Inviting Invitations

Excite people about the event! Establish the theme! Energize enthusiasm! The invitations for your gathering should do all that — as well as supply needed information.

Create your own FREE eInvitation and email it to all your family and friends. Select from one of the following categories:

• Traditional "snail-mail" fliers — Usually a single 8½" x 11" sheet of paper that's folded in half or in thirds and secured with a staple or a sticker.

• Postcards —  Inexpensive and great at getting noticed. Their size, however, limits the amount of information you can include.

• Personal letters — Very effective because they can address the specific interests of the recipient. But personal letters take time to write.

• Phone calls —  Great for building camaraderie and generating excitement. But calls can be time-consuming and expensive because they tend to get sidetracked with recent family news. (If you're inviting long-distance friends and family, you can lower phone bills by asking a relative in a distant city to contact other relatives in that area.)

• E-mail — Gets your announcement out quickly and inexpensively to many people. Unfortunately, not everyone is on-line.

• Audio or video — Record your invitation and, if possible, use your computer to make copies onto CDs. Use music, sound effects and costuming to give your guests a preview of the theme. (Source: http://www.101partytips.com/tips.cfm )

• For greatest attendance, make one or more reminder contacts before the event.