A $2,500 suite and a $400 suite are different products, and both are real
Jessica Leigh Paperie publishes two tiers: Boutique invitations begin at $2,500 and Luxury at $3,500. Boutique means semi custom design on 130lb or 220lb cardstock with mixed specialty and digital printing, a belly band or pocket, two or three enclosures and envelope calligraphy. Luxury adds custom design, monograms, maps and illustrations, vellum overlays, wax seals and hand calligraphy on dark envelopes. Day of paper, from programs and menus to seating charts and matchbooks, is budgeted separately at $1,500 to $3,000.
The marketplace figures are a different world. On WeddingWire, Gemini Invitations in Hauppauge starts at $500, Dolce Press in Bohemia at $750 and Bella Giornata Paper Co. in Commack at $1,550. Neither source is wrong. A $500 starting price is often the print run alone, with the design fee, assembly, addressing and postage all separate. For scale, The Knot's 2026 study puts national invitation spend at $510 and Zola at $500. The Wedding Report's 75 guest Long Island estimate is $446 to $545.
The printing method is the entire conversation
Digital, letterpress, foil and engraving are a three to ten times cost swing, and a good stationer quotes by method with physical samples in hand. Dolce Press in Bohemia, founded 2008, lists letterpress, foil, thermography, laser cutting, raised UV and acrylic. The Stationery Bar in Lindenhurst, with a showroom since 2018, works letterpress, foil, embossing and engraving on cotton, handmade paper, acrylic, velvet, silk and leather. Inklinations in Great Neck, 36 years in, carries Crane and Bella Figura albums. Medici Fine Stationery in Huntington does engraving and letterpress plus hand and machine calligraphy.
A good stationer also weighs the finished suite for postage, because an over square or thick envelope costs more per piece and couples discover it at the post office with 150 envelopes. They design day of paper as part of the same system as the invitation. A bad one is a reseller flipping catalog templates from a national book at a markup.
Order 15 to 20% overage, because reprints are punishing
Quantity is per household, not per guest. Order 15 to 20% overage, because a reprint is a second setup charge on a short run. Postage is not included and non standard suites cost more to mail. Assembly, addressing and mailing are usually separate line items; Gemini Invitations lists addressing and mailing as a service. Proof rounds are capped, and extra revisions are billed.
Timelines are the other trap. Letterpress and foil have long lead times, and save the dates ship 8 to 12 months out, so this vendor is booked earlier than couples expect. Fat Cat Paperie gives away a stationery timeline download on its site and takes video consultations for out of town clients. Work backward from the ship date.
Where the presses and the calligraphers are, from Manhasset to Bohemia
The studios split roughly into print houses, designers and calligraphers, and the split matters for who you hire first. The print and showroom houses are Dolce Press in Bohemia, The Stationery Bar in Lindenhurst, Inklinations in Great Neck and Medici in Huntington. Among the design studios, Violet Invitations in Ronkonkoma works in acrylic and offers a shop at home service for clients 25 or more miles away.
Scout Design Shop in Long Beach does letterpress with custom maps and hand lettered signage. Fairy Tale Affairs in Massapequa Park has sold custom invitations since 2000 alongside Italian confetti favors, and Yvonne's in Hicksville pairs invitations with favors. Melinda Cantor Designs, now in Lake Grove, has been at it since 1998 with engraved gifts and day of stationery. Prints Charming in Northport does custom invitations and calligraphy from 120 Cherry Street. Nobody on the Island prices a suite differently for an East End address, but letterpress lead times do not care about geography either.
What do wedding invitations cost on Long Island?
It depends entirely on the printing method and who is quoting. Jessica Leigh Paperie's own site starts custom suites at $2,500 to $3,500 with typical spend of $3,000 to $6,000. WeddingWire starting prices run $400 to $3,500, and a low figure there is often the print run without the design fee or postage.
How many invitations should I order?
Order one per household, then add 15 to 20% overage. Reprints are expensive and slow, especially for letterpress and foil. Ask each studio for its minimum order, because a small wedding may hit a floor.
When should I book a stationer?
Book it earlier than the rest of the vendor list suggests. Save the dates ship 8 to 12 months before the wedding, and letterpress and foil carry long lead times on top of capped proof rounds. Fat Cat Paperie publishes a free stationery timeline download if you want the full calendar.
Is day of paper included in the invitation quote?
It is almost never in the invitation quote. Jessica Leigh Paperie budgets programs, menus, place cards, seating charts and signage separately at $1,500 to $3,000. A good stationer designs it in the same system as the suite, so ask for the day of estimate at the first meeting.
Facts read from each vendor’s own site and, where noted, its The Knot or WeddingWire listing, on 3 September 2026. Prices marked “on their site” are first party; anything marked “on The Knot” or “on WeddingWire” is marketplace sourced and may have changed. Run a Long Island stationer business? Claim or correct a listing, free.
