Most answers to "how much do wedding invitations cost" give you a single number and no working. I would rather show the working. Below are three ways to invite the same 100 guests, priced line by line with the assumptions written down, so you can change any of them and get your own total. Prices for paper are what stationers commonly quote; treat them as a starting point, not a promise. The digital prices are ours and are exact.
1. A printed suite from a stationer
The traditional route: invitation card, reply card, two envelopes, and postage in both directions. The reply card needs its own stamp, which you pay for, because the guest should not.
| Line | Assumption | For 60 households |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation card, printed | $3 to $6 each, mid-range digital print | $180 to $360 |
| Reply card + envelope | $1.50 to $2.50 each | $90 to $150 |
| Outer envelope, printed address | $0.60 to $1.20 each | $36 to $72 |
| Postage out | one stamp each, around 80 cents at time of writing (check usps.com) | about $47 |
| Postage back | one stamp on each reply card | about $47 |
| Save the date card + postage | $1.50 to $2.50 each, plus a stamp | $137 to $197 |
| Extras | 10% spares, proofs, a rush reprint if a line needs fixing | $50 to $100 |
| Total, mid-range | roughly $590 to $970 |
Letterpress, foil, vellum wraps, wax seals and calligraphy each add several dollars per suite and can double the total.
Two things people forget when they price paper: the stamp goes on twice, and the save the date is a second mailing with its own postage. Those three stamps alone come to about $140 for 60 households.
2. Printed at home or at a copy shop
| Line | Assumption | For 60 households |
|---|---|---|
| Template | free to $30 | $0 to $30 |
| Cardstock and printing | $0.50 to $1.50 per card, two cards each | $60 to $180 |
| Envelopes | $0.30 to $0.60 each, two per household | $36 to $72 |
| Postage out and back | two stamps per household | about $94 |
| Save the date | same again, one card, one stamp | $77 to $137 |
| Total | roughly $270 to $510 |
Cheaper on paper, but you are now the print shop, the folding room, and the person licking envelopes on a Sunday.
3. Digital, sent as a link
One payment, no postage, no reply cards. The reply happens on the page, and the guest count, meals and allergies land in a dashboard instead of a shoebox. Here are our prices for digital wedding invitations, which are the only exact numbers on this page.
| Line | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Save the Date | animated page in the same design, sent as a link | $29.99 |
| Classic invitation | the full invitation with RSVP on the page, kitchen list, seating chart, for up to 100 guests replying | $99 |
| Signature invitation | everything in Classic, no guest limit, your own photograph on the first screen, your choice of song, the guest photo album included | $199 |
| Guest photo album (add-on to Classic) | a QR card for the tables, photos land in your album | $29.99 |
| Postage, reply cards, envelopes, spares | $0 | |
| Total, Save the Date + Classic | the Save the Date price comes off the invitation | $99 |
| Total, Save the Date + Signature | the Save the Date price comes off the invitation | $199 |
One-time prices at thedigitalenvelope.com. What you paid for the Save the Date comes off the invitation when you buy it with the same email. There is no subscription and guests never pay anything.
Side by side
| Stationer, mid-range | Print at home | Digital, Classic | Digital, Signature | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invitation + save the date, 100 guests | $590 to $970 | $270 to $510 | $99 | $199 |
| Postage | about $140 | about $140 | none | none |
| Your time | addressing, stuffing, stamping, chasing | all of that plus printing and cutting | an afternoon in the editor | an afternoon in the editor |
| Reply arrives as | a card in the mail, to be typed into a spreadsheet | same | a line in the dashboard, counted | same |
| Something to keep | yes, the card | yes | the link, and the guests' photos for a year | same |
What changes the numbers
- Guest count. Paper scales with households; digital does not, except that Classic is for up to 100 guests replying and Signature has no limit.
- Postage rates. They rise most years. Whatever the stamp costs when you read this, multiply by two per household, then add the save the date.
- Finishing. Letterpress, foil and wax seals are lovely and expensive. A wax seal on a screen costs nothing; on paper it is a person with a spoon and a candle.
- A late change. A typo on 60 printed cards is a reprint. A typo on a digital invitation is fixed in a minute, even after it has been sent.
What the numbers do not tell you
Paper is an object, and some couples want the object. That is a real reason and it is not about money. What the arithmetic does show is that the choice is rarely "$99 versus free". It is $99 versus several hundred dollars and a lot of Sundays, or several hundred dollars and a stationer who does the Sundays for you.
If you want both, the sensible split is a printed card for the handful of relatives who will frame it, and the link for everyone else. You get the object where it matters and the replies where they are useful. If you are weighing other online services too, we keep side-by-side comparisons with their prices and the date we checked them.
Classic is $99, one payment, for up to 100 guests replying. Signature is $199 with no limit. Both send as one link with the reply on the page.
See the pricesQuestions people ask
- How much do wedding invitations cost for 100 guests?
- Worked line by line for 60 households: a mid-range printed suite with save the dates and postage both ways comes to roughly $590 to $970; printing at home roughly $270 to $510; a digital invitation with RSVP is $99 (Classic) or $199 (Signature), and a digital save the date ($29.99) comes off that price when you buy the invitation.
- Do I need to pay postage twice?
- For paper, yes: one stamp to send the invitation and one on the reply card so the guest can send it back. A save the date is a third stamp per household.
- Is a digital wedding invitation cheaper than paper?
- For the invitation and reply, yes, and there is no postage. The exception is if you want a printed keepsake; then a few printed cards plus the link for everyone else is the usual compromise.
- What does the $99 include?
- The full invitation in one of thirty designs, sent as a link, with the reply on the page, a meal per guest, allergies, a guest list, a kitchen list, a seating chart, and a dashboard you can share with your partner or planner. Classic covers up to 100 guests replying.
- Are there hidden costs with a digital invitation?
- At The Digital Envelope, no: one payment, no subscription, and guests never pay. The only optional extras are the guest photo album ($29.99 with Classic, included with Signature) and keeping the album online beyond the first year.