Party Invitations

And here we are, a month after our largest party of the year. Still cleaning up? A little. Planning our next shindig? Absolutely. I’m currently working on a) A Halloween party for my son and his friends (at which the adults will be well-served as well, of course), b) Christmas, and c) … next years huge, mid-summer tropical bash!

The bar list is mostly done, the music is underway – arranged as described in my previous blog entries, for a 7+ hour mp3 playlist, to be plugged into a big amp and stadium Peavey’s, and I’m designing the template for the party’s invitation in pencil as I work out the details.

What?!? Hand-drafting a party invitation in this age of electronic, instant invitation gratification? Have I lost my senses?

Invitations that Hum

There are any number of easy online options for issuing party invitations nowadays, such as that offered by services such as Punchbowl.com. While the functionality of such sites does occasionally leave a bit to be desired, they are generally free services, and as such more than adequate for shooting out an impromptu party invitation.  One of their greatest perks is the visibility they provide regarding who’s attending, who’s not, and who has not responded. Another useful utility in many is also letting you suggest what you’d like guests to bring to help out with the event, and then tracking what is being brought when guests respond. You can build saved lists of the people you normally invite to your place, allow or disallow guests to extend the invitation to other people, even build a prototype party soundtrack that guests can suggest songs for --  which is pretty much fluff, but fun.

While their convenience should not be underestimated, online invitations do have their limitations, and we aren’t talking only technical here. Since they are email-based, online invitations are almost as easy as any other email to get lost on someone’s desktop, or to miscarry altogether. And, while they are pretty slick, they also tend to be somewhat generic, and are even more convenient to ignore than they are to send. More on that thorny little topic later.

Benefits of Physical Invitations

The thing is, a physical invitation you can hold in your hand still has a lot of attention-getting power -- perhaps even more so in this digital age, as physical invitations become increasingly rare, save perhaps at weddings. A real invitation represents a greater investment on the host’s part to invite their guests, and as such, has an edge over its electronic counterparts in getting your invitees’ attention and making them feel special to have been invited.

The return you often receive for your investment is extra ‘buzz’. In addition to making your guests feel special, your real invitations are far likelier to build anticipation for your event and get guests talking with each other about the event, if they already know each other. As the event nears, the anticipation increases – producing (hopefully) better turnout and building the party’s energy level even before the party has begun. The greater your investment in your party, the more you benefit from the enhanced return of sending out truly memorable, personal invitations.

As a means to the end of creating buzz, the usual handwritten paper invitations are of course serviceable and appreciated, but they are really only the beginning;  if you really want to heighten your guests’ anticipation of the event, party invitations that are creative or unexpected are what you’re probably looking for.

We’ll get into some specific examples of these next time.

Yours truly, as retro host this July