Companies To Send Wedding Invites To: Complete Guide

So You Need to Know Which Companies Actually Send Wedding Invites

Okay so first things first, you’re probably wondering which companies you can actually trust with your wedding invitations and honestly, there are SO many options now it’s kinda overwhelming. I remember back in spring 2023 I had this bride who ordered from three different companies just to compare quality and she ended up using all three for different parts of her suite because they each had different strengths which was smart but also expensive.

Let me break down the actual companies worth your time and money because I’ve worked with most of them at this point.

The Big Online Print Companies Everyone Uses

Minted is gonna be the first one everyone tells you about. They’re huge, they have like thousands of designs, and their quality is actually pretty solid. I use them for clients who want something nice but don’t have a massive budget for custom work. Their foil pressing is decent and they do free recipient addressing which saves you SO much time. The thing that annoyed me about Minted though is their customer service during peak wedding season is basically nonexistent – I once waited three days for a response about a printing error and my client was freaking out.

Zazzle is another big player but honestly I only recommend them for super casual weddings or like save the dates. Their printing quality is fine but not amazing, and you can tell the paper stock is thinner than companies that specialize in wedding stuff specifically. But if you’re on a tight budget they work.

Shutterfly is similar to Zazzle in that they’re more of a general photo printing company that happens to do wedding invites. They run sales constantly though so if you catch a 40% off deal you can get invitations pretty cheap. Just don’t expect luxury quality.

The Fancy Letterpress and Custom Options

Okay so if you or your client has actual budget to work with, Bella Figura is incredible. They do letterpress and foil stamping and their paper quality is like… you can just feel the difference when you hold it. I had a client in summer 2021 who went with their full custom suite and we did three rounds of proofs but it was SO worth it. The invitations were basically art pieces.

Dauphine Press is another letterpress company that does gorgeous work. They’re based in California I think? Their turnaround time is longer than digital print companies obviously because letterpress takes time, but the depth and texture you get is unmatched.

Paper Culture is interesting because they’re eco-friendly – they plant a tree for every order which is cute if that matters to you. Their designs are modern and clean, not super traditional, so it depends on your wedding vibe. Quality is good, pricing is middle range.

Etsy Shops (Yes Really)

I know Etsy seems random but there are some seriously talented designers on there who will do custom work for way less than the big custom companies. You just gotta do your research and read reviews carefully. I’ve used shops like BeaconLane and OliveandWillow for clients and the work was beautiful.

The risk with Etsy is you’re working with small businesses or sometimes just one person running everything, so if they get overwhelmed during wedding season your timeline might get messed up. Always build in extra time. And get proofs. Multiple proofs. I learned this the hard way when a shop sent final invitations with the wrong venue address and we had to rush order reprints.

Some Etsy sellers just do the digital design files and then you take those files to a printing company yourself which can save money but adds steps to your process. You’d download the files, upload them to like Catprint or your local print shop, order samples, approve, then order the full quantity.

The Affordable Digital Print Companies

Vistaprint gets a bad reputation because they’re known for business cards but honestly their wedding line has improved a lot. I wouldn’t use them for super formal black tie weddings but for backyard weddings or casual celebrations they’re totally fine and SO cheap. Just watch out for their upselling – they’ll try to add on like seventeen things you don’t need.

CatPrint is one I discovered maybe two years ago and they’re great for when you have your own designs already. Their printing is high quality, their customer service actually responds quickly, and their prices are reasonable. You just need to know your print specifications which can be confusing if you’re not used to working with printers.

Basic Invite lets you customize basically everything and order samples of unlimited designs for like $5 which is actually genius. You can see exactly what your invite will look like in person before committing to 150 of them. They also do peel and seal envelopes which saves your hand from licking duty.

Luxury and High-End Options

Okay so if money truly isn’t an object… Crane & Co. is like the old-school luxury standard. They’ve been around forever, they did invitations for like presidential families or something, and their engraving work is perfection. But you’re gonna pay for it. We’re talking potentially thousands of dollars for a full invitation suite.

Atelier Isabey does hand-painted designs and custom calligraphy work that’s just insane. I saw their work at a wedding show once and literally stood there for twenty minutes just staring at the detail. Not practical for most budgets but if you want something truly unique and have $3000+ to spend on invitations alone, check them out.

Cheree Berry Paper is another high-end option that does really creative, modern designs. They’re based in North Carolina I think and their aesthetic is very bold and graphic rather than traditional elegant.

The DIY Route Companies

If you wanna print at home or do semi-DIY, Cards & Pockets sells blank invitation cards and envelopes in tons of colors and styles. You buy the blanks, design and print yourself, assemble everything. It’s definitely the cheapest option if you have time and a decent printer.

LCI Paper also sells DIY supplies and their quality is surprisingly good for the price. They have pocket fold invitations, belly bands, ribbons, all that stuff. My cat knocked over an entire box of their ribbon samples once and I’m still finding pieces of ribbon around my office.

Paper Source has retail stores plus online ordering and they sell both pre-designed invitation kits and blank supplies. Their kits are pretty foolproof if you’re nervous about DIY – everything’s already coordinated and they include instructions.

Specialty Companies for Specific Needs

If you need bilingual invitations, MagnetStreet does a good job with that and lets you customize layouts easily. Greenvelope is fully digital if you’re doing paperless invitations – they track RSVPs automatically and have really nice designs that don’t look cheap like some digital invites do.

For Hindu or Indian wedding invitations, 123WeddingCards and IndianWeddingCard specialize in that aesthetic and understand the cultural elements. Same with companies like ForeverFiances for Jewish wedding invitations with Hebrew text.

Wedding Paper Divas used to be huge but they got bought by Shutterfly so now they’re basically the same thing just with different branding.

What About Local Print Shops

Honestly don’t overlook your local printer especially if you live in or near a decent sized city. I’ve found amazing small print shops that do letterpress or thermography for less than the big online companies because they don’t have the same overhead. Plus you can go in person, see paper samples, talk through exactly what you want without waiting for email responses.

The downside is local shops usually have smaller design catalogs so you might need to bring your own design or work with a separate designer. But the personalized service is worth it for some people.

My Actual Process for Choosing

When I’m working with a client, I first figure out their budget like actually nail down real numbers. Then I look at their wedding style – is it formal, casual, modern, traditional, themed? That eliminates like half the companies right away.

Then I consider timeline because if we’re six months out that’s different than eight weeks out. Letterpress companies need more time. Custom design needs more time. If you’re in a rush you’re basically limited to online companies with quick turnaround.

I always always ALWAYS order samples before committing to full quantities. Even if you think you know what you want from looking online, paper quality and color can look totally different in person. I’ve had clients change their entire invitation choice after seeing samples because what looked elegant online felt cheap in their hands or the color was way off.

For most clients with moderate budgets ($500-1200 for full invitation suite), I end up recommending Minted or Basic Invite because they hit the sweet spot of quality, price, and design options. For clients with bigger budgets who want something really special, Bella Figura or finding a local letterpress shop is the move.

Random Tips I’ve Learned

Order 10-15 extra invitations beyond your guest count. You’ll mess up addressing some, want to keep some as keepsakes, maybe need to send last-minute additions. Just trust me on this.

White ink on dark paper looks amazing in photos but can be hard to read in certain lighting so think about your actual guests not just Instagram aesthetics.

If you’re doing multiple enclosure cards (details card, RSVP card, directions, etc.) you can often save money by printing some elements with one company and others elsewhere or… okay this is gonna sound weird but I’ve had clients print their RSVP cards on Vistaprint and their main invitation on Minted and no one could tell they were from different companies.

Envelope addressing is where people underestimate the time and cost. You can do it yourself, hire a calligrapher, or use a company’s printing service. Minted does free recipient addressing which is honestly one of their best features. Some calligraphers charge $3-5 per envelope which adds up fast when you have 150 invitations.

Double check spelling on EVERYTHING before final printing. I mean obviously but you’d be surprised how many times I’ve caught errors in proofs. Check dates, times, addresses, names, website URLs, everything. Have like three different people look at it because your brain stops seeing mistakes after you’ve looked at the same design fifty times.

Postage is more expensive than you think especially if your invitations are square or oversized or heavy. Take a fully assembled invitation to the post office and have them weigh it before you buy stamps. I’ve seen people buy regular forever stamps only to find out their invitations needed $1+ in postage each.

Companies to Maybe Avoid

I’m not gonna name specific companies to completely avoid but be wary of any company with tons of complaints about shipping times or quality control issues. Read recent reviews not just overall ratings because companies can go downhill fast if they get bought out or change suppliers.

Super cheap companies that seem too good to be true usually are – if invitations are like $0.50 each the quality is probably terrible. You don’t need to spend $10 per invitation but under $1 each is suspicious for anything beyond basic cardstock.

Also some companies advertise “free samples” but then charge $10 shipping which is basically just charging for samples with extra steps and that irritates me from a transparency standpoint.

Timing Your Order

Most companies recommend ordering 4-6 months before your wedding but honestly I think 3-4 months is fine for standard digital printing. Letterpress or custom work needs more like 5-6 months. If you’re in a real rush, companies like Vistaprint and Shutterfly can turn around orders in like a week but you’re limited to their quickest printing methods.

Save the dates should go out 6-8 months before the wedding, invitations 8-12 weeks before. So plan backward from those dates to figure out when you need to actually place orders.

Also factor in time for addressing and assembling which takes longer than you think when you’re doing 100+ invitations. Even if you’re just printing labels and stuffing envelopes, set aside a full weekend probably.

One last thing – some companies have really flexible return or reprint policies and others don’t, so check that before ordering. Minted will reprint if there’s a quality issue but you gotta report it within like 30 days. Smaller companies might not have official policies so ask upfront what happens if something goes wrong with printing or shipping.