Monday, August 8, 2011

INTO THIN AIR

We're having a great big cocktail party at the end of August.  My husband was all for it, but I hemmed and hawed, seeming to find a list of reasons to put off the party for another year.  Not that I don't like throwing a good party, because I really do. I live for summer entertaining-whether its a casual backyard BBQ or a seated dinner on the porch, I love all the planning and cooking that goes into a big dinner. But a cocktail party is another animal altogether. Managing an ever expanding guest list, hiring a professional caterer and finding just the right invitations were just a of few of the items which which needed to be sorted out ASAP.  
I noticed this summer that the majority of the party invitations we received were paperless evites. Gone were the classic hand written heavy linen cards with a jaunty seahorse or lobster motif on top. There is something lovely and classic about the look of a printed invitation but time was not on my side and I soon realized that my only option was to go the paperless evite route.  
I went to the Paperless Post site and spent an entertaining afternoon sifting through the summer invitation section. With such a great variety of styles-modern, geometric, floral, it was fun to try different fonts and colors with just a click. I settled on a pretty bright green geometric border with a whimsical font (think summer fun!) and got to work on my email list.  I quickly realized that my email list was a mess and spent two days organizing contact names and numbers. So much for speed but I reasoned that my holiday cards will be a breeze this year with my newly organized list!  
One click and my evite was off to friends-no stamps or post office visits needed. Paperless Post keeps track of my invitees much better that I ever could. I have an instant list of who has responded, which emails bounced and who the slackers are. If only the rest of my party could be so organized!

10 comments:

jeanette from everton terrace said...

You know I get evites all the time but they never that look this nice. I love the old fashioned look and feel of paper so I'm still doing that BUT this keeping track business is a weakness of mine so you've got me thinking this might actually be a better option for me...

Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita said...

I love paper invites myself, but evites are definitely here to stay, and the choices are getting better. enjoy the party! I know it will be a success!

The enchanted home said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The enchanted home said...

I totally see how convenient evites are and in terms of keeping track of a large sized group, it makes your life much easier but I am one who just cannot get used to evites and still do things the old fashioned way. Last real party I threw, I had so much fun going and choosing my invites, feeling the papers, I am stuck in a time warp but since I am stationary maniac I will look for any excuse to buy stationary! I am sure your party is going to be fabulous, as long as you give yourself enough time......planning one can be such fun! Your evite sounds great and the samples you showed are all amazing...boy, they have come a long way!!

designchic said...

I must admit that I love giving a party with a beautiful invitation, and I love receiving them. The process of choosing just the right one...adore it!!

quintessence said...

While I love the idea of the convenience of a paperless evite, I'm still a paper invite girl myself. Love to both send and receive!!

Punctuation Mark said...

these are really cute... love the themes and colors!

Melissah said...

I just love summer cocktail parties. I'm sure you'll have a ball!
x
Melissah
(Coastal Style)

Linda at beachside cottage said...

Delightful! I'm at every one of them vicariously - thanks for sharing!


Have a great week -

Linda

Yolanda Flowers said...

I totally see how convenient evites are and in terms of keeping track of a large sized group, it makes your life much easier but I am one who just cannot get used to evites and still do things the old fashioned way. Last real party I threw, I had so much fun going and choosing my invites, feeling the papers, I am stuck in a time warp but since I am stationary maniac I will look for any excuse to buy stationary! I am sure your party is going to be fabulous, as long as you give yourself enough time......planning one can be such fun! Your evite sounds great and the samples you showed are all amazing...boy, they have come a long way!!