I came across this podcast about digital invitations at From Ring To Veil, a wedding planning company I follow. I just had to share it with you.
It really got me thinking as a wedding planner as to if I would recommend this to the couples that I am working with. After listening to this podcast and doing some research, I have come to the conclusion that this is really a personal choice.
In the wedding etiquette world, they still recommend traditional paper invitations. I do love to hold a beautifully designed invitation in my hand. Yet, over the last couple of years, both paper and digital wedding invitations have improved greatly—they’re now both cheap, elegant, and easy to create and send out. This means that you don’t have to choose between online and print invitations completely. You can send out both. For instance, at sites like Minted or Vista Print, you can quickly create beautifully printed invitations in small quantities for not very much money. So you can offer digital invitations to the majority of your guest list who are tech-savvy, and then save a handful of these paper invitations for the few who aren’t. Or, for another example, you could do your save the dates and your bridal shower invites digitally but stick to tradition with the main invitations.
Here are some benefits of doing digital invitations that I have found:
- It will save you money. If your budget is tight, this is one spot where it’s easy to cut costs.
- Immediate RSVP. Click yes or reply by email and you know in real time how many guests are coming, without waiting on the mail system both ways.
- Guests can see the guest list (which is either a pro or a con, you decide)
- Updating is simple. Changes to the event, i.e. dress code, timing etc… can be changed very quickly and easily, which does make the event more fluid.
- Online extras. It gives the wedding a digital home where the host and guests can comment, chat , or to gather meal choices or dietary restrictions.
- They can certainly be pretty. Digital invitations don’t have to be a generic field of plain text and buttons. The e-invites can still be oozing with personality and style. There are now many designs and themes to select from.
You may ask…Will people look down on your digital invites? Sure, some may. I don’t think anyone is going to fault you if you want to save money on the invitations in order to pay more for better food, better music, or just so you can pay the rent. Digital invitations are also more environmentally friendly than paper. And they’re less work. Planning a wedding is difficult. If you want to save time and money with less stress, you have every right to do so.
Here is a great company to get you started in your search.
Let me know what you think. Paper invitations or digital? What are you going to choose? I would love to hear from you.
