Virtually Yours-6 Sites for Sending Stylish, "Cents"sible, Sociable & Eco-Conscious Invites & Cards!

Logos - by lvwedconcierge on Polyvore.com"

When I was a young girl, one of my favorite things to do was go the stationery/paper store and buy all kinds of papers, boxed card sets, pens, stickers and more. I loved sending them from camp, to my friends and used them to send "lovely notes" (that sometimes my mother had to remind me to write-thanks Mom!) of thanks to friends and family for gifts, sleep-overs, etc.

I STILL love going to the stationery store and visiting stationery sites and now it's a bonus as looking for great invitations & correspondence is part of my job as a wedding planner.

There is NO substitute for the special touch that a hand written note that says "thank you" or "thinking of you" or "You are Invited" brings. 

However, in these constant on the go days of instant internet communication, Face book, twittering, etc, many people (especially generations who have grown up with computers) are taking less time to write as they feel they are always "on" with their friends anyway. Sad:(

I will always recommend a hand written note when it comes to sending "Thank You" cards to your wedding guests but there are some really great sites these days that allow you to correspond with your friends, business associates and even wedding guests in a stylish, economical (since cost of stamps are going up again) and environmentally conscience way. Many of them also feature Social Media interaction as well with connectivity to Face book and twitter. 

Here are 6 of my recent favorites and yes, I have tried and use them all! 

• Merry Ribbon: A real folded card that you open (with a custom design option) comes out of a real envelope. This is a very new product/site so the stock images are limited for now.
  
• Iomoi E-Stationery: Stylish and oh so chic designs allow you to email cards and invitations with Style! Also LOVE their lucite trays, coasters, printed cards, calling cards and other products. One of my latest obsessions. 
  
• Plaxo Premium E-Cards: Part of the Plaxo suite of services that make it easy to send a greeting or customized greeting (upload your own). 
  
• Sendomatic.com: All of the many designs can be used as either a card, announcement or invitation for social or business use with RSVP, polling, mapping, weather features and more. Invitation delivery includes envelope or stylish blue box. Small fees to guest lists 5-100 ++
  
• Pingg.com: Create a card or invitation with email, print, web, SMS, Facebook & twitter interaction. Very cool!
• Evite.com: Online invitation site that has been around for a little while & still going strong!

I just found out about Pingg.com from my friend Rachel Globus at Event Solutions Magazine through twitter! 

As a cost saving or time saving option for inviting people to a wedding or any kind of party, these sites 

(especially the last 3) give you so many amazing options for communicating in Style with your guests.

Remember you should still follow proper letter writing and invitation etiquette, even online!

Virtually yours,

Tracey