A lemondrop-yellow baby shower invitation peeked out of my mailbox the other day—my real mailbox, not my email inbox. I was surprised at how happy that card made me feel as I stuck it to my bulletin board and noted the date in my calendar. The fresh design and handwritten envelope amplified my excitement for the party—far more so than the standard e-mail invites. Now, why should big-deal events like weddings and showers have all the invitation fun?
E-mail invites are certainly the easiest and best for big parties—the sort of shindigs where you’re happy to have your co-worker’s-brother’s-friend show up. But for smaller parties, I’m newly infatuated with paper invitations sent via snail mail. When you’re stepping up to the plate as a hostess, real invitations signal that you’re seriously psyched to get your friends together. The invites set the tone, they show you’re planning ahead, and they’re far more original than those yawn-worthy graphics of balloons and martini glasses.
On the other hand, who’s got the time to painstakingly assemble fancy cards? And having a few friends over to my studio apartment doesn’t exactly call for engraved numbers from Mrs. John L. Strong. I’d rather splurge on food and drinks for the party than on letterpress-to-impress. Also, my mental image of casual invitation cards involved tacky border designs of party hats. What else is out there?
After hitting scads of stationers and online options, I came up with strategies and ideas for all sorts of invites. Time to step up the socializing .
Strike a pose.
Invitations are a sneak preview to the style of your party, and they prime your guests for a good time. Decide on the fanciness level: are you thinking super casual or dressy? Do you have a specific reason or theme in mind—a chill Sunday brunch, a birthday, an excuse to wear that awesome-yet-silly Pucci dress you can’t quite let out of the house? Also, figure out how much you’re willing to spend on the invites. These two factors will significantly narrow the field.
The 5 Ws and 1 H.
It’s just like English class—invitations need to tell your guests who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Who are the players? Besides the host, is there a special guest? (If it’s a birthday party, make sure the guest of honor is okay with the announcement of their age.)
- What are you planning? A meal, drinks, a movie screening, costumes, spin the bottle, you name it. Letting your guests know what to look forward to also helps them figure out what to wear and how to prepare.
- When should they show up? If you have something time-specific planned, say so. For instance, if you’re serving dinner, you can say something like “7:00 p.m. (dinner at 8:00).” Party time doesn’t have to be open-ended either. You can mention an end time too, like a cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Where to go? If there’s even a smidge of doubt that your guests will know where to go, include a map and directions.
- Why are you getting people together? Don’t be shy about this! It’ll get people in the right mindset. So, you’re rallying a few friends to help assuage a bruised heart? Say so (in a non-self-pitying way) and they’ll know to come with an empathetic ear, tissues, and chocolate.
- How? Any special instructions? Note things like dress requests and BYO (sunblock, beer, tolerance for bad puns) explicitly. Add an RSVP request and contact information.
Fill in the blank.
Remember those fill-in-the-blank cards, with prompts for the key details? There’s no shame in those, thank you—and some are downright stylish. Soolip, for instance, has some sophisticated picks. Greener Grass Design has a few just-mod-enough designs.
Printer’s alley.
Printed invitations can be much easier than you think—and they’re especially handy if your handwriting is more chicken scratch than calligraphy. If you’ve got an ink-jet or laser printer, you can DIY.
Hit a good stationery store and look for card stock. Flat cards come in dozens of colors; the basic sizes are four by six or five by seven inches. Keep your printed text in mind when choosing colors. That azure blue might be gorgeous, but will your design show up? Good online card stock sources include Paper Source and Kate’s Paperie, which lets you sort by price.
Don’t forget envelopes and postage. Pick up matching envelopes and check to see if they fall within the USPS standards for regular first-class postage rates. Springing for those funky square envelopes will jack up the mailing costs.
You could also go the gatefold way. This is a good trick to spruce up eight and a half by eleven inch paper. Fold two flaps inward to meet in the middle, then seal with a sticker. (Or even a wax seal if you’re feeling crafty … or pyro.)
Want to turn the printing over to the pros? Laser printed custom invites are the most reasonably priced option. At Web sites like VistaPrint you can upload your own design and see a PDF proof of your card before printing.
Carefully proofread your info before starting to print—better yet, get someone else to proofread it for you. A second pair of eyes can catch something you might have glossed over.
She’s crafty!
