Searching the internet for eco-friendly wedding invitations or save the date options will bring you to a TON of websites and blogs out there that will teach you about recycled paper, seed paper (paper that can be planted!), and a ton of other “green” wedding invitation options.
I was ALL about this when my husband and I first started our venture into DIY Wedding Invitations, however, I quickly learned that sometimes, going green ended up meaning going EXPENSIVE.
Then my friend Melissa introduced me to Paperless Post. The ultimate source for eco-friendly AND budget-friendly wedding invitations or save the dates.
Now, before you freak out about sending electronic invitations or save the dates. Keep reading … Paperless Post allows you to upload an image so that your electronic invitations look exactly like your paper invitations! It also sends an electronic envelope to your guests that simulates opening a card, tracks your guest list to see who has opened, read, or responded to the invite, AND costs a fraction of what traditional invites cost.
So this is what I am suggesting:
1. Save the Date (STD) Magnets are so 2007. The point of the STD is to provide a date and information. Don’t blow your budget on this! Paperless Post is a fantastic alternative for your tech savvy friends/family to get the STD they need, without the cost (or waste in paper, magnets, etc) to you!
2. Use a combination of traditional & electronic. At first I was totally gung-ho with sending all our invitations out e-style. Then, I sort of started to get a bit sentimental for a paper invite AND started to realize that not everyone on our guest list might appreciate the e-card over a traditional paper invite. So – I decided to go through our guest list and send electronic invites to our guy friends from high school and college, and cousins and siblings that were more tech-friendly. I knew that MOST of my guy friends would not appreciate a paper invite like my parents or grandmother might … and might just lose the invite anyway!
3. See for yourself how awesome a combination of paper and electronic wedding invitations can be!
Our Paper Invites (sans Map & RSVP postcard):
Our Paperless Post Invites (multiple images display 1 at a time on computer screen):
Let us know if you end up using Paperless Post for your STDs or Wedding Invitations!
