How To Start A Wedding Invitation Business: Best Tips For Starting From Scratch
Are you interested in starting your own wedding invitation business? It can be a great way to make some extra money, and it’s a fun and creative industry to be involved in.
In this blog post, I’ll discuss the basics of starting your own wedding invitation business.
I’ll cover topics such as choosing a niche, designing your products, setting up your website, and marketing your business. So if you’re ready to start planning for your dream career, keep reading!
Do your research
Wedding invitations are a billion-dollar industry in the United States alone. The average cost of a suite with 100 invitations is $1,450 but can range from $700 to $2,200 based on printing methods (source).
There are many different types of wedding invitation businesses, from small independent shops to large online retailers. So you can really taylor your business to fit your interests and strengths.
Before you start your own business, it is important to do your research. First, you’ll need to decide what type of business you want to start.
There are many different options available, from online stores to brick-and-mortar shops. There are pros and cons to each option, so you can decide which one is right for you.
Once you’ve decided on the type of business you want to start, research the wedding invitation market in your area.
Find out what other businesses are doing well and what areas are underserved. This will help you determine what products and services you should offer.
One way to stand out from the competition is to offer something unique and provide excellent customer service.
Other reasons to research the competition in your area are to find out what prices they’re charging for their products and services. This way you can price your own products competitively.
What type of wedding invitations do you want to create – formal or informal, classic or modern?
Look for the most popular trends in your niche for wedding invitations. What designs do brides prefer?
Knowing this information will help you design products that meet the needs of your target audience.
Wedding invitation trends change every year, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest styles. You can research these trends and more by checking out wedding blogs.
Some of the current popular trends in wedding invitations include:
- Minimalist designs with clean lines and simple fonts
- Acrylic & vellum stationary
- Vintage velvet & warm, vintage color designs
- Laser cut details
- Deckled-edge paper
- Eco-friendly stationary
Of course, there are endless possibilities when it comes to design. So don’t feel limited by these trends, especially when creating custom wedding invitations.
The most important thing is to create invitations that reflect the style and personality of the couple.
What supplies and equipment do you need to start a wedding invitation business?
You’ll need some basic supplies and equipment to get started, such as a printer, paper, a cutting machine, and envelopes. You’ll want to consider thickness and paper type when deciding on your printer.
Laser printers aren’t great for printing on thicker cardstock, while inkjet printers are better suited for thick papers. And a laser printer is able to print on metallic papers while an inkjet printer really can’t without smearing.
You will also have options when it comes to choosing what types of paper to use in your business. The variety of choices include:
- Card stock or Board
- Cotton Fiber
- Vellum
- Pearlescent
- Recycled
You’ll want to consider what type of look you’re going for with your inviations when deciding on the paper type. And for custom invitations, couples have to consider the trade-off between weight and finish.
To save money, you can purchase a used cutting machine or even rent one from a local crafts store. If you plan to do a lot of invitations, on of the best things you can invest in is a good quality cutting machine.
You’ll also need envelopes. Glassine offers a nice touch, it’s a light and waxy paper used for envelopes.
You may also want to invest in some software like Adobe Illustrator or Canva to help you design your invitations.
Write a business plan
Now that you have an idea of what’s out there, it’s time to start thinking about your own wedding invitation business.
Here are some examples of a traditional business plan or a lean startup plan. Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you get started:
- Describe your business. Your mission statement. What ‘problem’ will you solve. List your strengths.
- What’s the outlook for the wedding industry? How will you gain a competitive advantage?
- Your business legal structure. ex. Sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited liability company (LLC), Corporation.
- Target market. Who you will serve?
- Products and services. Be specific about what services you will provide.
- Pricing. You want to be competitively priced
- Marketing strategy and sales. How will you get and keep customers?
- Website and social media platforms. Will you have an online presence?
- Supplies and equipment. Consider the cost vs the value.
- How you will fund your business?
- Where will your business be located? If you’re planning to run your business from home, research any zoning laws or regualtions in your area.
Register your business
You’ll need to decide on a business name before you can register it. The name can be suggestive and descriptive of what you offer. You can also use your name or something clever and abstract to name your business.
How you’ll need to register your business is determined by where you’re located and what form of business you have.
At this point you’ll want to consider getting a business bank account. And you may want to invest in a system like Quickbooks to help you with your bookeeping and tax needs.
How to design beautiful wedding invitations?
Luckily you don’t have to be a graphic designer or break the bank to design beautiful invitations. Adobe Illustrator is a great design program that can be used to create beautiful invitations.
If you’re not familiar with Adobe Illustrator, there are a few things you should know before getting started.
Firstly, Adobe Illustrator is vector based software, which means that it uses mathematical equations to draw shapes rather than pixels.
This makes it the perfect software for creating clean and crisp designs.
The second thing to know about Adobe Illustrator is that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. There are a lot of different tools and settings, and it can take some time to get familiar with the software.
However, once you get the hang of it, Adobe Illustrator is an incredibly powerful tool. The company has tons of helpful tutorials, You could also find some really great YouTube videos to teach you about Adobe.
Finally, Adobe Illustrator offers a free trial though it’s a subscription based software, which means you’ll need to pay a monthly fee to use it.
The cost of the software is worth it if you’re serious about creating beautiful wedding invitations.
Another tool you can use is Canva, which is a great option if you’re looking for something that’s more user-friendly than Adobe Illustrator.
Canva is a web-based design program that’s perfect for beginners, it makes the design process easy. It has a huge selection of templates and tutorials that make it easy to get started.
Once you’ve created your account, you can browse through the different templates and choose the one that best fits your needs.
You can then begin customizing your own wedding invitations by adding your own design elements, text, images, and colors.
Canva is a great option for those who want to create beautiful wedding invitations without spending a lot of money.
The basic version of Canva is free, but you can upgrade to the Pro version for even more features.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, you can also try designing your wedding invites using Microsoft Word.
While Word doesn’t have all of the same features as Adobe Illustrator or Canva, it’s still a great program for creating simple designs.
Graphics such as flowers are an important part of wedding invitations. And you can find tons of them in places like Creative Fabrica and Creative Market.
Be mindful of commercial use licenses when you’re downloading graphics. Some of them can only be used for personal projects. However many are available for commercial use.
The best way to find out is to read the terms of use before you purchase or download anything.
How much should I charge for invitations?
One important thing to consider when starting a wedding invitation business is how much you should charge for your invitations.
To get an idea of how much to charge, you can look at other businesses that offer similar services. Consider what their prices are and what kind of quality they offer.
You’ll also want to take into account the cost of materials, shipping, and any other associated costs.
Once you have a good idea of how much it will cost to produce your invitations, you can start thinking about how much to charge.
A good rule of thumb is to price your invitations at least 50% higher than your cost (source). This will help you cover all of your expenses and make a profit.
Of course, you don’t have to charge the highest prices in order to be a profitable business. In fact, some of the most successful businesses offer their products at very reasonable prices.
It’s ultimately up to you to decide how much to charge for your invitations. Just make sure that your prices are fair and that you’re making enough money to cover your costs.
How to sell wedding invitations on Etsy?
Etsy is a great platform for a wedding invitations business and other creative businesses. It’s easy to set up an account and get started. I created an Etsy checklist PDF to help you get set up.
Plus, there’s a built-in audience of potential customers who are already interested in buying wedding invitations.
Check out the shops of other wedding invitation designers on Etsy to get an idea of what’s popular. Take a look at the kind of designs they offer and the prices they charge.
This will give you some insight into what you need to do in order to be a successful Etsy shop.
One way to stand out when creating your Etsy listing, is to be sure to include high-quality photos of your invitations. You’ll also want to write a detailed description that outlines all of the important details about your invitations.
Another way to get the attention of brides is to offer suites of items she needs for her big day. With so much for the couple to do it’s nice to provide a one stop shop wedding stationery business.
You may want to consider selling additional products like save the dates, wedding planners, wedding programs, place cards, wedding cards, thank you cards, and more.
Offering a variety of products will make you more attractive to potential clients.
Set up a website or blog to showcase your work and accept orders online
In order to attract more customers, setting up a website or blog is a great idea. This will give you a place to showcase your work and make it easy for people to order your invitations online.
There are many different ways to set up a website or blog. You can use a platform like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. Or you can hire a web designer to create a custom site for you.
Once you have your own website or blog up and running, be sure to include plenty of photos of your work. Again you’ll want to write detailed descriptions of your products and services.
And don’t forget to include a way for people to contact you and place orders. You can use an online form, an email, or a phone number as a way to communicate with your clients.
You can also use something like Freshbooks as an invoice and accounting software.
How to market your wedding invitation business?
Market your business through social media, online directories, and word-of-mouth referrals. You can also create business cards and a portfolio of your work to share with potential customers.
It’s easy to use social media to promote your business. You can use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to reach a wide audience of potential customers.
Make sure to post plenty of photos of your work, as well as updates about your business. Use hashtags to reach even more people.
And be sure to interact with potential customers whenever possible.
Another great way to market your business is through online directories. You can list your business on directories like Yelp, Foursquare, and Google Maps.
This will make it easy for people to find you when they’re searching for wedding invitation businesses in their area.
Finally, don’t forget the power of word-of-mouth referrals. Ask your satisfied clients to spread the word about your business to their friends and family members.
This is one of the most effective marketing strategies there is.
If you are selling on Etsy they have great resources for promoting your shop through their Etsy ads program and social media tools.
How to start a wedding invitation business takeaways
Now that you know how to start a wedding invitation business, it’s time to get started. By following these tips, you can start and grow a successful wedding invitation business.
Just be sure to offer high-quality products at fair prices, and market your business using a variety of methods. With hard work and dedication, you can make your wedding invitation business a success.
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