Cheapest Way To Do And Send Wedding Invites
Wedding costs have a habit of spiralling fast, and the invitations are often one of the first places couples get caught out. By the time you’ve factored in design, printing, envelopes, and postage, a simple stack of cards can quietly drain hundreds of dollars from your budget before you’ve even booked the caterer.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way. With a few free tools and a smarter approach to how you actually send your invites, you can have beautiful, professional-looking wedding invitations for close to nothing. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the cheapest ways to create and send your wedding invites — without compromising on style or leaving your guests unimpressed.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Do Wedding Invitations?
The cheapest way to do wedding invitations is to create digital invites and send them via a free wedding website link — eliminating printing, envelopes, and postage costs entirely. Using free design tools like Canva combined with a free wedding website platform, you can send beautiful, professional-looking invites for under $40. You’ll find some ready made ones here where you just need to edit and the jobs done!
Here’s the quick cost breakdown:
| Method | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Traditional printed invites | $200–$800+ |
| DIY printed invites | $50–$150 |
| Digital invites via wedding website | $0–$30 |
How Do You Send Wedding Invites for Free?
Instead of mailing physical invitations, create a wedding website and share the link with your guests. This means:
- Zero postage costs — no stamps, no envelopes
- Instant delivery — guests receive the invite in seconds
- Easy RSVP tracking — most wedding website platforms have built-in RSVP tools
- Eco-friendly — no paper waste
You simply share the link via text message, WhatsApp, email, or even a social media message. Guests click the link, view the full invitation, and RSVP — all in one place.
What Are the Best Free Wedding Website Platforms?
Several platforms let you build a wedding website completely free:
- Zola — beautiful templates, free RSVP management, and even a free wedding page URL
- The Knot — widely recognised, free custom website with RSVP tools
- Wix — more design flexibility, free plan available
- Joy — particularly great for digital invites and guest communication
- WithJoy — clean, modern templates with free guest messaging
Most of these take less than an hour to set up and look far more impressive than a mass-printed card.
How Can You Make Your Own Wedding Invites for Free?
If you want a more personalised, designed invitation to showcase on your wedding website or share as a digital file, Canva is the go-to free tool.
Step-by-step:
- Go to Canva.com and search “wedding invitation”
- Choose a free template (filter by “Free” to avoid paid elements)
- Customise your names, date, venue, and colour scheme
- Download as a PDF or image file
- Upload it to your wedding website or share directly via message
Ready made wedding templates are the way to go saving you heaps on time. Check out these templates at The Biz Template Co.
Other free design tools worth trying:
- Adobe Express — clean, modern wedding templates
- PosterMyWall — good variety of free invite styles
- Greetings Island — specifically built for invitations
💡 Pro tip: Stick to free fonts and free elements only within Canva to keep costs at zero. Premium elements are marked with a crown icon.
How Do You Save Money on Wedding Invites?
Here are the most effective ways to cut your wedding invitation budget dramatically:
1. Go Fully Digital
As covered above — share a wedding website link instead of posting physical invites. This alone can save you $300–$600 when you factor in design, printing, and postage.
2. Design Them Yourself
Skip the stationery designer. Tools like Canva make it genuinely easy to create something that looks custom and professional without paying for one.
3. Use a Single Insert
Traditional invite suites include multiple cards (invitation, RSVP card, details card, envelope liner). With a digital approach, your wedding website handles all of this in one place — directions, accommodation, dress code, RSVP — no inserts needed.
4. Avoid Rush Fees
If you do opt for any printed elements (like a small batch for elderly relatives without smartphones), order early to avoid express printing fees.
5. Only Print for Those Who Need It
A hybrid approach works well — send the wedding website link digitally to 90% of guests and only print a small batch of physical invites for those who genuinely need them (grandparents, for example). This dramatically reduces your print run and cost.
6. Skip the Wax Seals and Ribbon
These aesthetic extras add up fast. A clean, minimal digital design looks just as elegant — and costs nothing.
Is It Okay to Send Digital Wedding Invitations?
Yes — and it’s increasingly the norm. Digital wedding invites are now widely accepted across all types of weddings, from casual garden parties to formal ceremonies. Guests generally find them more convenient because they:
- Can’t lose them
- Can easily re-check the details
- Can RSVP instantly
- Can access directions, accommodation info, and registry all in one link
The only situation where a physical invite might still be preferred is for very formal or traditional weddings where older relatives may not be comfortable with technology — in which case, a small hybrid print run (as mentioned above) keeps everyone covered without the full postage bill.
What Should a Wedding Invite Include?
Whether digital or printed, every wedding invite needs these basics:
- Names of the couple
- Date and time of the ceremony
- Venue name and address (or link to map on your wedding website)
- Dress code (if applicable)
- RSVP deadline and method
- Wedding website link for further details
How Far in Advance Should You Send Wedding Invites?
- Standard: 6–8 weeks before the wedding
- Destination wedding: 3–4 months in advance
- Digital invites: Can be sent slightly later since there’s no postal delay — though earlier is always better for guests planning travel or childcare
Many couples also send a save the date (also free via their wedding website) 6–12 months out, especially for summer or holiday-period weddings.
The Bottom Line: What’s the Cheapest Way to Send Wedding Invites?
Build a free wedding website, design a free invite in Canva, and share the link. That’s it. Done well, guests won’t just accept this approach — many will actively prefer it. You’ll save hundreds of dollars, get instant RSVPs, and have all your guest information in one organised place.
The days of assuming wedding invites have to cost a fortune are over. With the right free tools, your invites can look stunning and cost next to nothing. Get yours at The Biz Template Co.