2018

M

any millennials cannot find their way
around an envelope and a postage stamp.
But whether these digital natives are
preparing to be called to the Torah or walk down
the aisle, their families tend to take the traditional
route using paper invitations to announce Jewish
lifecycle events.
“How can you not get excited when you open
your mailbox and find an invitation from a friend
or loved one waiting for you?” asks Terri Trepeck of
Invites Ink in Franklin. “Online invites are fine for a
dinner party, but for the big events, postal mail sets
the tone. Getting an invitation in the mail is special.
And when your guests hold that invitation and
feel the weight of that paper in their hands, that
moment sets the tone for the occasion.”
Trepeck is one of many local invitation vendors
who can ease the process of wading through an
array of papers, textures, fonts and wordings to cre-
ate the perfect invitation for your simchah. And it
can be more affordable than you may think.

You’re Invited!

The latest trends in invitations.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

TOP: A custom black
mirrored invitation from
Paper Press.
MIDDLE: An invitation from
Grand Occasions for twins.
RIGHT: A trifold invitation
from Grand Occasions keeps
all elements in place.

C20

celebrate! • 2018

jn

When it comes to color preferences, girls are still
going for hot colors such as pinks or purples with
glittery accents. Turquoise is also popular as is
ultra violet, Pantone’s color of the year.
Boys’ preferences lean toward navy, brown, gray
and black, but that does not mean that they are
missing out on fun trends. A popular style for bar-
mitzvah invitations is a clean white font printed on
shiny black papers with a leathery feel. The pop-out
color of choice is orange. For the sports buffs, there
are invitations that have the feel and shape of bas-
ketballs or footballs.
Though DIY online invitation companies exist,
Trepeck advises it is best to work with a local ven-
dor where you can touch the papers and properly
lay out the invitation when time is of the essence.
“You do not have the option to touch and feel the
paper or understand what weight you are getting
from online vendors,” Trepeck said. “Besides, if you
order a sample and it is not exactly what you like, it
may set your mailing schedule back a week or two.
When timing is at a premium, I can help clients get
it right the first time.”
Stephanie Langwell of Grand Occasions in West

Bloomfield is also enchanted with the variety of
papers available to her clients and is now seeing
thicker card stock painted with an acrylic border
instead of layering papers to cut down on weight
and postage costs.
“For wedding invitations, the trend is all about
intricate laser-cut papers, floral textured papers,”
Langwell said. “In addition to shades of white and
ivory, brides are also selecting papers with rose,
gold and pink tones.”
For clients looking to be green-friendly or reduce
postage costs, Langwell suggests using an email
address for guests to RSVP or an online platform
like RSVPify.
Lanie Margulis Shapiro of Farmington Hills is
using the RSVPify platform to organize the details
for her son Jacob’s May bar mitzvah and so far is
enjoying the highly customizable features — such
as creating a welcome page, automatic replies to
each received RSVP, allowing guests to choose indi-
vidual meals and more.
“Every feature is customized, down to the word-
ing of outgoing messages,” Shapiro says. “I also like
that it can be used as a mobile app so I know I will
get notified every time a guest responds.”
Franci Hirsch, owner of Paper Press in West
Bloomfield, provides clients with everything they
need for their party, from selecting customized
invitations to designing logos, napkins and print-
ing stickers and assembling party giveaways. She
thinks blending old-school paper and harnessing
the power of technology is a great way for clients to
communicate with their guests about their upcom-
ing simchah.
“Nothing makes me happier than spending time
in a stationery store,” Hirsch said. “I share my love
of paper with my clients, who are also very tech
savvy and have created whole online personas for
their upcoming party.”
Technology is also helping keep postage costs
at bay.
“What I am seeing now is clients sending out
one-piece invitations to reduce the cost of post-
age,” Hirsch said. “All other details of the week-
end can be put onto a website. And GPS and
Google Maps have made direction cards a thing
of the past.”
Even so, if you can save money by placing
most information on a website, you still may
want to go with a pre-stamped response card,
Hirsch said.
“Even with the cost-cutting advantage of email-
ing RSVPs, there is nothing like the feeling kids
gets when they run to the mailbox every day to
find it full of responses for their party.” •