the process of RSVPing a lot easier for loved ones too. They can submit their responses in minutes without needing to find a mailbox (or even step outside). Plus, it couldn’t be easier to set up. There are lots of ways to request online wedding RSVPs, including through your wedding website on The Knot.

8. Order your stationery on time.

Want to know how to save on wedding invites (and save yourself a lot of potential stress in the process)? We can’t emphasize this one enough: Make sure you know exactly when to buy wedding invitations, save-the-dates and every other paper product you want for your big day. Ordering your stationery well in advance doesn’t just give you peace of mind, it also helps you cut down on unnecessary extra costs like rush printing and shipping. You’ll also have more time to double-check the details, so mistakes are less likely to slip by you.

9. Proofread more than once.

Speaking of mistakes, printing your wedding invitations with a typo or incorrect information could end up costing you big time. The worst-case scenario is having to reprint all of your wedding invitations at full cost—not ideal, we know. Luckily, you can completely avoid this unnecessary expense by carefully proofreading the details (and then proofreading them again, and then maybe getting your fiancé to proofread them too, just in case).

10. Take advantage of sales.

A sale? On wedding stationery? Yep, that gets us pretty excited too. It’s an easy way to save money on your wedding invitations without compromising on any design details. Keep your eyes peeled for sweet discounts on save-the-dates, wedding invitations and beyond, especially if your stationery shopping timeline matches up with big sale events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We happen to know that The Knot Invitations has offered some amazing Black Friday bargains in the past few years…

11. Prioritize what matters most.

Let’s face it, there are lots of ways you could overspend when it comes to your wedding stationery. But while you should definitely avoid going over your budget in total, it’s completely fine to put more money toward certain aspects of your invitations than others. When figuring out how to save money on wedding invitations, prioritize what matters the most to you and your fiancé, whether that’s choosing eco-friendly card stock, opting for traditional RSVP cards or hiring a professional calligrapher to hand-address envelopes. If a certain design element or tradition is really important to you, go for it. You can make up for it in your budget by cutting costs on the details that aren’t top priority.

12. Pick up a few extras.

Adding extra invitations onto your already-enormous stack of paper might feel like the opposite of saving money. So, how do you save money on wedding invitations by buying more wedding invitations? It’s actually pretty simple. If you happen to need an extra invite or two down the line, you’ll likely have to order a specified minimum quantity. Depending on the stationery designer or website, this could be 15 invites, 25 invites or even more. In the long run, it’s much cheaper to add two or three extras to your initial order than to have to go back and buy an additional 15 because one got lost or damaged. It also gives you some wiggle room for last-minute additions to the guest list.