The cons of do-it-yourself invites are the stress involved, the time consuming nature of the design process and the messy supplies. But the payoff is definitely worth it in the end: You'll create invitations that perfectly match you, your wedding and your style.
You also have ultimate creative control over what gets sent out, and no matter how many weddings your guests get invited to in year, they're not going to get the same invitation.
Plan on investing a good amount of time with your significant other, poring over wedding invitation tomes at print shops, bridal boutiques and card stores.
You may discover that other than a few nice designs, there are a mess of tasteless, expensive wedding invitations on the market.
There are many different choices for invitation style, from simple to intricate, or somewhere in the middle; and many different ways to put together wedding invitations.
The best bet is to start taking notes on what you like. Start poring over the tomes. Go to print shops and places that design custom wedding invitations and look at what they have to offer. This way you get an idea of what is possible for a do-it-yourselfer, and what the current trends are. You also get an idea of how much money you can save by doing them yourself rather than having them designed by someone else.
The simplest way to make a wedding invitation is to get pre-made stationary at your local craft store and print them out on an inkjet printer. With more time and creative effort, you can design professional looking invitations without the professional price.
Whether you're the crafty, artsy type or just frugal, do-it-yourself wedding invitations can be a fun and economic way to personalize your wedding.