Click to zoomAre yesteryear wedding invitations finally giving way to the new-age e-invitations?
You're getting married and of course you want everybody who counts to be there. So what do you do? Draw up an invitation, scan hundreds of designs, labour handmade, textured, matt or gloss (paper that's it!) and rack your brains on the colour and font style... Think, think, think and think some more. Once you've finally decided how your wedding invitation card ought to look and read, place the order.
And wait.
Overshot deadlines, frantic calls, hurried proof readings, edits and a prayer on your lips. The printer is off with a green signal. The cards finally arrive (much to everybody's relief), address the envelopes, seal and stamp, hand-deliver some and post the rest.
And wait again.
This time, for the guests' response - a confirmation or an, "I'm terrible sorry, but I won't be able to make it".
Isn't that the long and short (or perhaps just the long?) of how it happens? The tedious and stressful exercise of planning a wedding invitation card can take its toll on even the most zealous couple.
Usher in the new-age wedding invitations...
Thank God, it no longer has to be this way. If there can be e-birthday cards, e-anniversary cards, e-thank-you cards, e-retirement cards, why can't there be e-wedding invitation cards?
Well, there are plenty of them, just waiting on the Internet to be selected and sent to friends and relatives across the world. Scores of websites offer free e-wedding cards, which you can customise with different messages for different people, depending on your relationship with them. And also receive an instant response.
"The demand for e-wedding invitation cards is increasing. Which is why we felt the need to include these on our website even though we are traditionally a wedding card designing and printing company," says Ashish Goyal of theindianweddingcards.com.
"The concept is gaining popularity among the e-generation and to some extent, acceptance among the older generation," agrees Rahul Sablawat of indianweddingcard.com.
Both Goyal and Sablawat say that while e-wedding invitations, which can be accessed from anywhere around the world, are common in the West, in India, the trend has just about started. "A number of couples are going for a combination of traditional invitation cards for the seniors along with e-invitations for the younger lot," says Goyal.
Get creative with your online wedding invitation
The drawback is a limited number of designs to choose from but there are ways to get around that as well. There are designers who will draw up an e-invitation for you, just the way you want it. And this time, there are no limits. "Or rules," says Delhi-based painter Abhilash Ahuja, who plans to go kitsch on his wedding card.
One such innovative idea is a charming cartoon strip that tells your friends about the meeting of the minds and souls that Dhirender Nirwani and Kunjal Shah used for their wedding. Or else, you could let Byron and his poetry work for you. And it needn't be corny.
Nothing tops it if a friend, family member, or better still, spouse-to-be happens to have a flair for designing. Now, how personalised can that be!
Besides, think of the service you'll be doing to the planet that's reeling under the threat of global warming. No paper wasted, no power spent and no pollution caused while transporting the wedding invitation to various destinations. Just a warm, personal e-invite that says, "We'd love to have you join us for our wedding."
