Paperless Post: Invitations and Parties Made Easy and Fun

Confession time: I'm not always the best at hosting parties. Whether it's my own birthday, a regular get together, or a party for someone else, I always get the jitters. Who do you invite, how do you invite them and how do you keep an eye on who has RSVP'ed. Those are usually the first hurdles that I encounter. And then there is the rush to birthday cards on time, to send people thank you cards and all that jazz. So when earlier this month Paperless Post got in touch with me to try out their service I was very excited! Please keep in mind, Paperless Post provided me with free credits to their website in order for me to test out their service and tell you all about it.

When using any website meant to make things easier for you, it is annoying to find that website being confusing in and of itself. Thankfully, Paperless Post doesn't suffer from this problem. I found it incredibly easy, and fun, to browse through the different card categories, add the best designs to my favourites (there are a lot of favourites!) and then select the one I wanted to use. There are so many designs to choose from, especially in the Invitations category! Also, the design of the website is very sleek and minimalist, allowing the designs to shine on their own. Once selected, Paperless Post takes you through all the steps of customising your card, changing text, font, size and background. Not only can you customise the card, however, there is also the envelope and the option of RSVPs and a return message. Seems so very easy, non? I decided it was time to truly put this to the test!

One of the first things I did was create an invitation to a Twitter chat I co-host with another fabulous blogger, Jorie. The reason this was the first thing I did was because while browsing Paperless Post I realised they had a whole category for Bookclub invitations! Yes, you read that right! One of the many bonuses of Paperless Post is not only the wide variety of cards, but also that they have collaborated with a number of designers to create some beautiful collections of cards, such as kate spade new york and Oscar de la Renta. Once I'd picked the design and customised it, the time came to send out invites and manage my event! And boy were there a lot of many features to help me organise and manage. There is an event page, which will show everyone who responds to your invitation where what is happening and when. Then there is the automatic reply card which means the people you invite don't have to go out of their way to RSVP to you. And on top of all of that, Paperless Post tracks who is attending on your Event Page and even offers attendees a text reminder before the event! I have genuinely never had an easier time planning anything than I have with Paperless Post! I'm now busily planning future events!

Then I took this opportunity to finally send out all those little messages of love, appreciation and thanks that I have been storing up. Sometimes you just want to send a card to someone telling them you love them, or that you're thinking of them, that you appreciate something they helped you with. Since I currently live in China, it has been a lot more difficult to send those messages and Paperless Post is a great way to send those positive vibes towards people. It made me feel great, knowing people I cared for would get a beautifully designed card in their Inbox from me.  Something that, for me, really separated Paperless Post from other online card businesses is that they manage to still retain the experience of receiving a card, as well as the dedication of picking a card and envelope etc. You can spend as much time perfecting a card for a friend, adding those personal touches that they will enjoy, and then they'll receive a lovely little envelope in their mail, which will open itself to reveal your card. What I've heard from friends and family, they have really enjoyed receiving my little cards, which just fills me with happiness! (Below, a card I sent to my little sister!)

My final project was a series of personalised and, in my opinion, brilliant, hilarious and touching birthday cards to be sent to friends and family soon. Now, I wish I could show you these, but, considering that the future recipients may stumble upon this blog, I will have to delay doing so until they have been sent out. I will also definitely be using Paperless Post to send out Christmas cards this year! I used to love the flurry of postal activity in December, but posting from here is both pricey and, often, futile. Paperless Post currently have great Halloween-themes cards available so I can't wait to see what they've got in store for Christmas!

As you can probably guess, my experience with Paperless Post has been overwhelmingly positive! Their service was easy to use, their designs were stunning and everyone who received a card from me was delighted. But perhaps most importantly, Paperless Post really did make organising an event all the easier and I will definitely be using it for future parties as well! If you yourself are looking for a service to make hosting and inviting easier, I'd definitely recommend checking out Paperless Post!