Photo invitations are a relatively new concept in wedding planning. Using a photo makes for a completely unique wedding invitation that expresses personal style and identity as a couple.
What Is a Photo Wedding Invitation?
A professionally-printed wedding invitation with picture of the happy couple somehow incorporated into it is known as a photo invitation. A photo invitation may be a one-sided postcard with the picture beside or above the wedding details; it may also be a folded card with a picture on the outside and the details on the inside.
There are varying styles, colors, and sizes to choose from. For sample photo wedding invitation ideas, see below (click on images to enlarge them.)
Photo Wedding Announcement Printers
In the past, many brides-to-be have created homemade photo invitations by gluing a 5"x7" portrait to a piece of cardstock and attaching a vellum overlay with the wedding details. But the results are often less than perfect. Lettering going over the faces of the couple distorts the image, and the whole visual effect is a little unoriginal and outdated.
For modern photo invitations that don't look homemade, try a professional printer who creates photo invitations and announcements. Some companies offer baby announcements, Christmas cards, and party invites in addition to wedding invitations; other companies like PhotoWedlockInvitations.com specialize in wedding announcements and invitations only.
Locating a Photo Wedding Invitation Printer
Photo invitations seem to be more common in the western United States at present, so brides living in the west may have more luck locating a printer in their area.
For anyone who doesn't have access to a photo invitation printer, the Internet is a great resource. An online wedding invitation printer will allow couples to browse photo invitation templates and send digital copies of the photo or photos to be used. Before printing, they will be able to see a digital preview of their invitation.
Benefits of Photo Invitations
Though wedding announcements with a picture haven't become the norm yet, they probably will in the next decade or so. Photo invitations have so many advantages over traditional non-photo invitations, such as:
- Still relatively unique - brides who choose photo invitations now will be just ahead of the trend, before all other brides jump on the bandwagon
- Ability to further customize the invitation through the style of the photo (serious or casual)
- Increased visual interest and/or added color
- Recipients love to display photo wedding invitations or keep them as mementos
- Fun to frame and display in own home after the wedding
- Some of bride's distant family members may never have met the groom, or vice versa; photo invitations let them see the happy couple together
- People receiving the invitation who already know where and when the wedding is will still like to see the picture on the invitation
- They are a perfect way to use and display professional engagement portraits
With all these benefits, it's no wonder why an increasing number of brides are using photo invitations for their weddings.
Cost of Printing Photo Wedding Invitations
Non-photo wedding invites are notoriously pricey, so how do photo invitations compare in cost?
Printing can cost anywhere from $150 to $400 for 100 invitations, with the average price being around $250 for 100 invites. Most sites have a tiered pricing system, meaning that the more invitations ordered the less each one costs individually.
Brides looking for unique wedding invitation ideas should definitely consider customizing their invites with a picture, and will find that doing so doesn't even have much of an effect on their wedding budgets.
For more information on planning a wedding, please read "The Most Popular Month for Weddings" and "Choosing a Wedding Photographer."
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