3 Reasons to Fall in Love with Eco-Friendly, Digital Wedding Invitations
When planning an eco-conscious wedding, reducing paper waste is undoubtedly a major consideration. Afterall, “Paper accounts for around 26% of total waste at landfills.” (TheWorldCounts.com)
Digital wedding invitations provide an eco-friendly alternative that’s much more trackable than managing RSVPs from traditional paper invites sent via mail!
At first glance, it may seem like converting beautiful, unique wedding invitations from paper to digital might leave some aspects to be desired, but don’t stress. Choosing to go the digital route doesn’t have to mean compromising a client’s distinctive style or aesthetic. We’ve got things covered with 9 amazing, ethical wedding invitation options that are as lovely and customizable as their paper counterparts!
In addition to reducing paper waste, a lower carbon footprint is another big reason to switch to digital invitations. “A single greeting card emits about 140 grams of carbon dioxide and equivalent gases.” (Brightly.eco)
According to The Knot, most weddings hover around 130 guests. This means about 40 pounds of carbon dioxide are used just to mail wedding invitations! (Brightly.eco). By opting for digital wedding invitations, couples can leave a legacy of earth-kind choices that they will feel great about supporting, rather than contributing to more paper and carbon waste.
Here are 3 reasons why switching to digital invitations is the way to go in 2023, along with 9 eco-conscious companies you can point clients to when seeking digital wedding invites.
#1 Eco Impact
Deforestation has had an incredibly devastating impact on our environment and despite the onset of the Digital Age, current use and predictions show that global demand for paper is expected to double by 2030. (TheWorldCounts.com) Every little effort towards conservation and conscious consumption has a positive influence. The choices we make matter and have a long-lasting impact on the earth, one way or the other.
Minted
Help do your part to save the environment by considering Minted for their artist-designed, fully customizable digital invitations. Oftentimes, a majority of wedding guests are technologically savvy, which makes this choice even easier. Best of all, if a couple would like to opt for a mix of both digital and traditional paper invites for less tech-adept guests, Minted allows you to easily match digital and printed designs for a cohesive look and feel. Bonus: Their customizable online designs are free! They also offer Digital RSVP tracking, which streamlines the process for everyone. Direct your clients to check them out here: https://www.minted.com/wedding
Greenvelope
Another eco-friendly option is Greenvelope.com. With Greenvelope, you can upload and tailor your own designs or photos, or opt for beautiful ready-made designs. We dig Greenvelope since they prioritize sustainability at the heart of their mission. They partner with The National Forest Foundation, The National Park Foundation, Mountains to Sound, and 1% for the Planet to give back to the environment as much as possible. Plus, they also offer personalized envelopes, liners, and even stamps for their digital designs so you don’t have to miss out on any of the fun, customizable details that come with paper invitations.
Image Credit: Greenvelope
Paper Culture
We also love Paper Culture’s eco-conscious wedding invitations that provide an earth-kind option for those who want to stick with physical stationery. Their vision is eco-centric as well, they plant a tree for each order and have planted over one million trees so far! All of their designs are crafted from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and they also take measures to offset their carbon footprint. Browse and customize their gorgeous designs and check out their eco mission at PaperCulture.com.
#2 Budget-Conscious
Another noteworthy aspect of opting for online wedding invitations is the massive cost savings. On average, North American couples spend around $530 for traditional paper invitations. (TheKnot.com). Couples who choose to go the digital route may save $430 or more, as most online invites do not exceed $100.
Better still, there are quite a few companies that allow couples to set up wedding websites, offering a seamless digital experience for guests. We encourage couples to try out a few different formats to see what suits them best.
Paperless Post
We’re big fans of PaperlessPost.com for their gorgeous and affordable digital wedding invitations that come with options for a wedding website, RSVP tracking, instantaneous guest messaging, the ability to add registry links or Wedding Day schedule blocks. Stay organized with their planet-friendly, easy-to-use interface that makes sharing wedding details a cinch! Choose your method of delivery: sharable link, text, or email. Paperless Post ensures that digital invitations can be both gorgeous and efficient, without breaking the bank.
Photo Credit: Paperless Post
With Joy
Another really cool budget-conscious option is WithJoy.com, which allows newlyweds-to-be to send free online wedding invitations. They also offer a ton of free planning tools including wedding websites which allow for easy access to personalised RSVP tracking, unlimited photo storage, and personal customer support. Another aspect we love is the ease of matching printed invites to online ones for a beautifully cohesive aesthetic for those wanting a few keepsake invitations.
The Knot
The Knot also gives couples the choice to build a lovely, budget-friendly wedding website, perfect for tracking relevant event details, keeping up with RSVPs, and more. We love that they make designing a wedding website both accessible and affordable! Browse their many beautiful designs and digital invites at TheKnot.com and get inspired!
Photo Credit: The Knot
#3 Unique and Memorable
One of the best parts of selecting digital wedding invitations is the ability to handcraft a look and feel that’s perfect for each couple. No two designs are exactly the same and there are endless possibilities for modifications to ensure that wedding invitations are custom designed and personalised to each couple’s exact specifications.
Zola
Zola.com boasts tons of gorgeous and customizable, ready-made designs as well as from-scratch DIY options, so couples can choose the vibe and aesthetic that’s most uniquely them. We love Zola’s exquisite digital Save the Dates that allow engaged couples to opt for recipients’ preferred delivery method, whether it be text, email or DM!
Photo Credit: Zola
Appy Couple
And finally, we’re big fans of AppyCouple.com for their super simple-to-use digital invitations, interactive wedding website, and user-friendly app, which all streamline the guest management process for couples. Planning a wedding is complicated, but getting an accurate headcount shouldn’t be! Appy Couple’s easy-to-navigate wedding websites allows couples to share their love story and enables guests to book their travel, ask direct questions, and more!
Photo Credit: Appy Couple
We’re delighted to see the momentum and popularity that digital wedding invitations have gained over the last few years. We love that couples now have the option to send mostly online invites, with perhaps a few matching paper invites sprinkled in. With the addition of interactive wedding websites, managing RSVPs, communicating directions and accommodations, scheduling travel, and asking questions have never been easier!
Which brands of digital wedding invitations have you worked with and which would you recommend to future newlyweds? Let us know in the comments!