First impressions are crucial, and your wedding invitations play a significant role. As you embark on planning your wedding, you'll need to choose between 'fully custom' or 'semi-custom' invitations. Curious about the differences and which option suits your style? Read on for a comprehensive guide.

Customization

With semi-custom designs, you begin with a pre-made template that remains unchanged in its core design. However, you have the flexibility to personalize it by altering colors and text. You can also enhance them with extras such as envelope liners, wax seals, or elegant ribbons. On the other hand, fully custom invitations are designed entirely from scratch to meet your unique specifications.

While I was creating luxury custom invitations with our sister company, Velvet and Gold, the process would take around 4-6 months. This encompassed everything from Save the Dates all the way to Thank you cards post wedding. Here's a rough outline of the process we had: 

Fully Custom Wedding Invitations (4-6 Months)

• Initial Email to consider if we were a good fit
• Video Call with Bride/Couple/Planner to discuss overall vision for the wedding
• Moodboard with fonts, colors, paper options, print methods, and finishing details that are custom created with their theme in mind
• Client sends over all details and guest addresses
• Deliver first round of design
• 3 rounds of revisions/edits
• Final design approval
• Invitations fully assembled, stamped, and mailed for clients

Semi-Custom Wedding Invitations (3 Weeks)

• Invitations are purchased
• Client sends over all details and guest addresses
• Deliver first round of design
• 2 Rounds of revisions/edits
• Final design approval
• Invitations mailed to client (or optional assembly before mailing)

Budget

Budget considerations are crucial when planning a wedding. While invitations might seem like a minor detail, they can have a significant impact. Semi-custom options offer a cost-effective solution, allowing for personal touches without breaking the bank. At A Modern Wedding, our invitation suites average around $900 for 100 invitations. In contrast, fully custom invitations can be quite expensive, with couples typically spending around $4,000-$8,000 for 100 invitations. The higher cost usually involves using higher end print methods such as letterpress, embossing or gold foil. Paper stock plays a factor as well - you can get double thick paper or specialty paper which also hikes up the cost.

Timeline

Timing is everything when choosing wedding invitations. Fully custom designs demand 6-12 months, given the intricate process involving sketches, proofs, and samples. In contrast, semi-custom options typically require just 4-6 weeks, ideal for those on a tighter schedule.

Which Customization Style Fits You?

Semi-Custom Wedding Invites:
- Fast turnaround
- More budget-friendly
- Perfect for classic vibes
- Low-key involvement needed
- Use pre-made designs but add your flair with extras

Custom Wedding Invites:
- Unleash your creativity
- Fully hands-on design process
- Awesome for unique themes
- Can be pricey
- Personalize every detail
- Longer wait time

Here's my hot take: If you've got a unique/niche/specific theme, custom is the way to go! You'd be hard-pressed to find something like "Western Italian Countryside Hip Hop Opera" themed wedding invitations just floating around 🤣

If your style is more classic, timeless, or even trendy, there's definitely a semi-custom invitation suite out there for you! 

Why Choose A Modern Wedding?

At A Modern Wedding, we’ve got the graphic design skills to create semi-custom invites that give off serious luxury vibes—without the crazy price tag. Since 2015, we’ve been designing for the luxury wedding scene, mixing trendy and timeless elements to make sure your invites are totally Pinterest-worthy. Our work’s been featured in big names like Green Wedding Shoes, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Style Me Pretty, so you know you’re in good hands.

We’re all about making your invites feel like you. We offer color customizations to match your details, so your invites might end up looking even more custom than you expect! We love hearing about your dream of getting letterpressed invites, or finding the perfect finishing touches to finish things off — we're all about making it personal. 

Every order comes with a digital proof and 2 design rounds to get it just right. Plus, we’re here to offer guidance, tips, and advice every step of the way to help bring your vision to life. Want to be sure? You can even order a sample to see our quality up close before you commit.

Ready to find your perfect design?
Take our style quiz to discover which Invitation Suite fits your vibe!

Bonus: A few of our favorite wedding stationery designers in each category!

Custom:
Swellpress
Jolie Co
Lotus and Ash

Semi-Custom (besides us, of course! 😉)
Isidore and Augustine
Ettie Kim
State of Reverie
The Letterist