Thursday, January 26, 2012

The evolution of wedding invitations


Since we have set our wedding date (oh, did I mention we booked our venue?)....ok, I will fill you in on some of the details:

  • Date: New Year's Eve, 2012
  • Location: the fraser café

That’s all you get for now J  Now back to the topic – wedding invitations.  

I have recently received 3 wedding invitations and 1 save-the-date.  The first wedding invite was put together beautifully on card stock with a lovely picture of the glowing couple.  The save-the-date was printed in black and white, styled like a postcard, and the information was also written over top of a picture of the bride and groom.  The last 2 wedding invitations came to my email in-box and both directed me to a customized wedding website put together by the couple.

I really enjoyed receiving all of these announcements, whether they came to my in-box or via snail mail.  I love weddings and am so excited for my friends to be getting married, so for the most part I am just excited I got the invite!  

I must say that it was great to open up the mail box and see envelopes that were clearly not bills or flyers.  There is also something nice about holding the invitation in your hand, and having the option to display it on the bulletin board or fridge.  With paper invitations you have the opportunity to add details such as ribbons or jewels and really provide the first glimpse of your wedding style and them.

This creative invitation package featured on The Knot did a really great job showcasing the wedding's theme and provided loads of details for guests.  I love the hand made admission tickets!

I will admit, however, that I have misplaced invitations in the past, therefore loosing pertinent event information.  And if I don't get the RSVP card in the mail the instant I receive it, this all-important task might be forgotten.  Now these mishaps are definitely not the fault of the invitation, I take full responsibility, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that this has happened to.

Check out the little cloth bag that came along with this pretty invite.  Just lovely.  (also featured on The Knot)

On the same note, it was also a nice treat to receive the 2 wedding invitations by email - I have no shortage of junk mail coming to my inbox!  I immediately checked out the wedding websites which were actually both designed by the same website.  There, I was able to view pictures of the happy couple, read their love story and all about the proposal.  There were no shortage of links to information about the ceremony and reception venues as well as maps, accommodation and attractions for those coming from out of town.  Some other fun aspects of the websites included places for guests to give music suggestions, a whole page dedicated to getting to know the wedding party, a place to sign the guest book as well as RSVP to the wedding and different events.

This cute wedding website is actually designed by Vera Wang.  

I was able to RSVP with the click of a button and immediately saved their sites to my favourites.  Since then, I will admit, I have browsed through their pictures and stories a couple more times and have really enjoyed it!  

This website was created at Wix.com.  I love all of the photos and how they are laid out on the homepage.

Creating my own wedding website was really starting to appeal to me.  I began checking out different designs and templates I could choose from and was really excited about the options.  There are hundreds of themes and styles to go with as well as numerous ways to personalize your own site.  Then I started to realize that this basically meant I could put together a second blog...totally dedicated to our wedding!!!  I WAS SO IN!

I know that email invitations and wedding websites are definitely not everyone's taste.  But the thing about weddings these days is - basically anything goes!  Gone are the expectations that everyone must follow conventional rules and traditions - I couldn't be happier.  One of the best parts of being a bride today is the fact that you can create the wedding of your dreams and feel free to make it as simple, elegant, traditional or as outrageous as you like.  It is really all about the couple and making the event personal to the guests of honour - the bride and groom.  

Check out the Offbeat Bride where some really unique, creative and fun weddings are showcased.  Like this one which took place at the Courtyard in Ottawa!




Here is a little Pro/Con list I've put together for the Email Invitation & Wedding Website

Pros:
  • You can ensure everyone receives and opens your invitation with the read-receipt function
  • Updates and changes can be made on the wedding website without much fuss, and everyone stays informed
  • Additional details can be included on the website regarding special events, the style of the wedding, information for out of town guests, all of which can't be included on a traditional invitation
  • It is an environmentally friendly alternative
  • A quick and easy RSVP for guests
  • Hello - it's FREE!

Cons:
  • Some guests may not have access to the internet
  • The email may be filtered to junk mail or lost in an full and unorganized inbox
  • Guests may feel your email and/or website does not do justice to such a formal affair

Clearly I am all for this, but I honestly can't think of any other cons.  Can you?  I wonder if creating a facebook invite will ever be considered appropriate?  I'm not there yet, myself, but I can definitely see it happening.  I bet they're already coming up with ways to personalize the event page and make it fancier.  And if not they should hire me, because I could do that!

Please let me know your thoughts: tacky and too informal or brilliant and environmentally/economically friendly?

6 comments:

  1. Hey Meaghan,
    I love your little blog!
    My opinion....it's nice to get stuff in the mail! We made ours at home with a pack from Micheals, and saved a heck of a lot of money on something people usually just throw out (well, that's what i do anyways) when the event is done.
    That being said - how cool is a wedding website!!? Good luck in your decision making!!
    Shannon

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    1. Hey Shannon,
      Thanks for reading! I agree, receiving something in the mail is definitely a nice treat. We are thinking of perhaps sending out save-the-dates by mail which will include our website address. But then do we follow-up with an email? Not sure. I love the idea of making it myself, especially since we don't have a huge guest list.
      Take care!

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  2. If you asked me when I got married I would say email or websites not cool or a real cheap way to go! But now pretty much everyone has a iPhone or smartphone so wedding website are perfect. People can access it the day of if any issues. Friends used one two years ago and to be honest I only looked at it once, they also sent out formal invites so maybe why I didn't look at it. I also didn't have an iPhone then ;) if you do go formal go
    cheap! I think it's crazy people spend over $5 an invite.
    Common no one saves them!! Except yourself for your
    scrapbook ;) buy one and save it.
    Meg, you put way too much thought into things (in a good way) so either way I'm sure you'll do a great job at
    it and they will be the talk of the town ;) you could always do website and then do a formal invite for older generations or those with out access at their hips :) then you get to do both!!

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    1. Thanks Tiff, you are sweet :) I agree with you. I think since most people have smart phones these days it makes having a wedding website more user friendly. Our guest list is pretty small, and we are lucky - even the older generations who are coming are on facebook, so everyone is pretty internet savvy.

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  3. Go for it! I seriously wanted to do this 6 years ago for our wedding but it was too new then. Now, everyone has email and if they don't (like grandparents) perhaps you can make some hard copies for them? Even when you send mail-in invites you will get those who don't respond by the RSVP date and you will need to call them, so I wouldn't worry about emails not being followed-up on. I bet it would make things easier! Maybe you could somehow set up and read-receipt to the email? Love your list of pros and cons. I made my own from some Michaels kits and I still spent over $200 bucks - plus the stamps. I really love your idea.

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    1. Yes, it seems as though it has become much more popular in the last few years. I know a couple girls who were in the same boat as you when they got married - they wanted to do it, but it wasn't as widely accepted yet. We are lucky, and our guest list is pretty internet savvy - even Derek's grandma is on facebook lol! I'm pretty impressed that you only spent $200 on your invites! We are thinking of using our engagement photos (which will be taken in the spring) and making a save-the-date to send out in the mail, which will provide our wedding website address. I'm planning on DIYing it for under $100.

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