Traditional Versus Digital Invitations
Digital wedding invitations are time efficient, cost effective and eco-friendly. Mailed invitations have more guarantee of delivery, ease of use and formal quality. So which is right to announce your big day?
In this current moment, whether you’ve already mailed invitations and have had to change your date, or worry that your date will change, the question of mailed invitations versus digital has been even more prevalent.
Invitations. Yeah they look all cute on the Pinterest flat lay, nestled amongst curly ribbon and vintage stamps, but the minute you get past making the guest list, all motivation for mailed invitations goes out the window.
I have to find ALL these people’s addresses? I have to include a stamp to mail AND an RSVP stamp? Aunt Ruth didn’t mark her meal choice on her RSVP card, now I have to call her, ugh! (We all know Aunt Ruth is the worst…)
It’s no wonder couples are turning to online invitations. But then the little nagging wedding voice (or your mom,) says no, that’s not proper etiquette. They HAVE to be mailed.
So what’s the right choice?
The answer is, “do whatever you want to do.” As in anything dealing with weddings nowadays, that is 100% always going to be the answer. Do what you want to do.
BUT, if you need documentation from a professional to prove to that little nagging voice (or your mom,) on the difference between the two, we’re happy to be the attorney for the defense of both.
The pros of e-vites are time and cost. If there are other priorities on your list that you’d rather have, and cutting out mailed invitations will allow you to have those, then that’s a beneficial trade off. Also, they’re greener for our planet, and you can’t go wrong with some eco-love.
Now back to Aunt Ruth…
You know your guests and family better than anyone. Will Aunt Ruth be able to sign in online and navigate your RSVP page to submit her own? Will your friends from your bar trivia group have taken the time to read the directions on your save the dates to go to your website and submit their own RSVP’s in the appointed time?
Something to consider when going only digital, is that you’re going to have to get the word out that the invites are digital in some way, and that may include sending physical save the dates. In doing this, you’re going to have to get everyone’s physical mailing addresses, which defeats the purpose of going completely digital.
Can I have both?
Yes! You can have online invites and mailed. It’s great to give guests options on how to respond, this gives you more of a chance of collecting responses. However, this may defeat the purpose of saving you time. Now you’ll need to check both online RSVPs, and catalogue your mailed in responses.
A happy middle ground would be using a self-address system like Minted. You input all of your guest addresses into a spread sheet, and Minted addresses everything for you. Save the Dates, RSVP Cards and Thank You Cards.
If you want to send formal invitations, but still want to keep your stress low, then send out paper invites, but ask guests to RSVP online instead of paying for and sending out RSVP cards.
You can also keep your thumb green by ordering invitations made with recycled materials from a company like Paper Culture, who also plants a tree for every order placed.
So in summary, the question is, which is better? And the answer: whatever makes the most sense for your situation.
