Printed wedding invitations for 100 guests come to roughly $450 to $590 once you add RSVP cards and a stamp on both the invitation and the reply envelope, based on current published price lists and the 82 cent US stamp. On average, couples spend about $220 on invitations with RSVP cards and $510 on the full paper suite with save-the-dates and day-of stationery, according to a 2026 survey of 10,474 US couples married in 2025.
The gap between those numbers is guest count, print method and postage, and this guide walks through each one with the math shown. If you would rather skip paper, a digital invitation link is a one-time price with unlimited guests: $29 or $99, whether you invite 40 people or 400.
What couples spend on wedding invitations on average
The $220 average covers invitations and RSVP cards. The $510 figure adds save-the-dates (about $150) and day-of paper such as menus and signs (about $150). Both averages blend small weddings with large ones and flat cards with letterpress, so use them as a reference, not a target.
Your own number depends on three things: how many invitations you mail (one per household, not one per guest), how they are printed, and what each envelope costs to post. The worked example below puts those three together.
A worked example: printed vs digital for 50, 100 and 150 guests
This is an example, built only from published figures. Your stationer’s quote will differ, so treat it as a way to sanity-check a quote, not as a price list.
| Line item | 50 guests | 100 guests | 150 guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invitations mailed (one per household) | 30 | 60 | 90 |
| Cards ordered (about 10% spare, rounded) | 35 | 70 | 100 |
| Digital print rate per card | $3.50 to $5.00 | $2.50 to $3.50 | $1.50 to $2.50 |
| Invitation cards | $122.50 to $175.00 | $175.00 to $245.00 | $150.00 to $250.00 |
| RSVP cards (same quantity and rate) | $122.50 to $175.00 | $175.00 to $245.00 | $150.00 to $250.00 |
| Plain white envelopes | Included | Included | Included |
| Postage out, $0.82 each | $24.60 | $49.20 | $73.80 |
| Reply postage, $0.82 each | $24.60 | $49.20 | $73.80 |
| Printed total | $294.20 to $399.20 | $448.40 to $588.40 | $447.60 to $647.60 |
| Printed cost per guest | $5.88 to $7.98 | $4.48 to $5.88 | $2.98 to $4.32 |
| Digital link (Essential or Excellence) | $29 or $99 | $29 or $99 | $29 or $99 |
The inputs, and how each one was chosen
- Households, not guests. 100 guests often means about 55 to 65 invitations, because couples and families share one. The example uses 60 per 100 guests.
- Spares. Order 10 to 15% more than you need for mistakes, late additions and a keepsake copy. The example adds about 10% and rounds to a practical order size.
- Per-card price. Published 2026 prices for digitally printed cards run about $3.50 to $5.00 each for 25 cards, $2.50 to $3.50 for 50, and $1.50 to $2.50 for 100. The example uses the tier at or below each order size.
- Envelopes. Plain white envelopes often come with the order. Colored, lined or printed envelopes cost extra.
- Postage. 82 cents is the current USPS price for a stamped one-ounce letter. The reply envelope needs its own stamp so guests can mail it back.
What the table tells you
Quantity breaks matter more than you might expect. At 150 guests the per-card price drops enough that printing costs about the same as at 100 guests, while postage keeps climbing with every household you add. Postage is also the one line no discount code touches.
The printed totals also leave things out: save-the-dates, details cards, addressing, assembly and any upgrade to foil or letterpress. Those are covered next.
Run your own numbers with the wedding invitation cost calculator.
How much it costs to mail a wedding invitation
Postage is set by weight and shape, so weigh one fully assembled invitation, with every insert and the reply envelope inside, before you buy stamps. Current USPS retail prices for stamped First-Class letters:
| Your invitation | Postage per envelope |
|---|---|
| Standard rectangular envelope, up to 1 oz | $0.82 |
| Up to 2 oz | $1.11 |
| Up to 3 oz | $1.40 |
| Square envelope, up to 1 oz | $1.31 ($0.82 plus a $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge) |
| Square envelope, up to 2 oz | $1.60 |
| RSVP postcard instead of a reply envelope | $0.65 |
Square envelopes cost more because USPS treats a letter with a length-to-height ratio below 1.3 as nonmachinable, and a square has a ratio of 1. The same surcharge applies to rigid pieces and to envelopes with clasps, strings or buttons.
For the 100-guest example, switching to a square 1 oz envelope raises outbound postage from $49.20 to $78.60. A 2 oz rectangular suite costs $66.60 to send. Switching the reply to an RSVP postcard brings reply postage down from $49.20 to $39.00.
What pushes wedding invitation cost up
Print method
Typical 2026 per-card prices for a standard card:
| Print method | Per card |
|---|---|
| Digital print | $1 to $3 |
| Flat foil | $3 to $6 |
| Foil stamping with a custom die | $5 to $10 |
| Letterpress | $6 to $15 |
Letterpress and die-stamped foil need a plate or die made for your design, which is why small orders cost so much more per card.
Custom design
Fully custom invitations and enclosure cards from a professional stationery designer run about $4,000 to $7,000 for about 100 guests, and semi-custom work is typically under $2,000. Choosing a ready-made design and changing only the wording avoids that cost entirely.
Extras that add up per envelope
- Addressing: printed addresses run about $0.20 to $0.40 per envelope; hand calligraphy about $2.50 to $6.00 per envelope.
- Assembly: professional assembly runs $1 to $3 per invitation.
- Embellishments: envelope liners about $1 to $2 each, belly bands, vellum jackets or ribbon about $0.50 to $2.00, and wax seals about $1 to $2.
- Rush orders: expect 30 to 50% on top of the base price if you order late.
On a 60-household list, hand calligraphy alone is $150 to $360, which can be more than the invitation cards themselves.
Ways to cut the cost without the invitation looking cheap
- Count households before you order. Ordering by guest count instead of household count is a quick way to pay for cards you never mail.
- Keep it rectangular and under an ounce. One flat card with a single insert keeps you on the 82 cent stamp.
- Drop the printed RSVP card. It is the second-largest line in the example, and it carries its own postage. An online RSVP removes the card, the reply envelope and the reply stamp at once.
- Spend on one finish, not five. Foil on the names alone looks deliberate. Foil, liners, ribbon and a wax seal together multiply per-envelope costs.
- Order early. Rush fees disappear when you are not in a hurry.
- Printing at home? Ink runs about $0.20 to $0.50 and cardstock about $0.15 to $0.30 per sheet, but budget for test prints and spoiled sheets.
When paper is still worth it
Sometimes the cost is not the point. A printed invitation can be a keepsake you frame, some relatives will expect one in the mail, and some families treat the card itself as part of the ceremony.
A practical middle route is a short printed run for the people who will value it, with everyone else invited by link. If you print, add a QR code that opens your invitation so paper guests can reply the same way as everyone else, and you only pay one stamp per envelope.
A fixed price for the whole guest list
The printed column grows with your guest list. A digital invitation from Link Invitation does not: you pay $29 (Essential, you build it) or $99 (Excellence, designed for you) once, with unlimited guests and no per-guest fee. There are no cards, envelopes or stamps.
What you get for that price:
- A personal link for each guest, with their name on the invitation.
- Sent on WhatsApp with your own message, one tap per guest, so each one arrives as a personal message.
- See who has opened their link and when, so you know who to follow up with.
- A live RSVP dashboard with per-event replies, dietary needs, custom questions and a reply-by date.
- Several events in one invitation, with maps, timelines and add to calendar.
- A QR code for any printed cards, so a short paper run still feeds the same RSVP list.
Essential is free to build and preview before you pay, and you can edit after publishing without changing your guests’ links. Browse wedding invitation designs to see what yours could look like.
Frequently asked questions
How much are wedding invitations for 100 guests?
In the worked example above, 100 guests means about 60 invitations. Digitally printed invitations and RSVP cards with plain envelopes, plus an 82 cent stamp on both the invitation and the reply envelope, come to about $448 to $588. Square envelopes, heavier suites, foil, letterpress or hand-addressed envelopes push that higher.
How much does it cost to mail a wedding invitation?
A rectangular invitation weighing 1 ounce or less costs $0.82 with a stamp. Each extra ounce adds $0.29, so a 2 oz suite costs $1.11. Square envelopes carry a $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge, making a 1 oz square invitation $1.31. If you include a reply envelope, it needs its own stamp, or use a $0.65 RSVP postcard.
How much should you spend on wedding invitations?
Start from your household count, not your guest count, then price one assembled invitation including postage both ways. Survey averages give a reference point: $220 for invitations with RSVP cards and $510 for the full paper suite. If the invitation matters less to you than other parts of the day, a one-time digital invitation keeps the cost fixed.
How many invitations do I need for 150 guests?
You send one invitation per household, so 150 guests is usually far fewer than 150 invitations. A good estimate is 55 to 65 invitations per 100 guests, which puts 150 guests at roughly 83 to 98. Add 10 to 15% spare cards for mistakes, late additions and keepsakes before you order.