Tips For Creating Invitation Maps For Your Invites

Having great invitation maps for your wedding invitations is really important, especially for out of town guests. Even if most of your guests live near you, a map to get them to your venue can be helpful. You don�t have to settle for boring maps, though. We�ve got some great tips for making your own so they match the rest of your invitation pieces!

Basics of maps for invitations

Typically, maps go on separate pieces of paper from the rest of the invitation. This is helpful for a couple reasons. For one, you don�t have to figure out how to work a map into your elegant invitation design. For another, people can just pull out the maps when they�re driving to your venue.

On your map/s, you definitely want to mark the location of the ceremony and reception. You might also want to mark the best route between them if there could be some confusion. Besides that, you might want to mark the locations of some good places for out of town guests to stay and even reputatble taxis service.

While some people can get anywhere from just a map, most people will need written directions, too. Write out directions to your venues from nearby major highways for simplicity. Since we live in the age of Google Maps and GPS devices, you might include the exact addresses of all the places you�ve marked on your map, too.

Printing maps from your computer

Printing your own invitation maps on cardstock that matches your wedding invitations is pretty simple. First, go to Google Maps or MapQuest and type in the main venue address.

Zoom in so that you can see the names of major streets. But stay far enough out that you can mark other locations on the map yourself.

Next, push your �print screen� button, which will be somewhere at the top/top right of your keyboard. This will automatically copy whatever is on your screen. Open up your basic Paint program, and paste the image into a blank document. You can crop the image down so that just the map is showing. Using Paint, mark important routes, put stars on important locations, etc.

Save the paint image as a .jpeg file. This should be automatic, but double check it. When you�re saving, just go to the drop down �Save as type� menu at the bottom of the box and make sure the jpeg image is selected.

Next, you can open up a Word template or something similar. If you�re using a program like Publisher, you can create a card-sized template that will print out perfectly on your cardstock. Insert the map image into the template. Then, add directions to your invitation maps in separate text boxes. If you�ve got clipart or images on your printed DIY invitations, you can pull them into your invitation maps, as well.

When you get everything set, do a test run on your printer. Your maps should be good to go!

If you�re hand crafting invitations

If you�re making scrapbook style invites, hand writing your invitations with calligraphy, or otherwise creating your own invitations, you may want to personalize your invitation maps to match. In this case, you can just print off the map on a card sized piece of paper. Add in the directions and addresses to match the style you�ve used in your invitations. You may even want to hand-trace routes and important locations on each individual map!

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