Wedding Cards: Paper or Online?
“Oh wow — Who’s it from? Look at my name written in beautiful calligraphy! Look at the handcrafted wedding invite! Where is the wedding? What is the theme? Oh my goodness, it’s so stunning. I’m going to pop it on my mantelpiece for years to come!” That is the kind of reaction you want when your wedding invitations finally reach people. Your wedding is actually happening and this is the first time people get a proper hint of what to expect, what to wear, what to give you! And not only that, it’s a lifetime souvenir of your big day.
There’s no doubt about it: we are living in the digital age. Every day, men and women do their work online, shop online, communicate with their friends online, and find ways to be entertained online. Why not embrace the Internet when it comes to your wedding? Create a wedding website, use a planning app, maybe even send out wedding cards online!
Hold on, I hear you say. A wedding is a classic ceremony, chocked full with tradition. There are rules and etiquette to everything, from the walk down the aisle to the tin cans on the bumper. And when it comes to something as important as a wedding, there’s no room for anything less than an elegant, paper wedding invitation.
So… who’s right? Should we stick with the traditional invites of old, or usher in a new era in wedding announcements? The truth is that both invitation options have good and bad qualities. Let’s take them to task and review a few:
Advantages of traditional wedding invitations:
· The biggest advantage of a traditional wedding invitation is that it makes an awesome keepsake. It is a physical representation of your upcoming marriage and something that your friends and family can keep forever!
· Getting an elegant letterpress invitation in the mail is a world away from opening an inbox. And inexpensive DIY party invites are far more special for guests than a form email. It elevates even a backyard barbecue to a special occasion.
· Grandma, Great Aunt Meg, that one friend who’s sworn off social media; if the entire guest list isn’t email savvy or isn’t on the same network, digital event invites fall short and end up being more work for the host.
· Once you have collected all the addresses and postcodes, you be able to use them when sending yours thank you notes — bonus!
· Another advantage of a paper wedding invite is that, well, they are traditional! They follow wedding etiquette to a T and will please everyone, especially the older generation coming to your wedding.
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· Even if you print your wedding cards online, it won’t have the same high-end quality as a traditional paper invitation. Not quite the same keepsake.
· You know the conundrum of not inviting children to your wedding? Or including/excluding plus ones? And all the other secrets of wording? All of these can be lost on an wedding cards online, whereas paper will allow you to be crystal clear about your preferences.
· The best thing about a paper wedding invitation is the huge variety of choice when it comes to designs. You can pick the style that perfectly complements your wedding: heavy cream paper for a traditional affair, whimsical and fun designs for something more casual. And while the world of weddings is becoming more open to doing online invitations, most guests will still associate them with a casual affair, no matter the design.
Advantages of Wedding invitations online:
· Online wedding invitations can save you some big pennies! Even if you have to pay a fee for creating a bespoke design, or for sending out the invites, it will cost you less than a paper invitation which also needs postage.
· Online wedding invitations are guaranteed to save some time between sending and receiving the RSVP’s. This is very useful if you are planning your wedding in a short period of time.
· Tracking RSVP’s will be much easier if online invites are sent, as you will be able to see who has opened and read the invitations, even if they haven’t accepted or declined your invitation yet — playing it cool!
· Providing your guests with printed maps and other instructions won’t be necessary, as your online wedding invitations can have links to everything that the guests might need.
· If you are an eco-friendly couple, sending emails to your guests instead of paper wedding invitations is a great way to save a few precious trees.
· If the time or place changes, informing every guest is just a few clicks away. The event or invitation service might even sync to guests’ calendars, updating everyone’s appointments all at once.
THE WINNER…
So which invitation style is better? Honestly, it depends on the type of wedding you’re having. For a big, formal ceremony with your whole family tree, you’ll want to go paper. For a whirlwind weekend in Vegas with a few friends, digital will probably suffice. Figure out how you want to celebrate first — once you do, figuring out how to get your guests there will be a breeze.
Overall, we still recommend (and love) paper wedding invitations — they are beautiful and you can keep them forever! So if you can afford to go all print, then do it! If not, how about printed invites with a little card (even a business card) directing them to your very own basic website. This is where you can collect RSVPs, share the nitty-gritty details, and bonus — it’s easy to make edits.
