Three great online invite sites: Pingg

Pingg
This online invitation Web site offers a comprehensive invitation solution: send invites via email, snail mail, text message and social networking sites. The site features modern, stylish invitation designs. Some of the special features available for the invitation include:

Integrated Options: Not all of your guests may be Web savvy, so send them a postcard version of your online invitation. Connect with your more modern friends by sending them a text or connecting the event to Facebook.

Event Fund: If your guests are pitching in, they can use PayPal to send you dough for the party--perfect for bachelorette parties and more.

Registry Information: You can add a link to an Amazon.com Wish List or to Changing The Present (a great option if you'd like your guests to donate to a charity of your choice in lieu of gifts) on your invitation.

The site also allows you to upload photos and videos, and let your guests do so if you choose. Pingg gives you all the tools you need to manage your event and guest list, from tracking RSVPs to exporting lists to adding event news.

Don't miss my reviews of two other online invitation sites: MyPunchbowl and Evite.

New poll: How many guests are invited to your wedding?

Are you having a big or a small wedding? Intimate gathering or huge party? Vote in our latest poll on the left sidebar, and tell us, how many guests are invited to you wedding?

• 0 to 24 guests
• 25-74 guests
• 75-124 guests
• 125-199 guests
• 200 or more guests

Check back soon for the results!

Three great online invite sites: MyPunchbowl

MyPunchbowl
This online invitation Web site features a streamlined approach to creating event invitations. With modern, clean designs to choose from, you can send save-the-date emails and online invitations to your guests in style. Some of the special features available for the invitation include:

Potluck and Party Supplies: Add a list of items you would like guests to bring to the event, and as guests check items off, the invite automatically updates what is still needed. You can also create a master list for yourself to keep track of what you need to buy, and find local party stores with a built-in search.

Registry Information: You can add a link to an Amazon.com Wish List on your invitation. This is not the most wedding-friendly feature, but could be ideal for other parties, like birthdays.

After Party: After the event, invite your guests back to the MyPunchbowl to chat about the party and share photos and videos with each other. It's a good, easy way for all your guests to connect.

You'll also find party planning advice via articles on the site. A "Reasons to Party" list lets you find any excuse to host a get-together. Most impressive, a widget powered by Kayak allows you to search for flights and hotels, perfect for out-of-town events.

Don't miss my reviews of two other online invitation sites: Pingg and Evite.

Having trouble paring down the guest list?

One of the major struggles many couples have when planning their wedding is deciding who to invite--and more importantly, who not to invite. While many of us would love to be able to invite everyone we know, budget and space constraints usually make that impossible.

Add in the fact that the bride, groom and two sets of parents (possibly more) each have their own ideas about who should be on the guest list and the chance for controversy is pretty high. Earlier this month, CNN published a story with a solution for sorting this out: a ten-question quiz.

Guests who would score 60 percent or higher receive an invitation. 50 percent or below don't make the cut. Those in the 50-60 percent range are delegated to the "B List."

I think a quiz like this is a good idea for families struggling with the invitation list, but the questions may not be right for everyone. Try to come up with your own list of questions that make sense for you situation.

Answer all of your wedding etiquette & tradition questions with books from the Perfect Memories Wedding Store.

Three great online invite sites: Evite

Paper invitations may still be the most popular route (as well as the most traditional and formal) for weddings, but with all of the other wedding-related events, electronic invites can play a part: for engagement parties, save-the-dates, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, post-wedding brunches and more. Plus, more and more couples are using online invites for the big day, because they want a more casual wedding, want to be a little more green or just want to save some money.

Web sites offering free online invitations have existed for years now, but the features they offer continue to improve. In my next three posts, I'll take a look at three of my favorites.

Evite
This online invitation Web site has been around since 1998, which has given the company a lot of time to perfect its product. Evite offers a large amount of deigns to choose from within each theme, and you can even create a custom invitation by uploading your own images and choosing your colors. Some of the special features available for the invitation include:

Potluck, Supplies and Cash: Add a list of items you would like guests to bring to the event, and as guests check items off, the invite automatically updates what is still needed. You can also request payment from guests to contribute to the party fund.

Polls and Suggestions: Get input from your guests by adding a poll (e.g. Where should we go first for drinks?) or by asking them to suggest a date or time.

Registry Information: Integrated with Gifts.com, you can choose to add links directly to your wedding registries. Or, add a link to Gifts.com's search tool and let guests find it themselves.

Plus, Evite gives you more than just an invitation tool. The site also wants to help you plan your party. Poke around on Evite and you will find:

• Theme ideas
• Planning checklists
• Budget and drink calculators
• Recipes
• eCards

Evite's newest feature offers mobile phone integration with its online invitations. You can now send text message invites, forward invite details to your own phone and more.

Don't miss my reviews of two other online invitation sites: Pingg and My Punchbowl.

Green Wedding Tip #1: Paperless Announcements

Help the environment out and save a few trees as you send out information about your wedding. You might not be ready to skip a paper wedding invitation, but some other typical wedding correspondence can certainly be done paper-free:

• Use eCards to send important announcements. When it comes to announcing your engagement, sending save-the-dates or inviting guest to pre-wedding activities like showers and rehearsal dinners, email a card to your friends and family instead. Check out sites like Evite and The Knot (requires login) for free tools.
  
  
• Create a Web site to organize the details. Posting everything from directions to hotel accommodations to registry information on a Web site eliminates the number of inserts needed for your wedding invitations. Wedding planning sites like The Knot and Wedding Channel (requires login) offer free templates, or you can get a custom URL and a more personalized design from sites like Nearlyweds! and Wedding Tracker for a modest fee.
  
  You may also be interested in:
  Plan an eco-friendly wedding with green wedding books from the Perfect Memories Wedding Store.
  
  Find Eco-Friendly Wedding Favors from Beau-coup.
  

Fab 5: Spring invitation finds

I don't know about this rest of you, but I am ready for spring! Let's skip ahead a month or two and pretend the sunshine and flowers have arrived. Take a look at these five beautiful invitations, perfect for a spring wedding:

1. Delicate Cherry Blossoms
   
   This wedding invitation features a sweet cherry blossom design in light pink and brown.
   Cherry Blossom Invitation Suite from Epherma
   
   
2. Love is in the Air
   
   A modern design in shades of turquoise, orange and yellow showcases a happy springtime treat: the return of birds who have flown south for the winter. Add your photo to this invitation for extra personalization.
   Love Birds from blue skies and daisies
   
   
3. More Spring Blooms
   
   This sage and chocolate wedding invitation offers a clean, modern look with abstract flowers decorating the corner.
   Dandelion Wedding Invitations from Wedding Paper Divas
   
   
4. Return of Sunshine
   
   The mix of yellow and red flowers at the top of this letterpress invitation envokes more than blooming flowers: it feels like sunshine.
   Floweret by Maura Gauthier from Bella Figura
   
   
5. Blue Skies
   
   This sky blue wedding invitation features a contemporary circles design in blue and bold red.
   Saucy from Tag & Co.
   

Pittsburgh flair: Black & gold DIY invites

Yet another idea for throwing a stylish black & gold wedding. Miss Chickadee at Weddingbee shared photos and instructions for her DIY save-the-date cards, in black, white and yellow:
She created save-the-dates, but you could easily translate this concept into wedding invitations, menus, programs and more. Simple and stylish.

For more black & gold ideas, check out my previous posts on a black & gold wedding: style, candy and Terrible Towels.

Image from Weddingbee

Fab 5: Winter wedding invitations

The weather's starting to turn colder quickly (and is anyone else depressed by how early it's getting dark???), so of course I'm starting to think about winter wedding ideas. In today's Fab 5, let's take a look at five options for winter invitations:

1. The Holiday Season
   
   I love the warmth of these cherry and chocolate invitations from KenzieKate, and the textured envelope looks just like a sweater.
   
   
2. Baby It's Cold Outside
   
   This invitation is called Fluffy Feather, but doesn't it remind you of Old Man Winter blowing a windy puff of snow? I found this design by Vreelanddesign on Etsy.
   
   
3. Wrap It Up
   
   It's so chilly that your invitation needs a sweater! I adore this creation by RedBliss--the invite is wrapped in pistachio cashmere, accented with a crystal snowflake that is echoed in the design and tied with a chocolate bow.
   
   
4. Wedding on Ice
   
   Silver works wells for a classic winter wedding. This simple invitation from Now and Forever features sheer paper wrapped around a silver card.
   
   
5. A Warm Glow
   
   Warm your wedding up with a dash of gold. This invitation from Wedding Paper Divas features a classic, romantic design.

Designed locally by Sarah Hawkins

I'm always on the lookout for buzz-worthy work by local vendors, and Sarah Hawkins is certainly worthy of praise. The Pittsburgh-based designer creates custom invitations and announcements for weddings, babies and everyday life, and her line is sold throughout the U.S. and Canada.

A few samples of Sarah's work:

First and fourth designs from Wedding Paper Divas.
Second and third designs from Sarah Hawkins Designs.

Fab 5: Fall invitation finds

Continuing on our fall-themed Fab 5, here are some great invitations for a fall wedding.

1. Damask Journal from Dauphine Press
   
   I love the deep brown and green on this invitation for fall. The damask pattern echoes the shape of leaves. Also, the journal style lets you provide your guests with an invitation, directions, accommodations information and lists of local attractions all in one convenient packet.
   
   
2. Silhouette from iCatching Cards
   
   Stripes in shades of red behind a print of blowing leaves and petal lend a fall feel to this whimsical invitation from the company's Oriental Studio Collection. iCatching Cards also specializes in printing invitations in both English and Chinese.
   
   
3. Mackinac from Erickson Design
   
   This handmade invitation has a totally rustic feel: Torn edges in red and orange on natural paper, tied with raffia. It would be perfect for a fall wedding held in a barn or cabin location.
   
   
4. The Secret Garden from Cheree Berry
   
   This set from Cheree Berry's wedding collection creates a clean, simple look for a fall wedding. You can customize the colors, but I like this featured combination of green and chocolate.
   
   
5. Pumpkin Ensemble from Tag & Company
   
   A wrapped invitation features lots of texture in its lace overlay, rust wrap and textured paper. A pumpkin illustration adds a fall touch to a simple design.