Planning an Inexpensive Open House

Some of the most expensive items that you’ll buy for the celebration of your wedding are the invitations and party favors.  Typcially you’ll be having an open house on the day before you wedding for the wedding party or on the day after your wedding to open your gifts in the company of your friends and family.

 If you are hosting an open house for whatever reason that involves the celebration of your wedding you’ll need to send out detailed invitations letting guests know the time, place, and of course who you are.  Since there are many different reasons that you could be hosting an open house, you may find it very difficult to find invitations in a party supply store.  Not only that, but you’ll need to fill out every invitation card with all the open house information which could take hours if not days.  The answer is to make your own open house invitations.  While this may sound like more work than buying them, read on to discover it’s actually quite simple.

 Before we discuss how to make your invitations, we would like to cover the most important aspect of planning an open house: the food.  Everyone expects to see a variety of good food at an open house, but if people are coming and going all day, what should you serve?  For some great party food ideas check out the appetizer section of any cookbook.  Avoid serving casseroles or too many hot recipes or you’ll spend all your time running in and out of the kitchen.  Stick to cold appetizers that can sit out for hours such as dips, crackers and cheese, and fruit plates.

 The easiest way to make your invitations is to use templates that you can download from the Internet.  You can add all the open house information, as well as add some cute graphics to liven the invitations up.  Then simply print them out on some elegant stationary or invitations cards, and you’re done.  These invitations will look very professional if you use high quality printer paper and take care not to make the invitation look too cluttered.  Making your own invitations saves you time and money. Soon you’ll be making your own for every occasion!

 If you are having a open house to open your wedding gifts you’ve probably already spent loads of money on your wedding celebration.  If so, why not save yourself a little money and make your own invitations?  Your open house invitations don’t need to be fancy, but with a little know-how and creativity, you can make some great invitations that your guests will love.

 Rather than simply buying blank invitations from your local party store, making your own invitations adds a personal touch.  How you go about making your invitations should depend largely on how many people you intend to invite.  For instance, if you are inviting approximately ten people, you can make your invitations from scratch using beautiful invitation paper and various decorative appliqués.  However, if you intend to invite upwards of twenty or more guests, you may want to use your computer to design some great invitations that you can print off yourself.

 If you are making invitations from scratch, be sure to have the following supplies on hand:

•           Heavy construction paper in several colors

•           Colorful markers and pens

•           Scissors

•           Stickers

•           Other appliqués (such as foam letters, glitter, or pom poms)

•           Glue

 Using these supplies, you can make any type of invitation you so desire.  Choose a simple color theme and simply add all pertinent information.

 If you plan to design your invitations on your computer, there are many invitation templates online that you can download and use for free.  These templates will help you add all your information and customize your invitations any way you like.  You can then print the final invitation on some colorful printer paper.  Adding some additional appliqués after is always a fun idea. 

 As you can see, making your own invitations isn’t as hard as it sounds.  Just be sure to take your time and have a design in mind when you start.