Everyone always wants to know how I started my handmade wedding invitations business. It wasn’t that hard actually. Anyone could do it. All you need is a bit of artistic ability and imagination. And with all the cute things they have in craft stores now, you don’t even have to have that.
Have you seen all the beautiful papers they have now? When I started, you had a choice between white, ecru, and maybe some pastel colors. And if you wanted them to have some kind of design or floral pattern, you had to do it yourself. But when it comes to wedding invitations, you have to be very precise and exact. No one wants a paint splattered wedding invitation and the more “store bought” it looks the better. Even though it is an original design, it still has to look professional.
But now you can get all kinds of beautiful papers. Floral motifs and stripes and polka dots. And some of the most stunning colors, too. Those peach or lavender days are long gone! Another thing that has helped me in my design business is the growing popularity of scrapbooking. With so many people turning to this as a hobby now, the manufacturers who create those products have created hundreds upon hundreds of embellishments for those scrapbooks that are perfect for wedding invitations and stationery.
No matter what theme the bridal party is looking for, you can find something useful in the scrapbooking aisle at your local craft store. Someone asked me for a beach theme for their wedding stationery a few weeks ago and I found the most beautiful decorations at the craft store. They had these little pearlescent seashells that went perfectly with this muted seashell pattern paper they had. I also found some beautiful sand colored paper to use as inserts and finished it all off with a natural raffia bow. They were beautiful! And the bride loved them!
Computers have also helped a lot. Years ago when I started, my only option for lettering on my invitations was calligraphy. You can imagine?! Handwriting an invitation is a time-consuming process, even when you know what you’re doing. But now, I can let the bride sit next to me while we choose font styles for her invitations, and I can even print our samples to help her decide. And in the blink of an eye, I can print all the inserts I need without even picking up my calligraphy pen.
Of course, I make sure to make an extra of all my invitations so that I can put them in my bag. I have people asking to see samples of my work all the time. Which is natural. Nobody buys wedding invitations without being able to see them first. So you see, setting up a handmade wedding invitation business these days is easy!
