JUST INVITATIONS

Whenever you are planning an event, you have to decide which part of the event is the most important.  This isn't always easy to do and without a lot of thought you may not know how the absence of one thing or another may change your event.  Of course everyone has a different idea of where they should be spending the time or money on an event.  I suppose I am no different.  I do believe I pay attention to detail in a way that others may not.  I truly believe that is the key.  I think before making a choice you should really do research and figure out what the pros and cons are.  Then you can make a decision you will be comfortable with.  As, I stated, while I do this for a living the choices aren't always that easy when it comes to my own events.  Therefore, since I realize it would be hard for me to choose which area I feel is the most important; it isn't always going to be easy for someone that isn't a professional event planner.

Thinking about this makes me think about invitations. Maybe because that is the most recent incident in which I have been faced with these decisions recently. Currently, we are planning a launch party for our new website. For that reason, I was out at a stationary store recently and found myself looking at various textures of paper for invitations. Another woman that was also shopping for stationary leaned in and said "big decision?" as if to ask me a serious question. I explained my dilemma. I told her that I thought one color pattern expressed the vibe of the party and the other color pattern was consistent with our company brand. When she found out that I had deliberated this long over invitations for a party and not a wedding, she seemed confused. Her answer was, "I am sure either would work, they are just invitations." However, I couldn't disagree more.

As we further cruise into the digital age, paper stationary and invitations seem to be something that people underestimate. It is true that you can invite more people to your invite in a shorter amount of time with digital invitations. It is also true that paper invitations may not work for every type of event. So, while the way you choose to invite your guests is up to you, I think paper invitations add that detail and much needed personal touch. Not only that, the design you choose can pull many of the other design ideas together for your guests. It establishes consistency and attention to detail. Don't forget that it gives your guests something they can keep as a keepsake. If it is a personal event like a wedding that marks a big moment in someone's life, that may be something to consider.

So, while some may say that paper invitations are not necessary, I would say you don't buy them for necessity.  You buy them to give your guests that personal touch and you add the detail your event needs.  There are so many details that go into planning an event that may not be necessary but would definitely be missed if you removed them.  Don't give up on traditions of an event because it isn't the new way of doing things.  Stay true to your creativity and the inner designer in you.

As I stated in the beginning, it is up to the person putting on the event to decide what they want to make their planning priority.  Personally for me, invitations would definitely top my list.

Invitations examples are courtesy of: http://www.yourweddingdays.com/

http://www.freeweddinginvitations.com/