Trend Alert: Digital Wedding Invitations

We’ll help you decide with an old fashioned Pros and Cons list.

Pros

Eco Friendly
One of the great things about choosing an Evite is the low impact on the environment. Digital wedding invitations are not only easy and less expensive but they are also eco- friendly. With over 121,000 weddings in Australia each year, that’s a whole lot of lost trees to make pretty paper invitations.

Less stress
If you talk to any bride, the RSVPs for the wedding are one of the most stressful parts of planning a wedding. Guests are more likely to click ‘Attending’ on an Evite than go to the trouble of posting an RSVP envelope in the mail. It’s sad, but true!

Cost
Let’s face it. Invitations can be expensive, with costs running over $1000 for a wedding with less than 120 people. For couples that want to cut down on spending or use the money somewhere else in the wedding, Evites are a great and cost effective option.

Time restrictions
Some weddings are planned much faster than others. If a family member is unwell, the bride is expecting or a summer honeymoon in Europe is calling, it may be necessary to do things fast. And Evites? They’re quick and less time consuming than traditional invites.

You’re in charge
We’ve all heard the common horror story of a bride’s invitation going wrong. She requested lilac gloss and ended up getting poo-brown matte. With an Evite you’re in charge from start to finish and have the ability to preview the finished product before clicking send. Clicked the wrong size font or don’t like the colour palette? No problem, just click back and fix it.

Cons

Etiquette
As old-school as it may sound, some friends and family may be offended if they receive an Evite.  Some cultures still believe in personally delivering a wedding invitation to each invited family. In some circumstances, an Evite might come across as a lack of respect.

The older generation
Few of our Grandparents or Aunties and Uncles are down with Facebook or Gmail. Calling your grandmother and saying “I’ve just sent my wedding invite to your inbox. Let me know when you get it” might cause a little confusion. They might think “inbox” is the new word for mailbox and check every day before accusing the poor postie of stealing it. Keep this in mind or perhaps still print a couple of paper invitations for those non tech people.

Spam filters
The last thing you want is your pretty little Evite going to spam or junk mail because it has the word pleasure in the subject line.  This is just one of the risks you take when going digital.

You must be very specific
With an Evite, it can be rather unclear who you’re inviting. If a parent with children at home receives the Evite via email, does it include the whole family? Spell out who you are inviting and make sure you mention any children or partners you do want there. If there are people who aren’t invited, be as subtle as you can but include it somewhere to avoid the confusion.

Memorabilia
Many brides choose to keep everything from their flowers to their favours and stationery in a keepsake box.  If you choose a digital invite, you won’t have this option. You also won’t get a pretty shot of your invitation sitting up against your flowers and shoes on the day. You can always print a copy, but chances are it won’t look as pretty as a traditional invitation.

So tell us, would you break tradition and use an Evite?