Couples come to me often with this question, 'I need a custom wedding invite, how much will that cost?'. The answer is very simple (and unsatisfying) It depends. It is like asking a building architect I want to build a house, how much is that going to cost? The architect cannot provide you a cost, even in the ball park, because he doesn't know if you want a cozy little house in your farm or a mansion by the beach. This applies to designing a wedding invitation as well. The designers need to know more about the you have in mind, before they can give you a quote. Trust me, it will NOT cost a fortune. This article is going to remove the cloudiness and give you a magic lens to see the trick behind building your dream invite within your budget. Read on
#1 Have a good idea of what you want Sit with your partner and come up with a high level concept of what your wedding invitation should look like classy or quirky, text or illustrations, e-invite or printed. This will help channel your search for a designer that fits your needs. It might be even better to sketch out a concept you have in mind to convey your idea. At the same time, be flexible with your idea too. The designer might come up with a new concept that blows your mind. Thinking about ideas upfront can save you a lot of phone calls, effort and time. Time is money right?
#2 Build a good rapport with the designer It is key for the designer to listen to your dreams before bringing them to life. Also, talk about the timeline, number of iterations and scope of the design. Many designers quote additional fees if you ask for multiple iterations or faster delivery than agreed upon. Discussing these early on, will keep things on track and get you a designer friend who can be flexible with your needs. The designer might even go the extra mile to surprise you. It is all about the conversation. 
#3 Who is responsible for printing? Designing the invitation and printing it are two separate things. Majority of the designers will gladly help you with printing, but also give you an option to do it yourself. Will taking on printing yourself save money? Not always, it depends on the design. You can give it a shot if your design involves just a simple flat card. If your design looks like a fancy chocolate bar, a boarding pass or has your initials engraved, it is best to leave printing to the designer. It can save you a lot of money.
#4 Size and shape of the invite This is subjective to what you want. A skilled designer can get creative with the size, shape and the overall look of the invitation. But it does not stop there. Printing and cutting the cards to the shape of your favorite flower, musical instrument or car is going to add on to the bill. Oh, did I mention, getting a custom envelope is expensive too? Most couples don't realize it until they are knee deep in the design process and have no way of going back. Be informed of the overall costs before finalizing a design. 
Here is a video of a unique wedding invite designed such that the bike moves from Kerala to Tamil Nadu as the card slides out. Designing a wedding invitation from scratch can be a wonderful and fun experience. And yes, it can be done without burning a hole in your pocket. Bride and grooms out there, ditch the boring template invites. Get your creativity wild to craft a lifetime memory. About me(The Author):
I am Ramya, founder of Kards, a creative invitation design studio. If you are the kind who is bored of seeing the same old invitations, reach out (I'm sure we will be good friends). At Kards, we focus on making every card unique and made just for you. We take time to listen to your story and make sure your card reflects who you are! Yes, you are unique and you deserve a card that is just as unique as you are.
Here is what one of our clients had to say about Kards! 'Ramya was mighty patient with the bazillion changes I kept suggesting and didn't bat an eyelid through it all. She listened to my story with the excitementof a child and absorbed it so it reflected in her work. And the end result of my invitation is more than I asked for!'