How to choose between semi-custom and fully custom invitations.. Seems like it should be an easy decision, right? Well there’s more to consider than just the appearance of the invitation. The choice involves many different factors such as how you want the design to represent your wedding, your available timeline, budget and more.
I love when I get the chance to create fully-custom designs for brides, but I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not right for everyone. My hope is that you’ll leave this blog post knowing which type of invitation is best for YOU based on your priorities for your wedding.
Involvement In the Design
It’s no surprise that fully custom designs have more opportunity for you to be involved in the design process. Usually I’ll sit down with a bride to discuss their wedding as a whole and how they see the invitations fitting into that vision. If you have a specific design in mind and love working intimately with a designer to get it just perfect, you’ll probably want fully custom. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be highly involved, but you will have more control over the vision and look. Maybe you don’t have a specific design in mind and you just want a quality invitation to invite your guests. I totally get you – and we can keep it simple for you with semi-custom designs. Either way we try to make the process simple and enjoyable – let us take care of all the details so you can scratch invitations off your to-do list!
Timeline
Your timeline is another important factor. Custom designs take time to get just right, so we recommend booking well ahead of time as the design process will take between 3-5 weeks from consultation to print. Semi-custom on the other hand are ready to be personalized with your information, colors, and small personal touches. These can be fulfilled quickly, in about 1-3 weeks. If you have the time, custom can be a great way to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want, while semi-custom is great if you need a quality design on a quick timeframe.
Investment
I know firsthand how hard it can be to fit your ideal wedding into a real-life budget. That’s why I try to keep my prices fair considering the amount of work I put into fulfilling each bride’s needs. Of course custom designs are more of an investment, but it can be so worth it if beautiful, unique designs and quality products are important to you! If you have a more strict budget, the semi-custom suites allow you to have invitations hand made by an experienced professional, and you still have access to our resources and knowledge of stationery for a more affordable price.
So to recap, if you have a little more time and can afford the investment, you can have a bespoke design created just for you! If you are short on time or money, you can still have a personalized and professional design with a semi-custom suite. Just determine which factors are the most important to you and see which option aligns most with what you value. I hope this breakdown helps your decision but of course we’re always here to help if you have any more questions!
Let me know in the comments – what do you want most out of your invitations?
