DIY-ish Engagement Party Invitations

I have a mild (ok…MAJOR) obsession with party invitations.  I truly believe it sets the mood for any upcoming celebration.  It is the first impression you make on your guests…it has to pack a punch.  For example…a backyard BBQ has red gingham as the back border or a toddler’s birthday party has barnyard animals with squiggly eyes going back and forth at you.  More elegant parties have usually have fancy calligraphy and rhinestones.  ALL invitations have an envelope liner.  I truly believe that elevates your invitation to amazing!

Obviously I was THRILLED for my sister when she got engaged.  (See the engagement story here.)  I adore her fiancé and I could not be happier for the two of them.  BUT, I am not ashamed to admit that shortly after that happened, I got very excited about the idea of an engagement party, bridal showers, a bachelorette party (I am thinking the wine country in Virginia!!)  and all other activities that come with a wedding that requires invitations and party planning.

Colleen and Ahmed are throwing their own engagement party and it’s going to be very intimate…the wedding party and immediate family.  I did ask (beg!!) to make the invitations and have a celebration table at the restaurant.  She keeps asking me “what is this about a ‘table’…what are you planning?!?”  She clearly knows me 😉  More about the “table” after the party.  Now to the invitations…

I have become a Paper Source snob.  Their quality is a step above the rest (and NO, this post is not sponsored…this is truly my experience).  And, every time I walk in a store, I get so inspired.  They have amazing examples their staff has created but also, ones their customers have done.  Unfortunately I live over an hour from the closest brick & mortar shop but continue to drive there when I have an upcoming project.

Colleen and Ahmed are getting married in December so red will be the main color and Christmas flowers will play a role.  I kept that in mind when searching for the perfect template.

I discovered San Francisco Crafts after a search on Etsy and fell in love with the Holly Collection, it’s perfect.  Angela’s customer service was unremarkable.  I was having a printer complications with the first version and after numerous emails of her trying to walk me through the printer technical issues (or user issues ;-)), she created a second version that worked perfectly!  Angela, if you’re reading this…thank you!!

Step 1 –

Purchase the supplies –

• Card stock for the actual invitation (A7 Note Card 25 pack)
• Back border (A9 Note Card 25 pack)
• Envelopes (A9 10 pack x 2)
• Glitter wrapping paper for the envelope liner
• Envelope Liner Template Kit
• double sided tape, scissors and pen

Step 2 –

Purchase digital invitation (work with the shop owner on the details (time, date, address, etc)) and print out the invitation

As you can see, this invitation is beautiful on it’s own.  But, for me, I want a bit more :-/  Darn Type A…

Step 3 –

Double-side tape the back border to the invitation.  As you can see below, it isn’t aligned perfectly, so I cut the right side to match the other 3 borders.

Step 4 –

This is probably the most tedious and time consuming step, but in my opinion, I feel makes your invitations stand out.  It is time to trace and cut the envelope liners.  I purchased the Envelope Liner Template Kit probably over 10 years ago and have used it close to 100 times.  Worth the $13.  I did my best to show you step by step.  If you have questions, feel free to ask!!

Trace

As you can see in the above picture, I do not use the last quarter of the liner template, it is actually a waste of paper.  There is plenty of liner tucked in the envelope to stay down and not show it’s not at the very bottom.

Cut

Then insert into the envelope and tape

The taping will take a couple of attempts to master.  Basically, line the top of your triangle to the envelope, making sure where you lick to close the envelope is not covered. Then, close the envelope so that the wrapping paper folds in the correct place (see above).  Now is time to add the tape (I only add on the edges of the triangle) and put together by bringing the envelope down to your wrapping paper.  Again, this may take a couple attempts to master the technique, so use extra envelopes and liners.

And then, TADA, the finished product!!  Ready to be addressed and mailed out.  And yes, they usually do require a bit more postage…these cost $0.70 each to mail.

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s it!!  Probably my longest post to date, but wanted to give all the deets 🙂