WEDDING INVITES, TRADITIONAL OR DIGI?

When an envelope made of fancy paper stock shows up in your mailbox, you know what’s coming your way. Mailing out wedding invites is an essential stage of wedding prep, serving as a prelude to the ceremony and all the festivities that will ensue.

A wedding invite is meant to provide a brief but concise picture of your wedding day, therefore some folks compare it to an elevator pitch.It also sets the overall tone of the wedding and needs to align with your wedding style, theme and colour pallete.

Are you a savvy millennial toying with the idea of going online and saving money and lovely trees?

Let’s look at both, traditional and digital and in the end, you do you!

Like the many other things that are going the paperless route, email wedding invites are gaining popularity. Economically, we can understand the shift; sending digital invites is a much cheaper and convenient way to notify people of your big day.However according to Lizzie Post , an etiquette author and co-president of The Emily Post Institute, going paperless is still not appropriate for a wedding. Below the etiquette expert breaks the reasoning down for us:

1.Traditional Is More Sentimental

“Weddings are such an important event in a person’s life. For many people, this might be the only formal event thrown in their honor,” says Post. “A mailed invitation carries clout and sentimentality for such a revered event.” Plus, many guests keep their invites as keepsakes, especially if they are close family members.

Amid all the digital invites and emails you receive on a daily basis, a wedding evite can easily be lost. “The formality of the invitation reflects the formality of the event,” says Post. “A physical representation of this event in the communication stage is still important, even if it’s a small wedding.”

2. Consider Your Older Guests

“If you’re throwing a wedding for multiple generations of people, you want to communicate in a way that’s clear for the most senior generation,” says Post. While there are many folks in their 70s who are remarkably tech-savvy, don’t assume that all of your older guests will know what to do with their digital invitation — or even be aware of them.

3. Save The Dates Are Different

Couples have a bit more freedom when it comes to save-the-dates. These notifications are usually made when a couple first get engaged: They will send a card out so people who are a going to be invited can note the date on their calendar. Post says this type of communication can be fun, informal, and digital. Save-the-dates here should be sent out four to six months prior to the wedding date. Anyone who received save-the-date must also receive a wedding invitation.

4. The Few Exceptions

If you’re exceedingly environmentally-minded and the thought of adding to the world’s carbon footprint is just unbearable to you, then you may skip the physical invitation.

Another exception, according to Post, is when you’re putting together a last-minute wedding, and there’s not enough time to mail out paper invitations and have them returned. In that case, the next best alternative is to pick up the phone.

Thanks Lizzy Post! We hear you, but lets look at the other side as well.

When planning your wedding, it feels like every decision is a huge one. From where you’ll tie the knot to the food you’ll serve, every decision impacts how your big day will go – and, of course, how much it will cost. With weddings seeming to get more and more expensive each year, it’s great when you can find a way to save money without sacrificing anything.

If you’re on a budget, or just looking for a smart way to cut costs so that you can allocate it for other things (like an out-of-this-world honeymoon or a down payment on a home), then choosing online wedding invitations is a super smart option to go with.They are also incredibly trendy and you can really be creative with them, the possibilities are endless.

Below some of the benefits and reasons why using a Wedding Website is great and will save you money, time and other resources!

1. No Space Limitations

Not only do online wedding invitations ensure that you’re not limited in the information you can include, but they don’t require you to spend a lot in order to print front and back or to include paper inserts (which almost always get lost or misplaced anyway).

2. Customize to fit your theme

 When you use a wedding website for your invitations, you can completely customize how every inch of your invites look. For example, websites like Wix and  My Wedding Online are fully customizable, thus you can design your own website to fit perfectly with your wedding theme and colours.If you prefer a professional to do the design for you, give Kouki Design a shout, they will have your website done to perfection in no time!

3. It’s  fun, informative and interactive

Special features enable guests to interact with your wedding invitations, creating something different and special.Adding music and photos can also bring out the emotive aspect and wow guests with a unique and heartfelt experience.

4. Cost and paper saving 

Another benefit of wedding invitation websites is that they allow RSVPs to come in digitally – no paper or postage required.

5. It’s convenient

Sending and receiving an online wedding invitations is quick and makes it easy for wedding guests to reply.They are especially helpful when menu selections and food preferences are involved.All can be done with the click of a button!

6. No Wasted Time

 When you send out traditional wedding invitations, you are forced to play a waiting game. While the mail itself might take days (or even weeks) to arrive to your guests, you then have to wait again for the RSVPs to get back to you. And, when you’re in the middle of making decisions for your wedding, not knowing how many people are going to come can make everything that much more difficult.

By using online wedding invitations, you can deliver your invites instantly – and receive RSVP updates as soon as they happen. Plus, if you have any information you want to pass along to your guests,(or your quests to you)wedding invitation websites make it easy to get in touch with everyone at once.

Online wedding websites creates a whole new world when it comes to wedding entertainment. 

With service providers like My Wedding Online guests can actually load photos from their smart phone onto your wedding website on the day of your wedding. How cool is that?It’s like you own mobile photo booth!

There are so many options to choose from and each as unique as you are.We would suggest that you take the time to check it out.

Opinions and budgets aside, let your invitations tell a story and build excitement for the celebrations to come.Apply some basics, whether printed or digital and your wedding invites will be just lovely.Make sure you have a fabulous design, your wedding wording and a spell check!If you get stuck contact us and we will  point you in the right direction! 

Should you decide to go the traditional route, Susan Brand does the most amazing caligraphy, wax seals and watercolour wedding stationary, her designs are truly remarkable and something unique.

To help you on your way, also read how to decide Who Gets an Invite To You Wedding!

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 -The Wedding Gateway SA-

XOXO