Does Budget have to mean 'Cheap'?

When I first started my business I wanted to create high quality and beautiful invitations for couples who are not as handy at crafts- and I still do. I soon recognised that not everyone can afford to pay for handmade stationery, but it took me some time to come up with an alternative. Because whilst I saw the need for budget stationery I could not get my head around the fact that all the budget ranges I saw were 'cheap' in a bad way.

The first thing you normally see for someone's wedding is their wedding invitation. If it is badly printed on thin rough card it does not create a good first impression. How does it make you feel to receive such an invitation? Do you feel that it's a shame to have settled for poor quality? Are you less likely to make an effort on the day of the wedding with how you dress? I readily admit that I'm something of an invitation snob! I'm in the lucky position of making gorgeous stationery for people and of having access to the best materials. If I receive an invitation, however plain, on a good quality card where care has been taken over the printing then I am more likely to be excited about the thought of attending the event than if it is something very slapdash on thin card.

  

I have been on wedding forums where many brides-to-be seem to rave about certain on-line printed wedding invitations, relishing the fact that they can sometimes get their invitations free and they just have to pay for the postage. I was also shown an invitation to one of my b2b's from a friend of hers which was clearly printed at home or work where the picture on the front and the writing inside hadn't even been centred properly! Whilst the days of having a stack of invitations printed on extraordinarily thick card propped up on the mantle piece have long gone (think Jeeves and Wooster and The Mitford Girls!) there is something rather nice about receiving a pretty or plain invitation to stand on a shelf, one that is robust enough to stand up on it's own!

 

Do you think that budget has to mean 'cheap' in the wrong way? Not everything that costs a lot of money is necessarily the best quality. Some suppliers put a premium price on anything to do with a wedding, which we discovered when we were getting married 3 years ago, which is quite wrong and doesn't happen with us - after all I want happy customers and repeat customers (birthday celebrations, parties, christenings, etc.,) which I'm not going to get if I've charged through the nose on the first job!

Our budget range  combine a very reasonable price with outstanding practicality and quality. They combine invitation, information or map for guests, RSVP card and envelope all in one, on a gorgeous 290gsm card - we currently offer Candlelight Cream and Marble White.

Inside 

The invitation details are printed on the top portion underneath the 'envelope flap', the border colour can be changed to match the colour scheme of your celebration. The wording is printed in a dark charcoal which is classier and easier on the eye than hard black. On the next portion of the card you can have additional details that guests may need to know or a map printed, or even a picture if you wish (again the border colour can be changed), and the lower portion is the RSVP card which is perforated for easy detachment. 

Outside

On the reverse of the invitation portion the name and address of the guest is printed, and on the reverse of the RSVP card the return name address of the host(s) is printed. All your guests have to do is to complete the RSVP details, detach it, stick on a postage stamp and post it back to you. Experience shows that the easier you make it for your guests to reply the quicker you will get them back and you will have fewer stragglers to chivvy along!

Folded and ready to post!

The invitation is folded up into itself, with the RSVP card inside and the guest name and address on the outside and then sealed with either envelope tape or a clear seal on which you can have your initials printed if you like.

For as little as £2.80 per invitation plus a one off set up fee of £10.00 you can have fully personalised invitations sent direct by us to your guests. I think this is good value for money and many professionals have agreed, and proof that Budget does not have to mean 'cheap'!  If you would like to see and feel the quality of these for yourself please go onto our website and request a free sample today!