When it came to my own DW, I decided to make my own save-the-date magnets. I figured this would be a sure way to keep the event fresh in my guests’ minds and get them thinking about booking their tickets to my wedding.

To start, I asked a very creative graphic designer friend to help me create the layout. We talked about sticking with a beach/tropical theme, but staying away from something too cheesy or cartoonish. Also, I wanted to incorporate my love for things antique into the design, so he came up with a vintage palm tree motif. I loved it instantly! He laid out the design in a tiled format on a standard 8.5 x 11 paper size so I could print them from home.

If you’re thinking of making magnets, I totally suggest it, as it’s not a hard project, it just takes a bit of effort. Once you have the design in place, you will need to go shopping for supplies! I purchased magnet paper (I literally bought a huge sheet off of a roll of magnetic paper) from an art store. I also bought some gorgeous cream coloured linen paper to print the designs. The cream colour really accented the olive green palm tree hues, and somehow enhanced the vintage feel I was aiming for. With paper in hand, I ran it through my HP home printer and had the project off to a great start.

The next step was sticking the printed designs on to the magnet paper, which you must do VERY carefully to avoid buckling of the paper. I did my first test page and used an X-Acto knife and sturdy ruler (as a straight edge) to cut out the magnets—and presto, I was making my own magnets! Of course I thought it was going to be an easy task after my first page of eight were complete, but I then I knew this labour of love was going to be more labour than love. I enlisted the help of my mom half-way through the project as I need to rest my fingers from peeling the stickers off the back of the magnet paper and from the hand pressure of cutting careful lines into this thick stock. I also learned half way through the project that some of the big business supply stores carry standard size magnet sheets that you can run these through printers! Ah, but then I remembered that my pretty paper stock was well worth the effort and the high-end look I was aiming for.

When all was said and done, I was happy that I decided to do this on my own. Even today, I still see my magnets lingering on some of my family and friend’s fridges! And every time I see them, I’m reminded of my wedding, which makes me smile….