In today’s casual and trendy environment, we often forget the importance of sending formal invitations. We usually prefer to reserve them for ‘once in a lifetime’ events, like a wedding (hopefully!) or the birth of a new child, but sending a formal invitation in the mail is very practical.

Invitations provide useful and practical information about your event that guests will appreciate. These aren’t sketchy instructions drawn on a napkin like an invitation that will likely lose you more guests than direct them to the party. Invitations provide the address and relevant details about where a party is taking place. They include your full name and possibly how you want to be addressed (ie Mr., Mrs.). The invitations also include the time and date of the party and what the party is for. Many invitations also contain RSVPs, menu forms, and information on how to dress.

Yes, it may be easier to come up with a flyer that says ‘Party Tonight!’ and post it on the bulletin board at your local laundromat, but this does not guarantee that someone will show up at your event and it does not guarantee that someone you are particularly interested in will show up. Also, is this the university?

A properly made invite shows up in the mailbox or sometimes in the email of those people you want to have at your party. The simple fact that you bothered to look up someone’s address and pay the postage shows that you really want these people to come to the party. Email is becoming a crucial part of our daily society and a personalized eCard invitation works just as well, plus it’s cheaper.

Invitations can give your guests a material representation of your party or event to keep for years to come so they can remember how much fun they had.