Charm Your Guests with Creative Party Invitations
The team at Travertine Spa in Santa Ana, California needed a unique way to invite clients and friends to their upcoming White Party last year. Not one to stick with something obvious and overdone, spa owner Terry Carter decided that for this particular party, an average invitation would not suffice. Instead, Carter opted for an elegant yet wildly simple all-white invitation with the spa's logo, the text “White Party,” and a phone number, which, when called, gave guests the information for the event. “Terry is very creative and wanted to provide his guests with a unique experience, “ explains Jennifer Main, who works at the spa. “He is extremely attentive to detail and wanted something that would intrigue his guests. The invitation was an original idea that set the stage for the guests to expect an evening of intrigue and whimsy before they even arrived.”
Finding creative methods to invite guests to your event is just one of the ways to make your party a most memorable one. “Your invitation sets the tone for your party,” explains Ivy Robinson of Ivy Robinson Events. “It's the first impression of your party... you never get a chance to make a first impression. I always tell my clients, 'Do something that strikes the guests' interest and makes them want to attend the party to see what else you have in store for them.'”
Robinson took her own advice last summer when she planned the secret nuptials for former star of The Bachelorette and Towne & Reese designer Emily Maynard and her then fiance Tyler Johnson. “Emily wanted something fun and creative,” says Robinson of the invite for the couple's engagement party turned wedding. So in lieu of a traditional paper invitation, Robinson and Ceci Johnson, founder of Ceci New York, the internationally renowned luxury invitation and corporate ID design house, designed something completely outside the envelope. “Guests received a box, and inside there was a view finder [toy] that featured various photos of Emily and Tyler and text providing the details for the party's location, time, and more,” says Robinson. “It was playful and fun and completely set the tone for the wedding.”
When Ceci Johnson was tasked with designing an invitation for a clients' wedding, she looked to them for inspiration. “The groom actually proposed during a board game with a special 'marriage' card slipped into the deck,” she says. “We carried this theme into the next chapter of their story, playfully asking their guests to join them in their personal 'Game of Life' [with invitations] cleverly disguised as board games.” The invitation arrived nestled in hay, along with custom dice and game pieces tucked into an envelope. The letterpress invitation itself unfolded into a game board and each invitee could then choose to play using the token that best represented them from the cast of characters, which included hand-drawn icons of the hosts, both telling their story and inviting recipients to 'roll the dice' and be a part of their 'Game of Life.'”
Although this particular invite was done on a large scale, it's not out of reach if you're having an intimate party, which only requires a few well-crafted invitations. Alternatively, you can send paper versions that are posed as another item, like a board game. The printed invitations are still out of the box but easier to send.
Johnson, who always likes to push the creative limits with her invitation designs, suggests keeping in mind that people love to see something different. One way she accomplishes this is by incorporating unexpected textures and materials into her work. “I love using a combination of interesting materials like plexiglass, wood, metal, glass, Swarovski crystals, and even textiles from around the globe,” says Johnson. “It also means reimagining how the invitation is presented. We can make the invitation itself in the form of a fun viewfinder [like with Emily Maynard's], a jewelry box, or really anything our clients desire. This is the fun part: the challenge of imagining what does not yet exist and experimenting with something different!”
While pushing the limits with invitations can be fun, Johnson offers this caveat: “I advise my clients to always go with their gut – stay true to what moves you. Don't get too hung up on what's popular and trending.” Whether you present your creative invitation in person or at the end of a scavenger hunt, your guests will love the thought that goes into every detail of your party. Written by Blake Miller. YHL