Make Your Own Paper for Wedding Invitations by Gunter Jameson

Make Your Own Paper for Wedding Invitations

Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean that your wedding initiations need to suffer. You can still have amazing wedding invitations if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do a little extra work. If you are the type of bride who wants to have a very personal or natural look and feel to your invitations, making your own paper for your invitation can be extremely rewarding and you can create one-of-a-kind masterpieces that reflect your unique personality and wedding. There are a number of paper making tutorials on the internet (here, here, and here are some good ones), but there are a number of things you can do to make your invitations special and unique after you paper is made.

Make your paper ink-ready

Making paper with your kids as a school project might be fun, but these are your wedding invitations we’re talking about! One of the things you want to make sure of when you blend the paper mixture is to add liquid starch (about 2 tablespoons according to your mixture), which can be found at local hobby stores. The starch will make your paper ink-ready, meaning that it will prevent the ink form a pen or stamps from bleeding into the paper, making the writing or designs indecipherable. If you have enough time, try adding different amounts of starch to achieve your desired effect.

Mix colors

The color of the paper you use, or the amount of ink that is already on the paper, you’ll come out with different shades. Experiment by mixing different colors of paper together to get unique colors and patterns. You may have thought you wanted pink, but that reddish-orange paper you just made is too cute not to use!

Include add-ins

Part of the reason for making your own paper is that you can put in add-ins like flower petals or leaves to add character and a natural feel to the paper you make for your invitations. You can also experiment with dyes or the juice from berries that will add different colors or scents to the paper you make.

Stamps and types

Once your paper has been created, you can go beyond simple hand lettering by purchasing printer’s type or stamps to create unique text designs and pictures on your invitation.

Velum overlays

If you’re not excited about the time it will take to write or stamp out every single invitation, you can use the popular presentation of printing the text of your invitation on a velum overlay then attaching it to the front of your invitation, adding depth to your invitation design with a layered look.

Making your own invitations can take a lot of work, but it can also be fun creating a design that is just right for you. Making your own paper for your invitations is a way to give them a unique, natural look and a personal touch.

Gunter Jameson writes about several topics including travel, minimalism and online classes.