How Much Do Wedding Invitations Cost?

We're breaking down the average price points.

Layout of Floral Themed Wedding Invitations

Photo by Perry Vaile

When it comes to designing wedding invitations, the options are truly endless. However, this wide selection, from embossed details on a white background to booklets covered in hand-painted artwork, might become more limited once you factor your budget into the mix. Based on the paper, colors, printing methods, and accents that you select for your stationery, your total bill could look relatively affordable or pretty expensive. According to The Wedding Report, on average, about 100 to 150 wedding invitations in 2023 cost $256 to $312. Of course, this varies depending on the aforementioned factors, plus your location, guest list, and vendor. And once you add save-the-dates, response cards, and other components to your suite, the price will escalate even more.

Meet the Expert

Kristen Bozzone Armstrong is the chief operating officer of Cheree Berry Paper & Design, an award-winning graphic design firm.

Although each of these various elements play a role in influencing the cost of your wedding invitations, stationery expert Kristen Bozzone Armstrong says the way the invitation is printed is the largest determining factor. "The cost of the paper itself—while there is going to be some variance—isn't going to make a huge difference when you're talking about 100 to 200 invitations," she clarifies. No matter what your funds look like, Armstrong recommends setting aside four to six percent of your overall budget for your wedding invitations.

If you're still wondering how much money you'll need to pay for your stationery, we asked an expert to break down the price points. Ahead, the average cost of wedding invitations.

Graphic with average cost of wedding invitation elements

Design by Mehroz Kapadia

The Major Elements of a Wedding Invitation Suite

A wedding invitation suite is the complete set of invitations and information that you are sending to each of your invited guests. Typically, you'll design all of these items with matching colors, fonts, and paper selections. Here is a breakdown of the elements that will comprise your suite. 

Invites

Your wedding invitation is typically in the front of your invitation suite. It will note all essential elements of your wedding, including the date, time, and location.

Belly Band

A belly band is a thick strip of fabric or paper that will keep your invitation and all of your enclosures together inside your envelope. You can also customize these bands with your names or a monogram.

Enclosures

Your invitation suite often contains several enclosures, depending on the size and type of wedding that you're having. You can use the cards inside to note the location of the wedding, information about the wedding reception, transportation options, attire, accommodations, or the itinerary. 

RSVPs

One of the purposes of your invitation is to find out who will be attending your affair. Typically, you'll send your guests a response or RSVP card that they can mark (accept or decline) to let you know if they will be coming to your function. You can also ask invitees whether they're bringing a guest and what their entrée choice will be for dinner. Some couples opt for a digital RSVP, so you may want to think about whether you'll want to manage a digital guest list or if you'd rather prefer getting a bulk of cards in the mail.  

Postage Stamp

You will need postage stamps to mail your invitations. The Postal Service offers a variety of designs that will complement your invitations' color and aesthetic. If you include a return envelope for RSVPs, you will also need postage for that.  

Invitations with embroidered, letterpressed, laser cut, and vinyled lettering

Photo by Paige Vaughn Photo

How Wedding Invitation Printing Methods Affect the Cost

Now that we've covered the basics of your wedding invitation suite, here are four different printing methods and how they'll affect the price.

Digital Printing

An invitation suite with all four cards, digitally printed, will run anywhere from $500 to $800 for a set of 100. "The most budget-friendly option is digital printing," Armstrong says. "This involves setting up a file on the computer and hitting print. Because everything is done digitally without the need to manually mix ink, it's a good choice for anyone who is printing invitations—and there are many colors."

Offset Printing and Thermography

If you're using offset printing or thermography for about 100 stationery suites, the cost usually starts at $800 and can go up to $1,800. "Offset (flat) printing has a similar feel to digital printing, but the inks are mixed, and then, the design is transferred to your invitation through a press," she explains. "You get a higher quality print and can get very specific with the exact shade of color." Thermography is similar to flat printing except that powder is added to the ink, so you get a raised texture on the paper.

Letterpress Printing

Expect to spend about $1,500 on the lower end for 100 letter-pressed invitation suites. "The higher cost is due to the amount of supplies and manual labor needed to create custom presses for each design and color," Armstrong shares. "On top of the base price, each additional color will add an additional 25 percent to your costs."

Engraving

Engraving is a labor-intensive process, meaning that the cost tends to be higher. "The most extravagant form of printing is engraving, which gives a formal, embossed look," Armstrong describes. For 100 invitations, engraving will cost you $2,000 at least.

The Cost of Wedding Invitation Accents

On top of printing, accents factor into the average cost of wedding invitations. Here are some popular add-ons and how much they'll run.

Foil Stamping

It's common for wedding invitations to come with foil accents. For example, your names might appear in copper, gold, rose gold, or silver foil stamping at the top. "Usually foil stamping is done as an embellishment," Armstrong mentions. "Recently, however, couples have been wanting full foil stamp sets. It's definitely a trend we've seen grow recently. As a full set, it does get pretty expensive because a plate has to be created." For a full foil stamp on a set of 100 invitations, anticipate an additional cost of $1,800 for a set of 100. If you just opt for gold foil accents, the cost would be closer to $400 per 100 invitations.

Blind Debossing and Embossing

Blind debossing and embossing accents will cost $300 to $400 for 100 wedding invitations. These are done using the same process as letterpress but without ink. When you blind deboss, you create a depression in the paper, and with embossing, you create a raised text. Monograms, family crests, or other small accents are often debossed or embossed.

Edging

Edging costs $150 for 100 wedding invitations. The edge of the invitation can actually be painted onto paper in a thick stock. This is the type of detail that your guests will definitely notice once they open up their envelopes.

Bevel Cut

A bevel cut is when the edge of the wedding invitation is cut at a 45-degree angle and then painted, making the edge more visible from the front than an invitation that is only edged. This is usually just done on the main wedding invitation. For 100 wedding invitations, this will cost around $400.

Wax Seals

Adding wax seals will cost $200 to $300 in additional costs per 100 wedding invitations. The traditional way to create wax seals is to pour liquid wax on the envelope and stamp it to create a design. Today, you can also use raised stickers with permanent adhesives that look really authentic and save a lot of time.

Insert Cards

A set of 100 insert cards can range between $150 and $500, depending on the printing method. The most common wedding invitation insert is a reception card, which you may use if your reception is taking place at a different location than the ceremony. You'll also likely use an insert card to share information about your welcome party or post-wedding brunch if applicable.

Envelope Liners

The price of 100 wedding invitations is around $250 to $400 for envelope liners, with solid colors on the lower end of the spectrum and patterns on the higher end. These liners not only provide an aesthetic appeal, but they also function as a protective barrier that prevents colored envelopes from rubbing off on the invitations.

Article Sources
Brides takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
  1. The Wedding Report. "Average Cost of a Wedding in 2023 With 100 to 150 Guests Is Between $22,309 and $27,267." 2023.

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The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Invitations

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