Wedding invitation pricing scares makers because the numbers are bigger (hundred-suite orders, months-long timelines, brides comparing quotes). But underneath, it's the same honest math as any craft: cost every piece in the envelope, pay yourself for the assembly, and let the premium category carry a premium price.
The cost of a suite (set of 25)
- Cardstock (30 sheets incl. spoilage): about $9.60
- Printing: about $3.75
- Envelopes (25): about $4.50
- Vellum + wax seals: about $6.25
- Ribbon: about $2.40
$26.50 per set of 25: $95 retail is a 72% margin before assembly hours. Note the spoilage line: printing 30 sheets to deliver 25 clean invitations is realistic, and the extra sheets belong in the price, not in your losses.
Assembly is the invisible invoice
Vellum wraps, wax seals, ribbon ties: each embellishment is seconds times a hundred suites. A 100-suite order with three hand-finished touches is a full working day of assembly; price those hours or the beautiful details work for free.
Deposits, samples and the timeline
- Deposits of 50% are standard: wedding work ties up materials for months, and cash flow shouldn't wait for the wedding
- Charge for samples (credited against the order): a sample pack has real material cost and filters serious inquiries
- [Preorder-style planning](/blog/how-to-run-a-product-preorder): the wedding date works backward to a mail date, a print date and a materials date. Put them in the quote
Wedding pricing mistakes to avoid
- Quoting per invitation instead of per suite: the RSVP, details card and seal are products too
- Free samples: they're your customer-acquisition cost; know it, credit it, don't eat it
- No spoilage allowance: misprints on couture paper are expensive to absorb
- Underpricing rush orders: compressed timelines are a premium, not a favor
Five products, eight palette colors, one deadline that can't move: Keepsel for wedding stationers costs every suite piece from its recipe. From the Maker plan, Suli checks whether you have the materials for each piece, one product at a time; add up what the pieces share (the same cardstock across invitation and RSVP) yourself before you promise the date. Sanity-check a suite price in the free pricing calculator.