Semi-Custom vs. Bespoke Wedding Stationery: How to Choose What's Right for You
- Andrea Cooper-Badkin
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
You've started planning your wedding, you know you want beautiful stationery that reflects your values, and now you're faced with a decision: semi-custom or bespoke?
If you're feeling a bit lost about what these terms actually mean (or whether one is somehow "better" than the other), you're not alone. The wedding industry loves its jargon, and it's not always clear what you're actually getting for your money.
Let me break it down honestly, so you can make the choice that's right for your wedding, your budget, and your priorities.
What Semi-Custom Actually Means
Semi-custom stationery starts with an existing design collection that I've already created. You choose a collection you love, and then we customise it to make it yours.
What you can typically customise:
Your names, date, and venue details (obviously)
Colour palette to match your wedding
Font choices within the design
Wording and layout within the existing design structure
Which pieces you actually need from the collection
What stays the same:
The overall design style and aesthetic
Illustration elements and motifs
General layout structure
Think of it like choosing a beautiful coat and having it tailored to fit you perfectly, rather than having one designed and made from scratch.
What Bespoke Really Involves
Bespoke stationery is designed entirely from scratch, just for you.
We start with a blank page and create something completely unique based on your story, your style, and your vision. This might include custom illustrations, hand-lettering, or design elements that are meaningful specifically to you.
The process involves:
An in-depth consultation about your wedding vision and style
Research and mood board development
Original design concepts with three rounds of revisions
Custom artwork, illustrations, or hand-drawn elements
Complete control over every design decision
Font and image licensing included
It's genuinely one-of-a-kind stationery that no other couple will have.
The Honest Truth About Pricing
Let's talk about what you're actually paying for, because transparency matters.
My pricing works in two parts: a design fee for creating or customising your stationery, and then the printing and production costs for the physical items you order.
Semi-custom collections:
Customisation fee: £50
This covers adding your wedding details, making reasonable changes like adjusting colours or swapping fonts, preparing the artwork for printing, and one round of revisions
Then you pay per-item printing costs (typically £2.50-£4.00 per invitation depending on size and finish)
For example, if you need 80 invitations on A6 double-sided recycled card, you'd pay £50 customisation + £240 printing = £290 total.
Bespoke design:
Design fee: £350 (covers approximately 7 hours of design work)
This includes consultation, concept development, original artwork, three rounds of revisions, and all licensing
For more complex projects involving extensive custom illustrations, venue drawings, hand-lettered elements, or intricate maps, the design fee would be quoted separately based on the scope
Then you pay the same per-item printing costs as semi-custom
For the same 80 invitations but with fully bespoke design, you'd pay £350 design + £240 printing = £590 total.
Neither option is "better." They're just different, and the right choice depends entirely on your situation.
When Semi-Custom Makes Perfect Sense
Choose semi-custom if:
You've found a collection you genuinely love. If you look at one of my existing designs and think "that's exactly the vibe," there's no need to reinvent it.
Your budget is around £200-400 for invitation stationery. This gives you beautiful, thoughtfully designed stationery without the bespoke price tag.
You want a quicker turnaround. Semi-custom projects are typically faster since the design work is already done.
You value sustainability. Semi-custom designs are proven and tested, which means less waste from design revisions and sampling.
You like the idea of proven design. These collections have been refined and tested. You know exactly what you're getting.
You don't need something totally unique. And that's completely fine. Your wedding is unique because of who's getting married, not because of custom illustrations.
When Bespoke Is Worth Considering
Choose bespoke if:
You have a specific vision that doesn't exist yet. Maybe you want illustrations of your venue, or a design that incorporates meaningful symbolism, or something that tells your unique story.
You have the budget for it. If you can comfortably spend £500-800+ on invitation stationery without it affecting other priorities, bespoke opens up creative possibilities.
Design is genuinely important to you. Some couples really do want that completely one-of-a-kind suite, and that's a valid priority.
You're having a longer engagement. Bespoke takes more time for the design process. If your wedding is 12+ months away, there's plenty of space for it.
You want a very specific aesthetic that doesn't exist in ready-made collections, and you've looked.
You want matching save the dates. The combined design fee makes bespoke save the dates and invitations more cost-effective than designing them separately.
What I Actually Recommend
Here's what I tell couples: look at my semi-custom collections first.
Not because I'm trying to upsell you later (I promise I'm not), but because if one of those designs makes you feel excited, that's your answer. There's no prize for spending more money on bespoke when semi-custom gives you exactly what you want.
I created these collections specifically to offer beautiful, sustainable, inclusive design at a more accessible price point. They represent my best work and the aesthetic I love creating.
Bespoke is wonderful when you genuinely need it, but it's not inherently "better" or more special. Your stationery should reflect you and your wedding, not the size of your stationery budget.
The Questions That Actually Help You Decide
Ask yourself:
Is there an existing collection that feels right? If yes, start there.
What's your total stationery budget, honestly? Not what Pinterest says you should spend, what you can actually spend without stress.
How much does having completely unique design matter to you? Be honest. It's fine if the answer is "not that much."
What's your timeline? Do you have time for the full bespoke design process?
Where else could that money go? If bespoke costs £300 more than semi-custom, what else matters to you? Maybe that's your photographer for an extra hour, or better wine, or your honeymoon fund.
How Costs Actually Add Up
It's worth understanding that most of your stationery budget goes toward printing and production, not design.
Whether you choose semi-custom or bespoke, you're paying for high-quality recycled card stock, envelopes, and careful production. The design fee difference (£300) is significant but might be smaller than you'd expect when you look at your total stationery spend.
That said, £300 is still £300. Only you know whether fully custom design is worth that investment for your wedding.
Ways to Keep Costs Down (Whichever You Choose)
Regardless of whether you choose semi-custom or bespoke, there are practical ways to reduce your stationery costs:
Print details on the back of your invitation instead of having a separate details card
Use a wedding website for RSVPs instead of printed RSVP cards
Choose double-sided printing to fit more information on fewer pieces
Skip what you don't actually need - not every wedding needs separate ceremony and reception cards
Order only what serves your guests - if your venue is obvious and easy to find, maybe you don't need a map card
I'm always happy to talk through what will actually be useful for your day versus what's just wedding industry noise.
How to Move Forward
If you're drawn to semi-custom: Browse my stationery collections and see if any designs speak to you. Each collection page shows what's included and how you can customise it. If something feels right, get in touch and we'll chat about making it yours.
If you think you want bespoke: Let's have a conversation first. I'll ask about your vision, your timeline, and your budget. I'll be honest about whether bespoke is the right path or if we can achieve what you want through customising an existing collection. Sometimes the answer is genuinely bespoke, sometimes it's not, and I'll always tell you the truth.
Still not sure? That's completely normal. Send me an email describing your wedding vibe and what you're imagining for your stationery. I can point you toward the option that makes the most sense, with no pressure and no obligation.
The Bottom Line
The best wedding stationery is the kind that:
Fits your budget comfortably
Reflects your style and values
Gives your guests the information they need without excess
Doesn't cause you stress or decision fatigue
Whether that's semi-custom or bespoke isn't something I can tell you. But I can promise you honest guidance, beautiful design either way, and stationery that's produced sustainably and inclusively.
Because at the end of the day, your invitations are going to do their job regardless of whether they cost £300 or £600. They're going to tell your guests the important details and set the tone for your celebration.
The right choice is the one that feels good to you.
Ready to talk about your stationery? Get in touch at info@thoughtfullywild.com or visit my stationery collections to see what's currently available.
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