Cheap Invitations: Budget Wedding Stationery Under $50

Okay So Here’s The Thing About Budget Wedding Invitations

Look, I’m gonna be straight with you because I just had this conversation with a bride last week who was literally in tears thinking she needed to spend $500 on invitations. She kept showing me these Pinterest boards with letterpress suites that cost like $15 per invite and I had to sit her down and explain that nobody – and I mean NOBODY – judges your marriage based on how much you spent on a piece of paper people throw away after they mark their calendar.

The $50 Reality Check

So here’s what happened in spring 2022 that basically changed how I think about budget stationery forever. I had this client, super sweet couple, and they’d already blown their budget on the venue. Like completely tapped out. They came to me embarrassed, saying they only had $50 left for invitations for 80 guests. My first thought was “oh no” but then I actually did the math and… it’s totally possible? You just gotta know where to look and what corners to cut that don’t actually matter.

Digital Is Your Friend (Even If You Think It’s Tacky)

Okay so I know everyone’s grandmother is gonna have opinions about this but hear me out. Digital invitations are FREE. Completely free. Websites like Greenvelope, Paperless Post (they have free options), and even Canva let you design something gorgeous and email it. For zero dollars. That means your entire $50 can go toward maybe printing 15-20 invitations for your grandmother and great-aunts who don’t do email.

But Olivia, you’re saying, isn’t that impersonal? And honestly… is it? Everyone lives on their phones anyway. My cat literally gets more screen time than – wait that’s not the point. The point is that people are checking email constantly and a digital invite actually makes it EASIER for guests to RSVP.

The Canva Template Hack

Alright this is where it gets good. Canva has thousands of free wedding invitation templates. THOUSANDS. You don’t need Canva Pro for most of them. You can customize colors, fonts, add your own photos, whatever. Then you have options:

• Download as PDF and email it (free)
• Order prints through Canva (they do sales ALL the time)
• Download and print at home on nice cardstock
• Take the PDF to a print shop

That spring 2022 couple? They designed their invites in Canva during one of those free trial periods for Canva Pro so they could use the fancier templates, downloaded everything before the trial ended, and printed them at FedEx Office for like $45 total. They looked amazing. The bride’s mom actually asked if they were from Minted.

Print-At-Home Without Looking Like You Printed At Home

This is an art form and I’m gonna share what actually works because I’ve seen SO many disasters.

Paper Quality Is Everything

If you’re printing at home, you cannot use regular printer paper. You just can’t. Go to Michael’s or order from Amazon and get actual cardstock. I usually recommend 80lb or heavier. It needs to feel substantial in someone’s hand. The difference between cheap paper and decent cardstock is maybe $15 for enough sheets for 100 invitations, and it makes a HUGE difference in how “budget” they look.

Cream or ivory cardstock automatically looks fancier than white. I don’t make the rules, that’s just how it is.

The Printer Situation

Your home printer probably can’t handle thick cardstock without jamming every five seconds, and this is the thing that annoyed me SO MUCH when I was starting out – why does nobody tell brides this BEFORE they buy 100 sheets of expensive paper? Check your printer’s manual for the paper weight it can handle. Most basic inkjets tap out around 65lb cardstock.

If your printer can’t handle it, your options are:

• Use a print shop (Staples, FedEx Office, local places)
• Print on regular paper and mount it on cardstock with spray adhesive
• Borrow a friend’s better printer (just bring wine or something)

Where To Actually Buy Cheap Invitations That Don’t Look Cheap

Okay so let me break down the actual websites and stores that work for under $50 budgets.

Amazon

Yes, really. Amazon has fill-in-the-blank invitation sets that are shockingly nice. You can get packs of 50 invitations with envelopes for $20-30. They’re not customized with your names pre-printed, but honestly? Handwriting names on envelopes is more personal anyway, and if your handwriting is terrible (mine is, I write like a doctor), you can…

Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Search for “wedding invitation kits” on Amazon and filter by price. Look at the reviews with photos because those show you what they ACTUALLY look like, not the professionally styled product shots. I’ve found some gorgeous laser-cut designs, rustic kraft paper sets, and elegant floral borders all under $30 for 50 invites.

Walmart Photo Center

I know, I KNOW. But Walmart’s photo center online has wedding invitation printing and they run 50% off sales constantly. You can upload your own design (made in Canva, remember?) and they’ll print them on decent cardstock. With a sale, you can sometimes get 50 invitations for under $30. Plus free store pickup so you’re not paying shipping.

Vistaprint

Everyone says Vistaprint is cheap-looking but that’s only if you use their dated templates. Here’s the secret: use their “upload your own design” option with something you made in Canva. Their cardstock is actually pretty good quality. They have sales literally every week. Never pay full price on Vistaprint, just wait three days and there’ll be a 40% off code.

For 50 invitations with envelopes, you’re looking at $35-50 depending on the sale.

Etsy Digital Templates

This is kind of my favorite hack. You buy a digital template on Etsy for like $5-15, download it, edit it yourself in Canva or Templett (most come with Templett access which is super easy), and then print it wherever you want. You own the design, you can print as many as you need.

Summer 2024 I had a bride do this whole thing for $32 total. Eight dollar template, twenty-four dollars printing at her local print shop. For 60 invitations. They were beautiful, too – this watercolor floral design that looked way more expensive than it was.

The Envelope Problem

So you’ve figured out the invitations themselves, but envelopes are weirdly expensive? Yeah, that’s because…

Actually I don’t know why they’re expensive, it’s just paper folded into an envelope shape, but whatever. Here’s how to deal with it.

Cheap Envelope Sources

• Walmart sells boxes of invitation envelopes in the stationery aisle for like $5-8 per 50
• Amazon has bulk envelope packs, A7 size fits standard 5×7 invitations
• Dollar Tree sometimes has white envelopes that work
• Most invite kits on Amazon include envelopes already

Making Cheap Envelopes Look Nice

Plain white envelopes look plain, obviously. But you can dress them up:

• Rubber stamps from Michael’s craft store (use a coupon, they always have 40-50% off coupons)
• Stickers on the back flap as a “seal”
• Colored envelopes instead of white (sometimes the same price)
• Print address labels with a nice font instead of handwriting

That last one about address labels – okay so my handwriting looks like a third grader’s, I mentioned this before I think? And I was watching this show where someone had these gorgeous calligraphy envelopes and I was like “how do real people afford that” and then I realized you can just… print labels with a fancy font. Use a script font from Canva, print on clear labels from Staples, stick them on the envelopes. Looks intentional and designed, not like you couldn’t afford a calligrapher.

The All-In-One Seal Send Invites

These are those invitations that are one piece of paper that folds and seals, no envelope needed. You print on one sheet, it has all the info inside, fold it up, there’s a little sticker to close it, and you slap a stamp on it and mail it. They save you money on envelopes AND on postage sometimes because they’re lighter.

You can find templates for these on Etsy or design your own. Print them at home or at a print shop. For 50 guests, you could do this entire thing for under $25.

Postcard Invitations

Umm this is gonna sound weird but postcards are cheaper to mail than regular invitations. Like significantly cheaper. A postcard stamp is less than a regular stamp. And postcard invitations are totally a thing – they’re casual and modern and honestly perfect for low-key weddings.

Vistaprint does postcard printing cheap. So does GotPrint. You could do 50 postcard invitations for about $20-30 printed, then postcard stamps, and you’re staying well under $50 total.

The catch is they’re obviously less formal. If you’re having a backyard BBQ wedding or a casual beach thing or a brewery reception, postcards work great. If you’re doing black-tie in a ballroom… maybe not.

The Things You Can Skip Entirely

Wedding stationery suites come with all this stuff that costs money but doesn’t actually matter:

RSVP Cards

Just no. Set up a free wedding website on The Knot or Zola or WithJoy, put the RSVP link on your invitation, done. This saves you money on printing RSVP cards AND on return postage AND on envelopes for the RSVP cards. That’s like $30 saved right there.

Some people will still call you or text to RSVP because they’re technologically challenged or whatever, but most people will use the website if you make it easy.

Reception Cards

These are separate cards that tell people where the reception is if it’s different from the ceremony. Just… put that info on the main invitation? You don’t need a separate card for this. I see people spending $50 just on reception cards and I’m like WHY.

Details Cards

All those extra little cards about hotels and parking and dress code – put it on your wedding website. Seriously, every single detail can go on the website. Your invitation should have the basic info (who, when, where, RSVP info) and everything else goes online.

Inner Envelopes

This is a weird formal tradition where you have an outer envelope and an inner envelope and honestly nobody under 60 cares about this. Skip it, save the money.

The Free Wedding Website Solution

I’m circling back to this because it’s really the key to staying under $50. If you put 90% of your wedding info on a free website, your invitation only needs to communicate the basics. That means you can use a simpler, cheaper invitation design.

Free wedding website options:

• The Knot
• Zola
• WithJoy
• Minted (they have a free tier)
• Riley & Grey

They all have free templates that look nice. You can customize colors and add all your info. Put the website URL on your invitation and suddenly you don’t need to cram every single detail onto an expensive piece of cardstock.

Printing Hacks That Actually Work

The FedEx Office Timing Trick

If you’re using FedEx Office to print, go during off-peak hours and be nice to the staff. Sometimes if they’re not busy, they’ll help you troubleshoot your file or suggest paper options or whatever. I had one couple who went in on like a Tuesday morning and the employee helped them adjust their design file to print better and didn’t charge them for the consultation.

Staples Rewards Program

It’s free to join and you get back like 5% on printing orders. Doesn’t sound like much but if you’re spending $40 on printing, that’s $2 back. Also they email you coupons.

Print Shop Minimums

Local print shops sometimes have minimums that seem expensive but work out cheaper per unit. Like they might charge $50 minimum but that includes 100 prints, which is actually cheaper per invitation than Staples. Call around and ask about minimums and what that includes.

DIY Assembly That Doesn’t Take Forever

If you’re doing any kind of assembly – like mounting printed sheets on cardstock or adding ribbon or whatever – do NOT try to do it all yourself the night before. That’s how mistakes happen and people have meltdowns.