Planning Guides, Style Guide
Wedding Evite: Digital Invitation Platform Guide
Mar
So basically Evite for weddings is one of those things I started recommending way more after summer 2022 when literally half my clients were freaking out about postage costs and I was like, okay we gotta talk about digital options seriously now. The platform itself has come a long way from those kinda tacky birthday party invites your aunt sends with the glittery animations.
Setting Up Your Wedding Evite Account
First thing you need to do is actually create an account, which sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many couples just browse around for weeks without committing. Go to evite.com and click on the wedding section specifically because the regular event section has templates that are just not gonna work for what you need. They have free and premium options, and honestly the free ones are fine for save-the-dates or casual pre-wedding events but for the actual wedding invitation you probably want premium.
The premium designs cost anywhere from like $15 to $50 depending on how fancy you want to get. I usually tell clients to budget around $30 for a good template that doesn’t look cheap. One thing that really annoyed me about Evite though is that their search function is terrible, like you can’t filter by color scheme effectively at all and you end up scrolling through hundreds of options.
Choosing The Right Template Design
When you’re looking at templates, you want to think about your actual wedding vibe. Evite has categories like rustic, modern, elegant, bohemian, all that stuff. The thing is you gotta make sure the template you pick has enough customization options because some of them lock you into certain fonts or layouts that might not…
Actually wait, let me back up because there’s something more important. Before you even pick a template, figure out what information you need to include. Standard wedding invites need ceremony location, reception location if different, time, date, dress code, RSVP deadline, and your wedding website link if you have one.
Information Fields You’ll Need
- Couple names obviously
- Ceremony venue with full address
- Reception venue and time
- RSVP deadline (make this at least 3 weeks before your final caterer count is due)
- Dress code specification
- Plus one specifications
- Meal choice options if you’re doing that
- Hotel block information
- Registry link or wedding website
Customizing Your Evite Design
Once you pick a template, the customization screen opens up and this is where it gets detailed. You can change colors, fonts, add photos, rearrange text blocks. My dog was literally barking at the mailman the entire time I was setting up a demo account for a client last month and I couldn’t concentrate, but anyway.
The photo upload feature is actually really good on Evite. You can add engagement photos, and I recommend using high resolution images, at least 1500px wide. The platform will compress them but starting with quality makes a difference. Some templates let you add multiple photos in a gallery style which is nice for couples who can’t pick just one photo.
Font choices are limited compared to paper invitations which is honestly a blessing because it prevents couples from picking like 6 different fonts and making everything look chaotic. Stick with the font pairings they suggest, they’re designed by actual designers who know what they’re doing.
The RSVP Management System
This is where digital invitations actually shine and why I’ve become such a supporter of platforms like Evite. The RSVP tracking is automatic, it updates in real-time, and you can export everything to a spreadsheet. In spring 2023 I had a bride who was tracking RSVPs on paper cards and she literally lost an entire stack of them, like 40 responses just gone, never found them. It was a nightmare.
With Evite you can set up custom questions for your RSVP form. Don’t go crazy with this though. I’ve seen couples ask like 15 questions and guests just abandon the whole thing. Keep it to essentials.
Essential RSVP Questions
- Will you attend? (yes or no, make this mandatory)
- Number of guests attending (if you allowed plus ones)
- Meal selection if you’re doing plated dinner
- Dietary restrictions (keep this as a text field)
- Song request (optional but fun)
The meal selection thing is tricky because you need to make sure each person in a party can select their own meal. Evite handles this pretty well but you gotta set it up correctly. Go into the advanced settings and enable individual meal tracking per guest, not per party.
Guest List Management
Uploading your guest list is gonna take some time, don’t try to rush it. You can do it manually one by one, or you can upload a CSV file if you have your list in a spreadsheet already. The CSV upload is faster but you need to format it exactly how Evite wants it or the whole thing fails and you have to start over.
The format needs columns for first name, last name, email address, and you can add additional columns for address (if you want to send reminders), phone number, and guest group. Guest groups are useful for organizing like “bride’s family” or “groom’s college friends” so you can send targeted messages later.
One thing about email addresses, you need actual working emails for every single guest. This is where older relatives become a problem because some of them either don’t have email or they have an old AOL account they check once a month. For those people I usually recommend the couple send a paper card separately or make a phone call.
Sending Strategy and Timing
Don’t send everything at once to your entire list, that’s amateur hour. Send yourself a test first, then send to like 5 close friends or family members and ask them to actually go through the whole RSVP process and tell you if anything is confusing. I learned this the hard way when umm… a client sent invites to 200 people with the wrong ceremony time and we couldn’t unsend them.
For timing, digital invitations should go out about the same time as paper would, so like 8 weeks before the wedding for local guests, 12 weeks if people need to travel. Save-the-dates can go out 6-8 months before, and those are perfect for Evite actually because they’re less formal.
Evite lets you schedule sends which is super helpful. You can upload everyone, set up the invite, and schedule it to send on a specific date and time. I usually recommend sending on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning around 10am when people are checking email but not slammed yet.
The Reminder System
This feature is honestly one of the best things about digital platforms. Evite automatically sends reminders to people who haven’t RSVP’d, and you can customize when those go out. I set them up to send one reminder at 2 weeks before the RSVP deadline, and another one 3 days before.
You can customize the reminder message, and please please please make it personal and friendly, not demanding. Something like “Hi! We haven’t heard back from you yet and want to make sure you got our invitation. Can you let us know if you’ll be able to celebrate with us?” Works way better than “RSVP NOW” which I’ve actually seen people write.
Tracking and Analytics
The dashboard shows you who opened the invitation, who RSVP’d yes or no, who hasn’t responded at all. This is incredibly useful for follow-up. You can see that someone opened it 5 times but never responded, which means they’re probably trying to figure out their schedule, so maybe reach out personally.
Export the guest list regularly, like once a week, and save it as a backup. I had a client whose Evite account got hacked (long story involving her ex-boyfriend’s cousin, don’t ask) and she lost access for three days. Luckily she had been exporting weekly so we didn’t lose track of RSVPs.
Mobile Optimization
Most people are gonna open your invitation on their phone, so preview it on mobile before sending. Evite templates are supposed to be mobile-responsive but some of them get weird with certain fonts or image placements. Open the preview on your actual phone, not just the desktop mobile simulator.
The RSVP form especially needs to work smoothly on mobile. Make sure buttons are big enough to tap easily and text fields don’t require zooming in to read.
Integration with Wedding Websites
If you have a wedding website (which you should), link to it prominently in your Evite. Most couples use sites like The Knot, Zola, or Minted for their wedding website. Put the link in at least two places, once in the main invitation text and once in a separate information section.
Your wedding website should have more detailed information that doesn’t fit in the invitation like travel details, full weekend itinerary, registry links, accommodation options, local attraction recommendations for out-of-town guests.
Handling Plus Ones Digitally
This is where digital gets kinda tricky and where I see couples mess up constantly. You need to be crystal clear about who is invited. If someone gets a plus one, their invitation needs to explicitly say something like “We’ve reserved 2 seats in your honor” or include a field where they can enter their guest’s name.
If someone does NOT get a plus one, the invitation should say “We’ve reserved 1 seat for you” or just address it to them individually. Even then, you’ll get people who try to add extra guests in the RSVP. Evite lets you set maximum guests per invitation which helps prevent this, but you’ll still need to follow up with some people.
Cost Comparison Reality Check
Let’s talk actual numbers because this is what couples care about. Traditional paper invitations with printing, envelopes, postage, and response cards cost anywhere from $3-8 per invitation for basic quality, more like $8-15 for nice ones. For 150 guests that’s $450-2250 just for invitations.
Evite premium costs like $30-50 for unlimited sends. Even if you add a few paper invitations for specific guests who need them, you’re saving hundreds or thousands of dollars. That money can go toward better food, more flowers, or an upgrade on literally anything else at your wedding.
Etiquette Considerations
Some older family members are gonna have opinions about digital invitations not being “proper” for weddings. I’ve heard it all. My perspective after 15+ years planning weddings is that etiquette evolves and digital is completely acceptable now, especially post-2020 when everything went virtual anyway.
That said, if you have like grandparents or very traditional family members who you know will be bothered by it, consider sending them paper invitations and doing digital for everyone else. Evite works fine as part of a hybrid approach. You’re not required to do all or nothing.
Common Technical Problems
Emails going to spam is the biggest issue with digital invitations. To minimize this, tell guests ahead of time that an invitation is coming and to check spam folders. You can also send a text message with the Evite link directly if you have phone numbers.
Some corporate email systems block Evite completely which is super annoying. If you have a lot of guests with corporate emails, consider collecting personal email addresses instead.
The platform occasionally has glitches where RSVPs don’t save properly. I’ve only seen this happen twice in all the times I’ve used it, but it’s why you should check your dashboard regularly and export data as backup.
Design Mistakes To Avoid
Don’t use all caps for everything, it looks like you’re yelling and it’s hard to read. Don’t pick templates with super light text on light backgrounds, accessibility matters and some people won’t be able to read it. Don’t add music that autoplays, everyone hates that and will immediately close the invitation.
Keep text concise, people don’t read long paragraphs on screens. Break information into clear sections with headers. Use bullet points when listing multiple items like hotel options or weekend events.
Don’t use pixelated images or stretched photos. If your photo doesn’t fit the template dimensions, crop it properly using a photo editing app first. My cat walked across my keyboard once while I was cropping a photo and somehow saved the most ridiculous stretched version, almost sent it to a client.
Alternative Digital Platforms
Evite isn’t the only option, just wanna mention that. Paperless Post is another big one that’s actually a bit more upscale in their design aesthetic. It costs more though, they charge per envelope which can add up. Greenvelope is good for really formal weddings, their designs look almost like traditional engraving. Minted also does digital invitations now and they integrate with their wedding websites nicely.
I tend to recommend Evite most often because it’s user-friendly, the RSVP system is solid, and the price point makes sense for most couples. But if you’re having like a black-tie wedding at a fancy venue, you might want something that looks more luxurious like Paperless Post.
Following Up After Sending
Check your dashboard daily during the first week after sending because that’s when most responses come in. After that you can check every few days. Three weeks before your RSVP deadline, start personally reaching out to people who haven’t responded. Don’t rely only on automatic reminders, some people need a text or phone call.
When people RSVP no, Evite lets you see who declined which is helpful for tracking. You can then invite people from your B-list if you have one, though do this carefully and with enough advance notice that they don’t feel like afterthoughts.
Keep notes about any special requests or dietary restrictions people mention in their RSVPs. Export this information and share it with your caterer, venue coordinator, and day-of planner.
