I Did it Myyyyy Wayyyy!

One of my (kind of) DIY projects is my invitations.
From the time I first spotted the "pocketfold" invitations (latest trend in wedding invites) I knew I had to have them. I also knew I didn't want to pay $400-$500 for them. So I found a way around that!
First, I contacted a fabulous graphic designer who I 'met' on IndieBride. I loved the way she had made her own pocketfolds, so I contacted her through her Etsy shop to make mine. Basically I just told her what my style and colors were, picked out some art at IStockPhoto and sent her all of my text. A week later I had the high resolution files for this (a simulation):

The designer made me 6 custom pieces: an invite, two detail cards, an rsvp postcard and a save-the-date card. The design (including cost of stock art) was $70.

Now...the printing is up to me. I plan on using VistaPrint and the designer formatted all of my invitation pieces to print on VistaPrint's oversized postcards (cheaper than printing on their invitation cards--but same cardstock quality).

So the question is: after paying for a custom design, printing fees and envelopes...will I actually SAVE money by doing it myself?
To find out, below I compare my costs with those of a popular pocketfold web store, MyGatsby.


First, MyGatsby-
100 pocketfolds: $150.00
100 Invitations: $92.00
100 RSVPs+envelope: $75.00
100 Detail 1 cards: $49.00
100 Detail 2 cards: $49.00
GRAND TOTAL FOR POCKETS: $415.00



Now, my DIY pockets-
100 pocketfolds from Cards and Pockets Store: $100
100 Invitations: $50
100 RSVP postcards: FREE (VistaPrint promo)
100 Detail 1 cards: $50
100 Detail 2 cards: $50
Custom Design: $70
GRAND TOTAL FOR POCKETS: $320

Plus, MyGatsby charges $45.00 for 100 envelopes and I can get 100 from EnvelopeMall on my own for $23.00.

I do plan on buying some cool ribbon and accents to finish off the pockets, but I would have done the same thing with MyGatsby's.

So overall, if you like assembling things and DIY, this could be for you. Of course you'll have to take a trip to your local Michael's or craft store to get some adhesive spray, double-sided tape or glue dots. But that's a very minor expense and one you would incur anyway because you have to pay MyGatsby extra to assemble your pockets:)

Enter Sinatra: "And more, much more than this...I did it myyyy wayyyy!"
I can't wait to put 'em together!