It’s not necessarily an age-old question, it’s more of a modern thought, but how do you decide whether to send a traditional invitation to a party or electronic invitations? There are pros and cons to both methods and you may immediately love or hate either one. But, in the case that you can’t decide what is best, or maybe don’t know a whole lot about evites, let’s go through the talking points on each. Then, at the end of the post, you can see the comparison chart to help you decide!
Traditional Invitations
Pros
It’s a Classic
The paper invitation is recognizable. It’s classic. People see a paper invite and know what it is immediately. There is no explaining necessary. You can find them in a lot of different stores from Target to Papersource to ordering online with somewhere like Minted.
They’re Artistic
If you’re making your invitations, you are literally limitless. You can use all of your artistic nature to come up with unique themes, textures and shapes. Even if you purchase an invitation, you can see some artistic value in the printed paper, maybe it has embossing or some kind of three-dimensional element. Party invitations can often be little tiny works of art.
You Can Support Small Business/Handmade
There are a lot of small business print shops or even handmade Etsy shops that create invitations. They are often a labor of love and turn out beautiful. Then, you can send your invitation off to the recipient knowing that you supported a small business or artisan by purchasing from them.
They Act as a Physical Reminder of the Party
The nice thing about paper party invitations is that they don’t go away (unless the person throws it out). But, typically, the person receiving the invitation will put it somewhere with other important documents, like the refrigerator. This will be a visual reminder of the party, that electronic invitations can not provide.
Cons
Time Consuming
Traditional paper invitations can be time consuming. So, when you’re deciding between paper invites and electronic invitations, time should be a consideration. You either have to go out and buy the invitations, address them and mail them, or, you have to gather materials, create them, address them, and mail them. Even if you order online, paper invitations will sometimes have a lead time, meaning they may take a certain period of time to be completed.
May Have to Chase & Collect RSVPs
Now, regardless of invitation type, you’re probably going to have to bug people about whether or not they’re coming to your party. It’s the nature of people. You can help yourself by following these tips to get people to RSVP. Regardless, with paper invitations, you have the added layer of needing to keep track of your RSVPs. If you’re anything like me, this will probably mean you jot it down on a piece of paper or post it note……and then lose it. So, keeping track of invites is a challenge for some. (Psst. I do have a form at that will help you with that, see below).
Can be Expensive
This is particularly true if you go to a specialty shop or order custom invitations. The price can really add up. So it depends on the type of event you’re having. With something like a wedding, you may value the aesthetics and formality over the price. But for a birthday party at home, you may just want something quick, easy and cheap. It just depends. Also, don’t forget you will need to buy stamps.
They Take Time
Traditional paper invitations will take time to get to your recipients. You have the time it takes to buy/make them, then get them to the post office/mailbox, then wait for the postal service to deliver. So, consider how much time you have when deciding invite versus electronic invitations.
Hopefully, you have enough thinking points on the traditional paper invite. Now let’s move onto electronic evites and talk about their pros and cons.
Electronic Invitations
Pros
They are Quick
You can create an electronic invitation pretty quickly. Most are drag and drop to be simple. Simply enter your event information and the recipient’s emails and hit send. Then your guests will get them immediately. No need to go anywhere or wait for the Postal Service. This is ideal for last minute gatherings or if you procrastinate too long (been there, done that).
They Make Tracking RSVPs Easy
Electronic invitations are great for keeping everything in one place. You can see who is coming, send comments back and forth, create polls for your guests, and more. The features are pretty cool. But, the biggest win is not having to find the piece of paper you started writing down who is coming to your party on. So, when the time comes to go shop for food for this party, log on to your evite distributor and see how many “yes” responses you got.
They are Inexpensive
There are many evite options that are free! You can get certain designs, or perhaps fewer features at a low or zero price point! Can’t really argue with that. It all comes down to what you value. If you don’t mind choosing from a more limited selection of designs and would like to save money. Evites are perfect!
Cons
They Can Be Impersonal
Electronic invitations are sent to a person’s email. This can sometimes come across as a little less personal. It seems like a company sending you a blast email. When I use electronic invitations, I try to make it as exciting as possible. I use a lot of exclamation points, for that reason. There is something a little more personal about a paper invite address specifically to you, not a group.
You Need Everyone’s Email
Unless you’re super organized with your contacts and have them already, you may need to chase down all your recipient’s emails. This may be an extra step that adds more time to the process. In addition to needing their email address, you also have to follow up to make sure they got the email and it didn’t go to their spam or junk box. Again, extra step.
It May Not Allow for Tons of Customization
With electronic invitations, it can sometimes be “take what you get”. You may not be able to do everything you want in terms of color choices, font choices or design. You’re also sending one file out to a large number of guests, so you can’t really address them individually to each person. Evites are a little more restrictive on the personalization front.
Altogether, electronic invitations can be quick, efficient and cheap. They provide an excellent option for those that don’t want to DIY or keep track of records. You do sacrifice some artistic value and customization. It really comes down to what you value. See the comparison chart in the next section.
How They Compare
When it comes down to it – electronic invitations versus paper invitations – is going to be a choice made on personal preference. But, you can use some of these thoughts in this post to help you decide what is ultimately important to you and for your event. Hopefully this post can help you choose the best option!
Wrap Up
Lots of information! I’m sure you’re still deciding, but hopefully these points can help you in your decision. If you’re wondering about where to get electronic invitations, you can read about evite vendors in the invitation package by entering your email below for your free download. It includes an RSVP tracker, checklist for what to include on your invites, printable envelope seals, and envelope liner stencils. Overall, trust your gut. There is no wrong answer, just personal preference! Happy planning!
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