posted by Annie

In the age of Facebook, it’s easy to get bombarded with invitations to “Events.” I don’t even have that many Facebook friends and I get them all of the time. Most of the time, I feel guilty about being on Facebook (I know it’s an enormous time-waster) so I rarely even sift through them.

But what happens when the tides are turned? When you want people to read the invitation you’ve put together, RSVP, and then actually attend?

I’ve started trying to give people three weeks notice. So far, so good. And I’ve sent invites out on Facebook, but I’ve taken to calling people as well to invite them to events that I’m having.

For example, on January 26th, I’m having an informal gathering to talk about Young Living Essential Oils. (email me if you’d like to attend, it’s on the Upper West Side, I’ll give you more details when I hear from you) Anyway, I put the invite out via email to some friends on January 5th. That same day I posted the event on Facebook. Then last night (a week after the initial invite, but two weeks before the event) I invited specific people via Facebook whose email addresses I didn’t have. So now I have another week and a half to try to get to my perfect number of people.

Am I bombarding people? I have no idea!

But for a less business-y event, like a simple birthday brunch for my family, I sent the invites out today via Paperless Post. Is that too soon? The event is on 01/23.

I checked with Emily Post. I figured she’d be a good source.

Quick Tips for Rude Situations #12:  Invitation Timing

Whether you’re mailing invitations or inviting guests by phone, timing is key. Send an invitation too late and the guest may already be booked; send it too early and it might be misplaced or forgotten. The following guidelines aren’t set in stone, but will give you an idea of when to mail various types of invitations.

I’m just not sure. I would label my birthday breakfast as a “Lunch or Tea” in which case, I am right in there in the proper time. A little less than two weeks, but nothing over that. (And, yes, it’s for my immediate family, who are only a few people, but still, it’s the principal I’m curious about.)

So what do you think? Do you send out paper invitations at all? Would you send them out sooner than an email invite? What’s your favorite mode of inviting people?

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