Digital or printed wedding invitations: what each one is good at
This isn't really a choice between two things. Many families now do both, and the question is who gets which.
What printed cards do well
- The visit. In many South Indian families the invitation is handed over in person, with betel leaves and fruit, at the relative's home. No link replaces that, and you shouldn't try.
- The first card. Many families place the first invitation before the family deity or at the temple.
- Keeping. Some elders keep wedding cards for years.
What printed cards cost
More than the price per card. Add the printing, envelopes or boxes, courier for out-of-town guests, the trips around the city, and reprints if a detail changes. Get quotes from two or three local printers: prices vary widely with paper, size and quantity.
What an online invitation does well
- Changes. The hall moves the reception to 7:30. You edit one field.
- Directions. Each function has its own map, one tap from the invitation.
- Replies. Guests reply to each function, and you get a count for the caterer.
- Distance. Relatives in Dubai get it in seconds and can watch the muhurtham live.
Cost per guest. On InviteNest you pay once per invitation (), whether you invite 50 people or 2,000.
How families combine them
Print a small batch for the elders and the visits. Send the online invitation to everyone else, and to the elders too, because their grandchildren will open it for them. Print the online invitation's QR code inside the cards, so one scan takes anyone to the maps and the replies. See digital wedding invitations.