A Minted Wedding Invitations Review (aka What We *Really* Think of the Competition…)

This is just a super honest review of my experience with Minted wedding invitations (ahem, the competition). This post is in no way sponsored by Minted, so I can give it to you 100% straight.

As a small-scale wedding stationery company, we’re always getting emails from couples who want quality invites without blowing their entire wedding budget. We always do our best to stretch your budget the furthest, but even so, custom designs just aren’t in the cards for everyone. And although it might be considered “bad for business”, if you’re one of those couples, I want to refer you somewhere I know can meet your needs at a lower price point.

Which is why I spent hundreds of dollars of my own money testing out the competition…

By far and away, my top recommendation? Minted wedding invitations.

Before I started recommending Minted, I put ‘em through the ringer to make sure they live up to the hype and have a product that I would order if I were a bride. I tested their papers, tried out different colors and print selections, and put their high-end options to the test, just like I do for my own clients. (And I actually spent my own money doing this—I wanted the honest, uncut experience!)

Let’s just say, they live up to the hype, guys.

Rather than approaching it from a bride’s perspective, I came at it from a designer’s perspective: What kind of paper do they use? How heavy is it? What are the colors like? Is the printing sharp? How long did shipping take? And then I asked how much I would charge for that exact same thing as a one-person design studio.

Here is my raw and uncut Minted review: what I love, what I don’t, and how you can have the best experience when ordering from the big guys.

Minted Wedding Invitations

When it comes to wedding invitations, prices can vary a lot (duh, right?). Wedding experts actually recommend budgeting $2,000 for invitations, which means that some brides spend a lot more than that and some a lot less. But despite the vastly different prices, there’s really only 3 price points that fit most brides:

• Low: Budget invitation designs that couples can print themselves (ie. templates)
• Medium: Semi-custom invitations from companies that specialize in large-scale printing services (ie. Minted)
• High: Custom invitations from small-scale design companies

At Pipkin we fall at the high end of the spectrum but we also offer templates that brides can print themselves if they like our designs but can’t afford our services. A lot of people who reach out to us, however, are looking for something middle of the road: they don’t want to spend a ton of money but they don’t want to go the DIY route either.

And that’s where Minted wedding invitations come in.

While I’ve always fangirled over Minted’s gorgeous designs, until recently I had never tried their invitations firsthand. So I pulled out my debit card and ordered a bunch of different styles, textures, paper weights and printing options, to get a feel for everything they offer and to see how their quality stacks up against my own standards.

Here’s how they stack up.

Customer service – A

Before ordering, I sent them a message asking about paper types and foil colors. I got a response in about 3 hours from a rep who was super courteous and thorough. She explained the different cardstock options and when you might want to choose each one. She also explained the foiling process and how they quality check each order before it’s shipped. It was speedy and helpful, exactly what I was looking for.

Shipping speed – C+

I ordered Minted’s wedding invitation samples, and to my knowledge, they didn’t need to make anything custom for my order. Still, it took about 2 weeks to receive them in the mail. I know that we live in an Amazon culture that expects instantaneous shipping all the time, so I’m going to cut them some slack. But it was still pretty slow, so be sure to order early in the wedding planning process.

Quality papers and finishes – A

I love their papers more than I thought I would (as someone who obsesses over paper, I took this part a little too seriously). Standard invitations come on their 130# signature cotton cardstock which is gorgeous and doesn’t cost extra. By wedding industry standards, 130# stock is uh-mazingly thick and luxurious, but you can upgrade for a small fee, if you want.

Scroll to the bottom to read all about Minted’s cardstock options and what I think about each one.

High end printing processes – A+

This is where Minted wedding invitations really shine: high end options (like foil and letterpress) without the price tag. The most expensive part of these techniques is what’s called the die: an etched metal stamp that’s pressed into the paper to make a regressed design. Since non-custom designs use the same die over and over again, you don’t have to pay the $250+ price tag to have one custom made. And that makes it super affordable.

Color accuracy and legibility – B+

I only use printers that ensure a crisp, clean print no matter the paper. Artwork and watercolors are sometimes hard to print without looking faint and washed out, but Minted does a great job at this – most of the time. Some designs turned out better than others, but I chalk that up to the design itself, not the printer. Text wise, the words were crisp, clean and legible on all of the Minted wedding invitations I sampled.

The Invitations

For the invitations themselves, I wanted to sample something from each of their different lines: gold foil, letterpress, watercolors, all-in-one, and mini.

Here’s the good bad and the ugly.

Gold Foil

If there’s one thing Minted really slays at, it’s gold foil. Both of these invitations, the sketched bouquet and forever elegant, were so stunning that I had a hard time picking just one. The foil is rose gold perfection (seriously, it’s the prettiest shade of light copper pink) and it’s flawlessly stamped into the paper. If I were to order my own wedding invitations all over again, it would be one of these.

They came on the signature paper, which I would have thought might be too thin for the foil press, but it’s seriously impeccable. No flaky foil, spotty printing or bleed through (where you can feel the imprint on the back of the invitation) like I’ve experienced in the past. I absolutely love these and would recommend them over and over again.

At Pipkin, 100 foil-pressed invites and RSVPs with printed envelopes would cost $1,500+. But Minted does it for just $450, which is seriously unheard of.

Letterpress

These Classic Letterpress invitations would be perfect for a black tie event. They come on the most gorgeous 100% cotton cardstock, which is like their double thick cardstock but with a little extra texture. I think the writing looks a little chunky, which is sometimes required with letterpress printing, but it’s still readable. And the quality of the letterpress itself is beautiful.

While these are more expensive than some others (it’s $800 for 100 invitations, RSVPs and printed envelopes), at Pipkin these would be in the $2,000 ballpark. You can get these in non-letterpress for about $375.

Watercolor

I mentioned this earlier but the watercolors were hit or miss for me.

The Grande Botanique invitation was gorgeous. The colors were a lot fainter than they looked online but the design was still totally readable (your eye can easily figure out what’s happening with the floral bouquet). The printing was also flawless without a pixel-y look you sometimes run into with digital printing.

I also love the Watercolor Delight invites. The color is a vibrant, mint green with yellow gold foil accents. The watercolors are crisp and the design is just plain beautiful. Some designs are hard to distinguish, like your eye can’t tell what’s going on or where to land, but this one is just busy enough to be fun but still elegant.

The last watercolor invite I picked, Florista Modernista, was a flop. I saw a picture on Instagram that sold me on it but I didn’t love it in person. The artwork didn’t translate and it was hard to tell what you’re looking at. I admit that I may have picked the wrong color (yellow and wine) but still, I think it looked washed out and confusing. If you love this invitation, definitely order a sample and choose a couple different colors!

Mini

Minted wedding invitations come in a standard 5×7” but they have a smaller 4×6” version for some designs. Not only are they more compact but they’re also less expensive (less paper and smaller envelopes!) They also don’t feel quite as audacious as the full size invites (I admit that it took me a while to get used to how large 5×7” invitations feel).

Because these are smaller, I was worried that they would look cramped or hard to read, but they really weren’t at all. I actually really liked the size, layout, and the amount of breathing room the text had.

I do have to say though, for the price I like the Framed in Ferns better than the Charming Go Lightly. Charming Go Lightly is simple and formal, but the font choice and gray text was light and a little hard to read. Meanwhile Framed in Ferns uses a beautiful, easy to read font and even has some subtle gold foil in the frame, which adds a ton of interest without costing a lot extra.

All-in-One

I think Minted’s all-in-one invitations are absolutely brilliant. If you’re not familiar with them, the invitation and RSVP are printed on the front side of one long sheet of cardstock, while the address is printed on the back. When folded, the outside turns into an envelope with the invitation and RSVP tucked safely inside. Your guests then just tear off the RSVP and mail it back like a postcard. Obviously you still need to provide the stamps but you save money by not having to buy envelopes or printing separate cards.

The good: The gold foil is A+ gorgeous.

The bad: While I love the concept, I’m not super happy with the particular design I ordered. I think the Ethereal Wash looks cheap, inconsistent and hard to read in places. Some words are bold, some aren’t – and it feels haphazardly planned. To be fair, the weird printing may have been a fluke because everything else I purchased was beautiful.

Definitely don’t let it deter you from using this format, I would just recommend ordering a different design.

Minted’s Paper Options

If you’re new to cardstock, check out our complete guide to cardstock post. Otherwise, here’s my take on Minted’s paper options.

Signature

All Minted wedding invitations come on their Signature cardstock at no additional cost. It’s a thick, luxurious cotton cardstock in 130# (19.3 point) thickness with a matte finish. Cotton is the most popular cardstock option at Pipkin and this one is just gorgeous. It has a subtle, ever-so-slightly textured surface that works well with any printing method and wedding style. And at 130#, it’s thick by invitation standards, which makes your invitations feel luxe from the very start. It comes in a soft-white color that’s bright, but not 100% white-white.

Premium 100% Recycled

Like the name suggests, recycled cardstock is made from breaking down other papers and re-combining them into cardstock. It has a smooth, matte texture with very subtle flecks in it from the recycled fibers. It’s less formal than the signature cardstock, but I like that it’s thicker (160#) and easier on the environment. As for color, it’s a little brighter than the signature paper, but still not white-white.

Pearlescent

The pearlescent paper is Minted’s thinnest cardstock weighing in at 98#. It has a super soft shimmer when the light catches it right, which gives invitations a soft, elegant glow. I prefer a much thicker paper for invitations and always recommend brides choose the highest weight they can afford. But if you have your heart set on pearlescent stock, this is a pretty option. While it’s a soft white color, just like the signature paper, it looks bright white in the right light due to the shimmer.

Doublethick Paper

Ohhhhh, this paper is a stunner (and my personal favorite). Nothing says high-end quite like a super sturdy 240# cardstock. It feels like the Signature Paper (both are premium cotton in soft white from Mohawk Papers) but it’s almost double the weight. It’s heavy and thick but it’s still somewhat bendable. Most printers can’t print on 240# paper, unless they’re letterpress printers, so it’s rare to find one that can at this price point.

Luxe Museum Board

This is Minted’s premium paper. It weighs a whopping 360# (unheard of in invitation circles) and it feels like smooth, luxury cardboard. It’s also cotton from Mohawk Paper so it’s a lot like the Signature and Doublethick, only thicker. It’s perfect for once-in-a-lifetime events, but might be overkill if you’re having a more low-key wedding or can’t afford the premium price tag. The color is a soft white.

What I didn’t love:

• The lack of color options. Minted’s invitation suites are designed with certain color combinations in mind and that may or may not align with your wedding colors. Sometimes it might be pastel pink, other times dark green. It just depends.
• No additional paper textures. Cardstocks typically come in a variety of finishes like linen, canvas, felt and vellum. But minted only really has three: cotton, pearlescent and recycled.

How to Have a Great Minted Experience

1. Order way ahead of time. Minted is a large company and things will invariably go wrong at some point. (Even my small local printers mess up from time to time, that’s just the nature of the beast.) No matter the shipping speed or delivery estimate, don’t wait until the last minute to order your Minted wedding invitations in case you have to send them back or order a re-print.
2. Always order a sample first – even if it costs money. I loved most of the invitations I ordered, but a couple weren’t what I was expecting. You don’t want to find this out after ordering 175 of them.
3. If something goes wrong, get their response in writing. Wedding invitations cost a lot of money and you don’t want to be left footing the bill for their mistake. If something goes wrong, reach out via email (or ask for an email follow up from the customer service rep) so you have everything in writing and can use that when speaking to someone else later.
4. Order a few extras. Once you’ve picked out a design add 5-10 extra to your order. This will save you the headache of trying to re-order later, which can be a nightmare.
5. Mail an invitation to yourself. Do a test run to see how they look after going through the mail. Some reviewers didn’t like the free tape Minted provides (melting and sticking could be an issue) and ended up using their own. Trust me, you don’t want to find out from your guests that half the invitations never arrived (because they’re stuck to someone else’s mail, no doubt).

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The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website are for educational and informational purposes only. I am only sharing what worked for me, and as such, I cannot guarantee that any products or processes will give you the same results.