Are you annoying your friends with last minute invites?  Are you sending texts or social media invites when you should be sending something more personal? Do your invitations sound bossy?  So much information your guests are confused?  We’ve seen quite a few invitations in our day, and we’re here to share some tips to help you create a beautiful, welcoming invitation that your guests will be excited to receive.

Method

With technology taking over our daily lives and making it easier to tackle our to-do list, it’s easy to take the easy way out and use a paperless method of inviting guests to your gathering.  Are Facebook, or other tech based invitations appropriate?  Sometimes… Maybe.

For casual, informal, or short notice gatherings, such as Girl’s Night Out or Happy Hour with co-workers, a Facebook or text invitation is acceptable.  For bigger celebrations, consider more personal options.  For birthday parties or other gatherings that are more informal, an Evite is probably acceptable.  They certainly offer convenience, easy guest tracking and response, and some services even offer an easy way for guests to share photos from the event, but they still don’t offer the personal touch of a good old fashioned paper invitation.

While technology has the ability to bring us closer together in many ways, it has also pushed us farther apart.  When it comes to making an impression on your guests, the pen is mightier than the tech!  A beautifully designed invitation in a hand written envelope will not only get more attention from your guests, it will make them feel special.

Timing

How early should you mail your invitations? That depends on the event.

For housewarming parties, birthdays and other events that are a little more informal, 1 to 3 weeks should suffice.  Consider the distance your invitations have to travel, and make sure you allow adequate time for delivery and response.

For more formal events, graduation parties, baby and bridal showers, and even larger or more formal birthday gatherings, invitations should go out 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

For formal events, particularly special events like weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Quinceaneras, anniversary parties, and any other formal event, invitations should go out 4 to 6 weeks in advance.  For these types of events, where planning is usually done months, if not years, in advance, Save the Date cards could also be used to ensure your guests are able to celebrate with you on your special day.

Wording

This is where a lot of good invitations go bad!  Don’t turn your beautiful invitation into a jumbled mess of text.  Less is more.  Only put the essential information on the body of the invitation.  For additional details, such as directions to the venue or additional  instructions (such as Books for Baby or Diaper Raffles), use an enclosure card.  For more formal invitations, use an RSVP card that your guests can mail back to you, but be sure to include an addressed and stamped envelope.

Extra Special Touches

Really want to WOW your guests? Consider these extra special touches:

 

Have some fun tips for making your invitations special? Share them in the comments 🙂  Party on!