Make your wedding invitations to match your wedding theme perfectly.
Planning a wedding is a daunting and extensive task. There are literally hundreds of things for a bride to worry about. If you happen to be the kind of bride who cannot afford to buy invitations, or you just want to make them yourself, it it can actually be quite simple. You will find that your homemade invitations are far more affordable and can even be far more beautiful than the standard package at your local printer with some simple steps.
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
- Stencil
- Stencil paint
- Paintbrush
- Card stock
- Paper cutter
- Computer
- Printer
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1
Purchase card stock. Go to a local printer and have it show you some different papers to get an idea of what’s available. Write down the names of the types you like.
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2
Find a wedding stencil. Purchase stenciling paint and brushes as well.
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3
Download a free image editing program like GIMP to design your printed information in a simple way.
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4
Find a font. You can find a variety of free fonts online at websites like Theme World. Whether you are looking for classic, ancient, modern or even spooky, you should find what you are looking for at no cost.
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5
Download the font and install it to your computer’s “Fonts” folder. In Windows, click “Start” and “Run.” Type in the command “%windir%\fonts” and click “OK.” Go to the file menu and click “Install New Font.” Browse to the folder with your downloaded font. Click the font you want to add. Select “Copy Fonts to Fonts Folder.” Click “OK.”
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6
Design all your text and print a test card. Decide on open-close invitations or single card invitations as well as the size. If you are using open-close, you will want to have your information on the inside. To do this, make an image with your text editor the same size as your card stock. Create a border with a grid or invisible layer to represent the parts of the card stock you will be cutting off, if any. Leave the right half of the image completely blank. This will ensure that the text prints on the left-hand side of the sheet. Be sure you make margins and remember not to add anything to the borders, as they will be removed.
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7
Use your test card to practice your stencil design. For open-close cards, fold your card carefully in half, making sure the crease is straight up and down, and put your stencil on the front. For single sheet cards, place it wherever you like near the text.
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8
Place the stencil on the paper. More complicated designs will need to be taped down to prevent shifting. Hold the stencil brush at a straight up and down angle and dab the paper, do not stroke.
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9
Lift the stencil directly up. Do not slide it or allow it to spread any paint as you lift. Continue with the remaining cards, being mindful to wipe the stencil if any excess paint begins to accumulate. This will prevent any unwanted blotches.
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10
Cut your cards. Use a pencil to very lightly mark the points of each line to be cut. Do not attempt to cut these cards without a paper cutter or they will come out crooked.
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11
Buy envelopes. Now that you know how large your invitations are, shop around for the best price on some nice envelopes to send them to your guests in.
