The longest battle of all time–paper vs. electronic invites. As industry professionals, we’re more than familiar with this debate. Before you get worked up, we’re here to let you know that we’re not choosing sides. We’re merely informing you of the pros and cons for both. Brace yourselves, because if you think you’re married to one over the other *pun intended*, after reading through, you may have a change of heart.

Paper Invites

Up first, paper invites. This is definitely the traditional route. With technology taking over most forms of communication, paper invites give off that more personal feel. We think people actually miss getting fun pretty announcements like a wedding invitation in the mail. Below is a list of pros we’ve gathered for using paper invites.

Pros

• You can beautifully customize your own design.
• They can be used as a keepsake, something you look back on every anniversary.
• Keeping the tradition alive.

Cons  

• The costs–it’s a pretty pricey penny to send out paper invites via mail.
  The average cost to send out invites for a guest list for 150, which is around 75 invites, is around $1350. This includes tax, design, print, and stamps.
• Can be viewed as a waste of money when looking at the overall wedding budget because often times guests throw the invite away.
• Not economically friendly. You know, save some paper and you’ll save some trees.

Electronic Invites

Finally, electronic invites. Will people judge your electronic invites? Sure, some may. But don’t put much value in their prejudices. We like to think we live in understanding times. At the end of the day, nobody should fault you if you want to save money on the invitations in order to pay more for better food, better music, better floral arrangements or even better honeymoon. Let’s be real! Below are the pros of having electronic invitations.

Pros

• Easy to send and respond to.
• Easy to keep track.
• Guests are more apt to quickly respond.
• No need to worry about mail service delays or old addresses.
• You can add cool components like video and music.

Cons

• Can be viewed as impersonal.
• Not easy for older generations to respond to.
• Not tangible to save as a keepsake.
• Can be viewed as inelegant.

As wedding planners, we tend to recommend going with paper invitations. There is just something about the look and feel of these beauties that is incomparable when comparing the two. On the other hand, we have had great success with electronic invites and would have to say the best options is definitely dependant on the specific situation. What types of invites are you sending out? Let us know in the comments!