Don’t worry, your invitation is in the mail
Where to find it: Evite
– www.evite.com
Who runs the site: The site was started in 1998 as an online
invitation service and over the years it has evolved into a
self-service party planning Web site. Evite.com is headquartered in
Los Angeles, and is part of InterActive Corp.
Don’t worry, your invitation is in the mail
Where to find it: Evite – www.evite.com
Who runs the site: The site was started in 1998 as an online invitation service and over the years it has evolved into a self-service party planning Web site. Evite.com is headquartered in Los Angeles, and is part of InterActive Corp.
Who is likely to use the site: The site is great for people who want to send out invitations without the hassle of dealing with snail mail.
Pros: The site has been up for 10 years, and it first started as an easy way to send online invitations. I’ve used it for years – for a staff appreciation lunch, birthday parties, even a housewarming party – and it makes it really easy to track who is coming and who isn’t, without requiring people to send in a reply card or call the host. It also allows users an easy way to double check the invitation, while paper invitations often get lost in the clutter.
Guests can see who else is attending, and can even try to arrange a carpool with other invitees. Every time someone responds, the host gets an e-mail update.
The way it works is that the host puts in the information about the party and puts in e-mails of the people to be invited. Once an e-mail address is added, Evite.com stores it for future parties. Gathering e-mail addresses is a lot easier than pulling together physical addresses.
In recent years, the site has expanded to include party planning tips. It has a feature that allows users to estimate how many drinks they should have or what their budget will be for the party. It even has a cool party checklist that gives a timeline for when different tasks should be completed.
Cons: While Evite.com is great for casual get-togethers, I am a believer that more formal events require paper invitations. Go to the good stuff for wedding invitations and such. These are items that become keepsakes in a way that e-mails never will. And though Evite.com allows people to send thank you notes, a paper thank you still offers a personal touch.
