I’ve been thinking a lot recently about invitations. After all, invitations mark the official starting off point of most events. What better way, then, to begin to plan for a green event than right from the beginning of things.

Of course, the most logical green option would be to simply opt out of the invites all together. But I have to admit: I really love the idea of receiving an invitation no matter how informal. Perhaps receiving a personalized invitation brings me back to my childhood and the sincere excitement I felt when I was the recipient of a party invitation from a classmate, or even better, a crush. I think that, even as adults, many of us still feel this same excitement when we receive word that a great party is on the horizon.

Below are some stylish options to start your green event off right.

Green Paper Options:

I know. It seems like an oxymoron. A green event with (gasp) paper invites. However, there are several companies who are busy crafting green invitations and stationary for all occasions. One of my personal favorites is Paper Culture (www.paperculture.com). They carry invitations and stationary for a range of events including holidays, baby showers, bridal showers and housewarming announcements. There are two reasons I adore this company. For one, they pride themselves on creating modern designs that contain sleek lines, tasteful color combinations and a contemporary whimsy. But the main reason I love them is because they create such beautifully contemporary designs in an eco conscious way. All of Paper Culture’s products are printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified post-consumer recycled paper, and all of their envelopes are also printed on recycled paper. Translation: big design with little guilt and definitely no sacrifice.

Paperless:

It’s become a popular trend for brides in recent years to create personalized wedding websites via www.theknot.com and other similar host sites. And while I find it fun for brides to create these pages as an online home for their wedding registries and “how we met” stories, why not take things a step further?

With blogs and websites becoming more and more easy to navigate, it is easy for hostesses to use technology to create one-of-a-kind website “invitations.” With sites like www.ewedding.com, which allows users to create a wedding website for a fee, and www.yola.com, where anyone can create a personal website in just a few easy steps, the computer may just be housing this generation’s new line of invites and announcements.

On your “invite” website, you can post all of your big event information, such as the date, the time, the location, etc. You can also help to get your guests excited for the event by posting images to your site that are related to your affair. The options are innumerable. You can post maps and directions compliments of Google Maps (eliminating the obligatory “directions” sheet found with most invitations), post links to products you’ve added to your registry (no need to print a ten-page registry list or to take an unnecessary trip to a mall) or even links to websites that will help your guests to better understand the theme or dress code of your event. Once your website is complete, simply set up a separate email account (ex: pamandjimsbigday@email.com) to send out a link to your site, and then ask guests to RSVP you via email (thus eliminating RSVP cards, additional postage, etc.).

Source: Something Green

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