Bridal Shower Evite: Digital Party Invitation Options

Digital Invites Are Actually Pretty Smart Now

So you’re planning a bridal shower and thinking about going digital with the invites. Smart move honestly because I’ve watched the whole invitation landscape shift dramatically over the past few years and digital options are no longer the “cheap alternative” they used to be. They’re actually kinda their first choice for a lot of people now.

The main platforms you’re gonna want to look at are Paperless Post, Greenvelope, Evite, Punchbowl, and Canva. Each one has its thing. Paperless Post is what I recommend most often to my clients because their designs actually look expensive—they have this whole digital envelope opening animation that feels fancy. Spring 2023 I had a bride whose MOH was planning her shower and she was SO stressed about budget, like almost in tears during our call, and when I showed her Paperless Post she literally said “wait these are free?” Well, not all of them, but yeah some are.

Here’s the breakdown of each platform because they’re all different and it matters which one you pick based on what you need.

Paperless Post

This is the fancy one. They have free designs but their really gorgeous ones cost “coins” which is their weird currency system. You buy coins and then spend them per invite. It usually works out to like $1-3 per invitation depending on the design you choose. The premium designs are designed by actual stationery designers and brands—I’m talking Kate Spade, Rifle Paper Co., Vera Wang. You can customize colors, fonts, add photos, the whole thing.

What I love: The tracking is excellent. You can see who opened it, who viewed it multiple times, who RSVP‘d. There’s this feature where you can send automatic reminders to people who haven’t responded yet which has saved me so many follow-up texts.

What’s annoying: The coin system is confusing at first. You gotta do math to figure out how much you’re actually spending. Also some guests, especially older ones, get confused by the envelope opening animation and don’t realize they need to click through.

Greenvelope

This one positions itself as the eco-friendly option which… okay I guess? It’s digital either way but some people really care about that branding. Their designs are really clean and modern. They work on a credit system too but it’s more straightforward—you buy an invitation package and can send X number of invites.

The interface is super user-friendly for both you and your guests. I’ve noticed older guests have less trouble with Greenvelope than other platforms. They also plant a tree for every invitation sent which is a nice touch if you want to mention that in your messaging.

The downside is the designs are less varied than Paperless Post. They’re beautiful but if you’re looking for something really specific or themed, you might not find it here.

Evite

Okay so Evite is the OG of digital invitations and honestly it shows. The free version has ads on it which is pretty tacky for a bridal shower in my opinion. But their premium version (Evite Premium) is actually really solid and it’s a flat fee instead of per-invite pricing. I think it’s like $15/month or you can pay annually.

The design selection is HUGE. Like overwhelming almost. They have stuff for every theme you can imagine. The RSVP tracking is good, you can collect extra information in the RSVP form (like meal preferences or if they’re bringing a plus-one), and they have this feature where you can coordinate who’s bringing what for a potluck situation.

One thing that drives me nuts though is that the free invites just look… cheap? The ads are right there on the invitation and it feels like you’re asking people to attend a party while also asking them to look at advertisements. Just pay for premium if you go this route.

Punchbowl

This is kinda the middle ground option. Their free designs are better than Evite’s free designs but not as nice as Paperless Post’s paid ones. Their premium is reasonable—I think around $6-8 per event depending on features.

What makes Punchbowl useful is the party planning tools built in. You can create a whole shower website basically, with schedule, registry links, photos, and a message board. If you’re doing a more complex shower with multiple hosts or activities, this is really helpful.

The RSVP system lets you collect payments too which is useful if you’re doing something like a restaurant shower where everyone needs to pay their portion upfront. I used this summer 2021 for a backyard shower where we hired a bartender and needed to collect money in advance—worked perfectly.

Canva

Canva is not technically an invitation platform but you can design invitations there and then send them however you want. This is what I do when a client has a very specific vision that doesn’t match any template anywhere. You design it in Canva, export it as a PDF or image, and then… well you gotta figure out how to send it and collect RSVPs separately.

Most people do email with a Google Form for RSVPs, or text message the image with a “text back yes or no” system which is honestly pretty casual but works fine for smaller groups. My cat literally walked across my keyboard while I was designing a Canva invite once and somehow made the color scheme better, so that was weird.

The benefit is total creative control and it’s free or very cheap. The downside is you lose all the tracking features and automated reminders. You’re manually managing everything.

What Information You Actually Need To Include

Okay so regardless of which platform you pick, here’s what needs to be on the invitation. I see people forget stuff constantly and then I get panicked calls.

The obvious stuff:

• Bride’s name (full name, not a nickname unless everyone knows her by that nickname)
• Date and time—include the day of the week because people don’t always register what “November 14th” means
• Location with full address, not just “Sarah’s house”
• RSVP deadline and how to RSVP (this should be automatic with digital invites but state it clearly)
• Host names

The stuff people forget:

• Dress code or theme if there is one
• Parking situation if it’s tricky
• Whether it’s a surprise (PUT THIS IN BIG LETTERS)
• Registry information or where to find it
• Whether kids are welcome or not—be direct about this
• Any special activities that affect what they should bring or wear

One time I had a client do a garden party shower and didn’t mention it was on grass and half the guests showed up in stilettos and were miserable. Just… think through the actual logistics of your event and communicate them.

Timing and Guest List Management

Send digital invites 4-6 weeks before the shower. Yes I know traditional etiquette says 6-8 weeks but honestly with digital people need less time because they’re not waiting for mail and they can RSVP instantly. Four weeks is plenty unless it’s a destination shower or during holidays.

Most platforms let you upload a guest list via spreadsheet which is gonna save you so much time. Get all your email addresses together first before you start designing. You can also usually import from your contacts but I find that gets messy.

For the guest list itself—this is more of a general shower thing but make sure you’re only inviting people who are invited to the wedding. That’s still the rule. The exception is like, an office shower where coworkers throw something small and casual, but for the main shower, wedding guest list only.

The RSVP Tracking Part

This is where digital really shines. You can see in real-time who’s opened the invite, who’s responded, who’s just ignoring you. Most platforms send automatic reminders which is amazing because otherwise you’ll be texting people individually asking if they got the invite.

Set your RSVP deadline for at least one week before the shower, maybe two weeks. You need time to get final counts for food and seating. The platform will usually send a reminder a few days before the deadline automatically.

For the people who don’t respond by the deadline—because there will be people who don’t respond, there always are—the platforms usually have a “send reminder to non-responders” button. Use it. Then if they still don’t respond, you or one of the hosts needs to text or call them directly.

Design Tips That Actually Matter

Choose a design that matches the shower theme but don’t go overboard. You want it to look cohesive with your other shower stuff but the invitation doesn’t need to tell the whole story. Clean and clear is better than cluttered and cute.

If you’re using photos of the bride, make sure they’re high resolution. Grainy photos look bad even on digital invites. Most platforms will tell you if your image quality is too low.

Font choices—this is where people get weird. Stick to maximum two fonts. One for headers, one for body text. I’ve seen invitations with like five different fonts and it just looks chaotic. The script fonts are pretty but make sure they’re actually readable especially on mobile phones because that’s where most people will view it.

Color-wise, you can match the wedding colors if you want but it’s not required. Bridal showers have their own vibe. Pastels are classic, florals are always safe, or you can go modern with bold colors if that’s more the bride’s style.

The Money Part

So here’s what you’re actually gonna spend on digital invitations:

Free options: Evite free, Punchbowl free, Canva free—but they all have limitations or ads or basic designs. Fine for very casual showers or work showers.

Budget options ($20-40 total): Paperless Post with a simple design for 30-40 guests, Punchbowl premium, Evite premium for one month.

Mid-range ($50-100): Paperless Post with a designer design for 40-60 guests, Greenvelope package.

Compare this to printed invitations which would be minimum $100 for decent quality including envelopes and stamps, and you’re still saving money even with the premium digital options. Plus you’re saving time because you’re not addressing and stamping 50 envelopes.

Common Problems and How To Fix Them

Problem: Older guests say they “didn’t get it” but you can see they opened it. Solution: The email might have gone to spam, or they opened it and forgot, or they don’t understand how to RSVP. Call them directly and walk them through it or just take their RSVP over the phone and enter it manually.

Problem: People keep asking questions that are answered on the invitation. Solution: This happens with paper invites too honestly. Just answer the questions. You can’t force people to read carefully.

Problem: Someone doesn’t have email or doesn’t use it regularly. Solution: Send them a text message with the details or mail them a printed version. Most platforms let you print a PDF of the invitation.

Problem: The design you want is too expensive in coins or credits. Solution: Look for similar free alternatives, use Canva to recreate something similar, or just pick a different design because honestly guests don’t care as much as you think they do about the specific invitation design.

Actual Etiquette Questions

Is it rude to send a digital invite instead of paper? Nah, not anymore. Maybe ten years ago it would have been seen as too casual but now it’s completely normal. I’d say 60% of the showers I work with use digital invites now.

Should you include registry information directly on the invite? Most etiquette experts still say no but like… everyone does it anyway with digital invites because you can link directly to the registry. It’s practical. If you want to be traditional, you can say “registry information available on [wedding website]” instead of direct links.

Can you send a digital invite for an upscale or formal shower? Yes. Use Paperless Post or Greenvelope with one of their elegant designs. The medium doesn’t determine the formality—the design and wording do.

My Actual Recommendation

If you’re not sure where to start, go with Paperless Post. Spend the money on a nice design—budget like $40-60 for a 40-person shower. It’s worth it because the platform is reliable, the designs are beautiful, the tracking is excellent, and your guests will have a smooth experience.

If budget is tight, use Punchbowl premium or find a nice free Paperless Post design. Avoid the free Evite with ads.

If you have a super specific vision and some time, design it in Canva and manage RSVPs through a Google Form or another system.

The thing that annoyed me most when digital invites first became popular was that people treated them like they didn’t matter because they were free or cheap. They’d slap together something in five minutes and send it out. Your invitation is still the first impression of your event. It should look like you put thought into it even if it’s digital. Take the time to customize it, proofread everything twice, and make sure all the information is there. That’s really all that matters regardless of which platform you choose or whether you spend money on it.