DIY wedding invites help city craft shops to beat downturn

Daintree Paper in Morningside said demand for DIY invitations has helped its sales rise by nearly a third in the last three months.

The company, set up to provide all the materials and advice couple's need to make their own invitations, said customers who have never tried arts or crafts before are getting involved in order to make their big day that bit cheaper.

Eco-friendly arts materials suppliers Bits and Bobs said it is being inundated with new customers looking for cheap materials to create invitations, dried flowers and other wedding day decorations.

Stephen McMahon, shop manager at Daintree Paper, based on Morningside Road, said: "You can cut costs in half, or even less on top of that if you want to want to make them the cheapest possible way.

"In the last six months in particular there has been a definite swing in the level of business we are getting. Saving money is one of the biggest reasons for people making their invitations themselves.

"We have had quite a few customers saying they want to cut back on costs and they are always delighted at how much they can save. Weddings are notoriously expensive so if people can cut back on some of that then they will, especially now."

As well as the 31 per cent year-on-year increase in shop turnover in the last three months of 2008, the company has seen sales through its website rise by 53 per cent.

There has also been an upsurge in wedding-related sales at Bits and Bobs on Broomhouse Road.

The social enterprise, which collects up to 60 tonnes a year of ex-display materials for craft from businesses across Edinburgh to then sell on to individuals, schools and nurseries, is seeing demand for all types of materials.

Jane Davidson, the company's operations manager, said: "More people are thinking about saving money and about environmental aspects and that is helping us."

Invitations with innovation

WHEN someone has just proposed to you, the first thing on your mind is probably not whether the credit crunch will make your big day a financial disaster.

But once the immediate euphoria had worn off, Trinity-based bride-to-be Laura Calder, above, knew she and fianc Andrew Battles had to cut costs.

With preparations well under way for their big day in June, the first item they have cut back on is their wedding invitations. By making their own, they reckon they are saving up to 500.

"It's a fair saving and it means we can make it a bit more personal as well," said Ms Calder, 32, a Scottish Government project officer.