If you check your Stagweb before class, it’s just the usual assortment of meaningless correspondence: a forward you’ve already been sent roughly 127 times, pesky spam mail and an e-vite to your cousin Sue’s wedding.
E-what? Vite who?
Online invitations, or “e-vites,” are becoming increasingly popular in our Internet savvy society. Instead of utilizing the traditional paper and envelope, more people are turning to e-mail invitations as formal invites to birthday bashes, bar mitzvahs, corporate parties and, yes, even weddings.
These invitations are also showing up on Facebook. Through the popular social networking site, users can send and receive invitations to events, like Saturday night’s biggest townhouse party, Kate’s 21st Birthday Bash or the previously busted R-Bar drunk bus.
According to BridalLinks.com, e-mail invitations not only save space but are also simple and affordable. No stamps required. Just go to a Web site such as evite.com, type in the who, what, where, when and why, then click the send button.
In the beloved world of Facebook, you simply create a new event and then select which fellow Facebookers to invite. Most people accept because they want cool events to show up on their Facebook news feed.
Personally, I’d rather shell out the extra money and take the initiative to mail my family and friends. I like the thrill of getting those silly invitations decorated with hula girls and dancing hippos. The ones with something to the effect of “You’re Invited!” sprawled across the cover in hot pink bubbly letters.
I like ripping open the envelope and galloping around the house shouting, “Woo! I’m invited to (insert name here)’s party!” at the top of my lungs.
An e-mail in my inbox just doesn’t do it for me.
If I’m getting married, throwing the biggest party of the year or turning 50, I sure as heck am picking out the most ridiculous, expensive, paper invitations out there. I’ll have none of this e-mail sending glee. Facebook sure as heck will not be my messenger.
Besides making most of us feel special, paper invitations are also keepsakes to many people. They’re the kind of nostalgic treasures you dig out 20 years after the actual event. They’re scrapbook or memory box worthy. Who wants a print out of a Facebook message? Not me.
A lot of people don’t go online regularly either. Believe it or not, some people are actually still living in caves without Optimum Online or high speed Internet connection. Maybe they do have the Internet, but they haven’t yet discovered its full beauty and magnificence. I don’t want to imagine how angry Grandma Betty would be if she missed Cousin Robby’s wedding because she forgot to check her e-mail. It wouldn’t be pretty.
And here’s another thought for those of you who spread the word about your party over the Internet. What if someone doesn’t have a Facebook profile? I know, I know, the thought just kills something inside of you. But this species of Fairfield student does exist.
I personally know a few people who thought they weren’t invited to a party because not only did they lack a Facebook invite, but no one spread the word to them in person or via telephone. What will society come to with this type of invitation? People without Facebook just won’t be a part of the social scene and nightlife. This is sad, yes, but very, very realistic.
Basically, while e-vites and Facebook invitations are cool, they’re not completely practical or ideal.
If you send me an e-vite I will conveniently delete it or just happen to not check my inbox. If you do it over Facebook, I’ll make the tremendous sacrifice of not checking mine for a few days. Basically, if you want me to come to your party, let the good old U.S. Postal Service do the job. Oh, and make sure there are hippos on the cover.
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