Your wedding invitation is so much more than a page with details about your upcoming celebration. It offers a window for guests to learn more about the style and tone of the upcoming festivities. Fresh and modern, classic and elegant, and everything in between, wedding invitations can easily set the mood for your event months before it actually happens.
One emerging wedding trend is the shift to design a digital wedding invitation, which many couples are gravitating toward for convenience, cost, and eco-friendly communications with their guests. Many of these also connect directly with their wedding websites, creating a streamlined process for the wedding couple and everyone involved in their big day.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about why couples choose digital wedding invitations, the etiquette involved in crafting your own digital wedding invites, and more. Plus, we’re sharing the six best platforms to use for digital wedding invitations.
What Are Digital Wedding Invitations?
Digital wedding invitations are virtual wedding invitations sent out to guests, usually via email. That said, many platforms allow you to deliver the details about your wedding via text, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other messaging apps or services. While digital wedding invitations deviate from the traditional printed invitations, they keep the tradition of sharing the following details:
- The name of the wedding hosts. Most digital wedding invitations start with the names of the people hosting the celebration. Historically, that spot is typically reserved for the bride’s parents, but the wedding couple or both families could also be hosting the event. If the wedding couple is hosting, you can skip this line, and if both families are contributing, it’s recommended to write, “Together with their families” before sharing the name of the wedding couple.
- The request: The hosts are requesting one of two things: “the pleasure of your company” or “the honor of your presence.” The latter is reserved for places of worship, like a church, while the former is for any other type of venue.
- The name of the wedding couple. There are different ways to write out the names of the wedding (first names only, full names and titles, etc.), but this should be the most prominent feature on any digital wedding invitation.
- The date and time of the wedding ceremony and reception. Save the Dates share the date and location of the event, but the digital wedding invitations will go into more detail. You’ll want to include the exact timing of the ceremony and reception.
- The names and addresses of the wedding ceremony and reception. In addition to the date and time, your digital wedding invite should also display the names and addresses of the wedding venue or venues. If you are relocating for the reception, communicate that toward the bottom of the card. And if you are hosting both events at the same place, you can simply write, “Reception to follow.”
- RSVP details and instructions: Tell your guests when they need to reply with their attendance, and how exactly they should do that. A digital wedding invitation might also have a button that directs guests to the RSVP form on a wedding website. Later on in this guide, we’ll discuss RSVP forms and what to feature in them.
- Requested wedding attire. Depending on your event, you’ll want a specific dress code that all of your guests follow. The most popular styles include cocktail attire, formal, and black tie, but we’ve also seen more unique and specific alternatives such as garden party formal, Western chic, or California casual. If you choose a more original dress code, try to provide more details on your wedding website, so guests know exactly what to pack.
- A link to your wedding website. Many platforms have a button or other clear path directing wedding guests to a couple’s wedding invite. This is not necessarily advised for printed wedding invitations, according to most etiquette experts, but it’s a more natural fit for a digital wedding invitation.
Timing for your digital wedding invitations is also consistent with the timeline you’d follow for printed wedding invitations. So, about six to eight weeks prior to the wedding day, guests should open their emails and see the formal digital wedding invitation.
Choosing Digital Wedding Invitations vs. Printed Wedding Invitations
If you’re not quite sold on digital wedding invitations, it’s helpful to learn about what made other couples make the switch. Here are the top reasons why wedding couples create digital wedding invitations:
- Cost of wedding invitations: Most couples decide where they should cut costs, and digital wedding invitations could relieve some stress brought on by the costs of your stationery. Printed wedding invitations can cost thousands of dollars, especially if you select more premium features like letterpress or metallic foil. Digital wedding invitations can show these high-end factors, but it’s all online, so it won’t cost you the same premium pricing. You also have the freedom to customize your digital wedding invite design at a significantly lower cost than handmade printed invites. On average, a digital wedding invitation will cost about $1 per invite, and there are some that are free with your wedding registry or wedding website subscription. Below, we share the exact pricing for each of our top digital wedding invitation makers.
- Environmental concerns: Aside from cost, a top priority for couples is protecting the environment. Wedding stationery can mean a lot of paper, especially if you have hundreds of invited guests, which will inevitably increase your carbon footprint. To limit your use of paper, a digital wedding invitation will communicate all the details you need without needing to print anything.
- Faster turnaround time: It’s recommended that wedding invitations are sent out about six to eight weeks before the wedding, but some couples are working with a more abbreviated timeline. If you don’t have weeks or even months to go back and forth with a stationery designer, digital wedding invitations can get customized and sent within hours. It all comes down to how many customizations you need and how much time you have. Realistically, though, you could dedicate an afternoon to whipping up a set of digital wedding invitations.
- Ease and speed of delivery: Traditional printed wedding invitations can get lost in the mail, but in most cases, a digital wedding invite can only get lost in your spam folder. There are also digital wedding invitation makers that share stats about whether guests’ invites were delivered, read, or bounced back. This can give you an opportunity to reach out to guests and verify their emails. Another perk? Digital wedding invitations are sent within seconds, so guests will have the necessary information about your big day as soon as you hit, “Send.”
Your wedding invitations are a special, important piece of the puzzle that culminates with your wedding celebration. The benefits outlined above often encourage couples to go with digital wedding invitations, but there are still plenty of people who want to prepare printed wedding invitations. These are the top priorities among couples who invest in a printed stationery set:
- Following a generations-long tradition: For centuries, people have sent out printed wedding invitations to share the details about their upcoming events. Whether you’re motivated by generations before you or simply love the classic printed wedding invitation design process, that’s enough of a reason to go with a tangible set of stationery.
- Knowing guests are more familiar with printed wedding invitations: If you have a lot of guests who are not very tech-savvy, there’s reason to assume that printed invites will work best for everyone involved. Think about your guest list and determine what the best fit is for your friends and family.
- Holding onto keepsakes: Soon enough, your wedding day will be a distant memory that you remember through photos, videos, and any mementos left behind from the big day. Many couples view their printed stationery as a prominent keepsake to look back on from their wedding day. Before the wedding, a printed wedding invitation is also something guests can display on their fridge or bulletin board as a reminder that your special day is approaching.
- Enjoying a lengthy design process: There are people out there who simply love the idea of working with a designer and going through several rounds of proofing. If that sounds like you, and you have the time to work on them, a printed wedding invitation might be a better fit than a digital wedding invitation maker.
There are plenty of reasons to love printed and digital wedding invitations alike. You will want to review your budget and general preferences prior to selecting your style, and there’s also the option to do the best of both worlds. Many wedding couples prepare digital Save the Dates and printed wedding invitations, and it’s becoming more and more popular to send out printed Save the Dates and digital wedding invitations.
Etiquette for Digital Wedding Invitations
One of the main points proponents of printed wedding invitations make is that digital wedding invitations do not align with proper etiquette — but experts are changing their tune. With the emergence of digital conveniences, people like the team at the Emily Post Institute have shared that it’s perfectly acceptable to prepare and send out digital wedding invitations. As they state on their website, “Evites are practical, thrifty, and green.” While they might prefer a printed piece, there’s no need to worry about how your digital wedding invitations will be received by even the most particular and persnickety guests.
You can also take notes from etiquette rules outlined for printed wedding invitations and use those for your digital wedding invitation. For example, the numbers are typically written out for the time and date. Here’s how that could look:
Sunday, the nineteenth of May
two thousand twenty-four
at half after three-o’clock
Etiquette is important for many people, but the most significant factor is how you and your feel about your wedding invitations. If your budget is already stretched or you both just love the look of a digital wedding invitation, that is all that matters. Again, it’s best to have an honest conversation with your partner about how you want to share your wedding details and go from there. Through discussion and compromise, at times, you can easily create your dream stationery set.
How We Chose the Best Digital Wedding Invitations
Before we dive into our favorite platforms for designing your digital wedding invitations, let’s break down how we whittled down our list to our top six:
- Number of designs and customizations available. Your digital wedding invites are where form meets function. You want your digital wedding invitations to look perfect, and having a wide range of designs to choose from is ideal. Some sites even let you upload a design or create your digital wedding invites from scratch, a major perk for creatives.
- Ease of use for couples and their guests. Many wedding couples express concern that digital wedding invitations could overcomplicate their communications to guests. Because people are more accustomed to receiving wedding invitations through the mail, you want to choose a platform that is known for a streamlined, straightforward process for couples and guests alike.
- Cost. It’s no secret that weddings are expensive, but one perk with digital wedding invitations is that they’re relatively inexpensive. Not to mention, there are even some free digital wedding invitations to explore. Understanding your budget ahead of time will make it easier to decide on the best digital wedding invitations for your big day.
- Coordinating products. As a bonus, some digital wedding invitation sites come with the luxury of designing other elements of your wedding stationery suite. That includes templates for wedding websites, Save the Dates, bridal shower invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, wedding menus, and more. All of these contribute to create a set of stationery, digital or printed, that are consistent and well-curated.
With these factors in mind, we scoured the internet for the best of the best digital wedding invitations. Read on for our staff’s favorite digital wedding invitations below.
Best Digital Wedding Invitations Overall: Bliss & Bone
Standout features:
- Fully customizable with hundreds of designs
- Shareable via email, text, or WhatsApp
- Matching wedding website and digital or printed stationery available
- Unique design elemens like shadows, text effects, graphics, illustrations and more.
Digital wedding invitations cost:
$1.20 each for up to nine recipients; $0.90 each for 10 or more recipients; $0.70 each for 300 or more recipients
Design-forward couples often rely on Bliss & Bone because of the wide range of customizations available. The near-limitless features allow you to use your creativity to design the most unique, one-of-a-kind digital wedding invitations imaginable. If you want the most creative control, you can “Start From Scratch,” giving you access to a blank page to fully personalize. By pairing it with a Bliss & Bone wedding website, you can also share details about your Bliss & Bone wedding invitations virtually and communicate with guests via text, email, or WhatsApp. Prices start at $1.20 for digital wedding invitations, but the cost per invite goes down as you increase the number of invites you order. Bliss & Bone also gives you the option of shopping by collection, which gives you matching templates for Save the Dates, wedding websites, rehearsal dinner invitations, and wedding menus. To further customize your stationery, you can also add a custom logo or monogram featuring your and your partners’ names, wedding date, and other details.
Customer Reviews:
“Working with your team was the easiet and simplest part of the whole wedding process!”
“It gives you a little more creative freedom than other sites. It feels much more personal than the templates set by the other websites.”
“I had a lot of fun playing around with the customization.”
“It seems like there are so many customization options and I’m so excited to make it very personal to us.”
Best Digital Wedding Invitations with App: Paperless Post
Standout features:
- Easy to use
- Can text or email invites
- Ability to print coordinating invites
Digital wedding invitations cost:
2 coins for a card, 1 coin for an envelope, and 1 coin for an envelope liner
Paperless Post has made a name for itself in the industry as a destination for creative digital wedding invitations. It’s also easy to use and you can work on your design via the Paperless Post app. One question most people have about Paperless Post digital wedding invitations, though? Exactly how the payment system works. Each Paperless Post wedding invitations set costs a certain number of coins, which are equivalent to about $3 each. You’ll need to load up your account with enough coins to purchase the correct number of cards, and bonus features could also increase the overall cost of your digital wedding invitation suite. For other milestones in the future, you can also use templates for baby showers, birthdays, and anniversary parties (among many other groups).
Customer Reviews:
“We did all electronic and have no regrets. I'm sure some people (especially more traditional people) found it odd or tacky but I have no regrets. We used Paperless Post and it lets you see if any emails have bounced and if it's been opened which was very helpful for following up with people."
“I used them! No issues whatsoever and loved that I could also text the invite. We also used it as an alternative to a wedding website since we were easily able to include photos, maps/links, and info about all three events. Also made good used of the reminder function!”
“My eco-conscious daughter used them for both save-the-dates and invites and liked the ease of the RSVPs. We printed out some invitations on card stock for older guests as souvenirs and had to explain to a couple of less tech savvy guests there were two pages, but otherwise it went smoothly, including changing to a later RSVP date for invites sent out later.”
“We did paperless post for half of our invites. It was great for us - and I was able to use the exact same design that I used on my mailed invite suite. I would do it again for another event.”
Best Digital Wedding Invitations for Communication: Greenvelope
Standout features:
- Elegant designs
- Convenience of tracking RSVPs
- Ability to send via text, email, WhatsApp, and more
Digital wedding invitations cost:
$19 for up to 20 recipients, $39 for up to 40 recipients, and so on
Greenvelope is another behemoth in the digital wedding invitation space. Each personalized digital wedding invite also comes with an envelope, liner, stamp, and RSVP tracking. You also have the added convenience of including survey questions for guests, which usually comes up in a wedding website, and you have the opportunity to message guests with any updates about your upcoming event. As for pricing, each recipient costs about $1. However, keep in mind that each person on a mailing list counts as one recipient, even if it’s going to the same place. Plus, you can use Greenvelope for baby showers and other events, birthday and holiday parties, and more.
Customer Reviews:
“We did digital invitations through Greenvelope and I did not regret it one bit! It was waaaay cheaper and I figure all the paper invitations are going to eventually end up in the trash anyway (I can only really see the bride and groom and maybe the parents wanting to keep a copy of the paper invitation forever). We are trying to be more eco conscious as well so we went with digital. None of the guests had any issue with it (or if they did, they didn’t mention it to us) and I know if I was a guest, I wouldn’t care about a paper envelope and tbh I think rsvp-ing is easier online.”
“I ended up choosing greenvelope due to the variety of options, fonts, format when sending either text and email, reminders, ability to group guests, limiting +1s for some, etc. You can add multiple co hosts, and even make a seating chart with all the guests that are attending.”
“What we've appreciated most, though, is the tracking! Next to each person's name it says whether the email has been delivered, whether the invitation has been opened, and whether the party has RSVPd. We checked with the people listed as "unopened" a few weeks after we sent the invites to make sure we didn't have an email address wrong and that people did, in fact, receive the email. We had to re-send a few, which was fine. Our RSVP date is tomorrow and we sent out a reminder email two weeks ago just to the people who hadn't replied. We invited 320 people (including plus ones and kids) and are expecting about 250. Our RSVP date is tomorrow and we're currently at a 92% response rate - we'll follow up with people who didn't RSVP starting Thursday.”
“Hey we used Greenvelope as well and have really been impressed with the experience overall! Been super easy to keep track of everything, designs are really beautiful, etc. 10/10”
Best Digital Wedding Invitations for Unique Templates: Riley & Grey
Standout features:
- Number of customizations available
- User-friendly for guests
- Invites included in membership cost
Digital wedding invitations cost:
$35 per month or $240 total for one year
Riley & Grey’s digital wedding invitations are bold and unique, just like many of the couples who build them on their site. Compatible with their popular wedding websites, these digital wedding invitations are directly linked to other wedding features. It should be noted that you can’t necessarily pick and choose which wedding website or digital wedding invitation maker you go with — everything is purchased together with your Riley & Grey membership. For $35 per month, you’ll set up a custom domain, publish your website, and create digital Save the Dates and digital wedding invitations that coordinate with the site.
Customer Reviews:
“My husband and I used Riley & Grey and were able to put together a pretty slick looking invitation experience and manage RSVPs. Being in two different countries during the invitation and planning process, it was nice for us to both be able to go in and deal with tasks and tweaks. The preformatted templates were customizable enough for us (did not want to reinvent wheel) and as we wrap up and archive, we both feel the expense was worth the streamlining and paperlessness.”
“I am not very creative, so I really like the templates and how straightforward everything is, while offering customization and beautiful design.”
“We were looking to have a user-friendly page that allows people to read about the wedding details and RSVP so that the bride and groom can track who is coming, what they are eating, etc. This is a one-stop-shop where you can do everything on the website and automatically calculate everything for your guest list.”
Best Digital Wedding Invitations for RSVPs: WithJoy
Standout features:
- Straightforward design process
- Easy RSVP tracking
- Free digital invitations
Digital wedding invitations cost:
Free
Technically speaking, these digital wedding invitations are free with your WithJoy wedding registry. Here’s how it works: By signing up for a registry, the company takes a cut from the commission on products sold for your wedding. If you ultimately decide to go with printed wedding invitations, you’ll need to pay a premium (costs start at $1.79 per recipient). People love keeping everything online through the WithJoy registry, but the digital wedding invitations feature is definitely a bonus tied into the service. WithJoy digital wedding invitations also get high marks for the Smart RSVP feature, which lets you track attendance for multiple events, ask custom questions, and more.
Customer Reviews:
“We did digital through WithJoy. I would not think twice about doing it again - it has made things so easy!”
“We're using withjoy. They have been excellent, the site is easy to use, and you can also send virtual STDs through them. You can also use it for your wedding website as well as a photo collection from your guests. I highly recommend them.”
“I ended up doing a website with “with joy” for the feature of restricting which guests see what Events. There is an e-card save the date and invitation option (and tracks who opens / reads / logs into website) AND the same theme I am using has physical invitations I can have printed in the same theme with I think paper culture or zazzle. One stop shop for the design and then I don’t have to worry about either tracking RSVPs nor having matching STD and invitations in electronic & posted because it’s all taken care of.”
Best Digital Wedding Invitations for Simplicity: Evite
Standout features:
- Compatibility with the Evite app
- Easy RSVP tracking
Digital wedding invitations cost:
Free or $17.99 to $99.99 for Premium digital wedding invites
True to its name, Evite is a platform that’s all about digital wedding invitations (plus invites for holidays, birthdays, and more festivities). You can customize your card on your desktop or through the mobile app, which a lot of people have raved about. It’s a straightforward, easy process to follow, and the wedding collection allows you to match your digital wedding invites to Save the Dates and other pre-wedding celebrations like showers and rehearsal dinners. Unlike many digital wedding invitation platforms, however, Evites are only wedding invitations and you’ll need to design a separate wedding website. Some digital wedding invitations from Evite’s lineup are free for up to 750 guests, but for Premium offerings, digital wedding invitation costs start at $17.99 for up to 12 guests.
Customer Reviews:
“I love the app as well as the desktop website. Yes, sometimes the app can freeze, like any other app, but for the most part, the customization options are the best.”
“This is a very easy to use product that lets you have fun and be creative designing online invitations, with easy tracking and response buttons for the recipient.”
“It's a quick and easy way to be sure everyone knows the when, where and what to bring for our gatherings. I like how easy it is to use and I like that most people will check and respond to it quickly.”
How to Choose a Design for Your Own Digital Wedding Invitations
Before you pick the best digital wedding invite maker for you, remember that you can participate in a trial run beforehand. Bliss & Bone, for instance, lets you build your entire wedding invitation suite before sharing any of your payment details. Plus, you can participate in a free 7-day trial to see how it will work with your wedding website.
After selecting the one for you, there are several more decisions. For starters, you need a design that will coordinate with the rest of your wedding decor, colors, and more. These are the most popular sources of inspirations for couples who have designed their own digital wedding invitations:
- Your wedding venue: Is there a barn where you’ll take your wedding portraits at your venue? Or perhaps a signature green foyer where you plan to have a first look or cocktail hour. Think about the main spots at your wedding venue and how the style, color, and overall look of these spaces can contribute to your digital wedding invitation design. Plus, you can look through photos of wedding stationery created by other couples who got married at the same venue.
- The city where you say, “I do”: The general area where you get married can inform the choices you make about your digital wedding invitation design. Similar to the venue idea, love how some couples have included an image or drawing of a key feature from the city where you’re getting married. Some sites also give you the option to work with a designer on a custom logo or monogram, which can reflect a point of interest in your venue or city.
- Time of year: A winter wedding in the mountains will look very different than a summer celebration. The atmosphere, colors, and overall feel can change like the leaves, and your digital wedding invitation can work with the season, too. Look for digital wedding invitations that have seasonally relevant features, like snow-covered branches, summery sand dollars, spring flowers, and so on.
- Your wedding theme: While it’s not required, people often love sticking with a clear theme for their wedding, which in turn supports the decor, stationery, and other wedding details. Popular wedding themes include garden parties (think lots of florals), rustic boho (pampas grass and woven decor are a must), and farmhouse chic (photos with animals are a plus!).
- Color palette: The season can suggest a certain set of colors, but you and your partner also have the freedom to choose your favorite colors. Black and white is chic and sophisticated, a pop of cerulean could be your “something blue,” and there has been a wave of pink wedding accents ever since the Barbie movie premiered in 2023. The color palette doesn’t have to be super elaborate, but it should match the flowers and other decor items displayed at the wedding.
- Shared interests: Still stuck on where to explore ideas for your digital wedding invitation? It could be as simple as a thing or activity you and your partner love. From your lovable pup to regular trips to the beach, anything is up for deliberation.
- Family and friends: You’ve likely been to several weddings at this point, and if you’re like us, you’ve created a do and don’t list of things you’d love to do at your own celebration. Take notes from printed or digital wedding invitations sent out by your friends and family.
There’s no limit to what you can dream up for your digital wedding invitations, and hopefully these categories can serve as conversation-starters for you and your partner as you weigh your options. If you’ve hired a wedding planner, this professional can also assist you during this process and share insights from their experience with other wedding couples.
The Most Popular RSVP Questions for Your Guests
Once you’ve designed your wedding invitations, you’ll need to prepare how your guests will RSVP for your event (or in many cases, events). Many of our favorite wedding invite makers have a clear RSVP connection, but others will require a separate RSVP form with questions about guests’ attendance. Wedding couples have also started asking guests questions about other wedding details, including:
- Attendance to other wedding events: Are you planning a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, or post-wedding brunch? If so, see if your wedding invite builder has the option to add these RSVPs to your form.
- Dietary restrictions or meal preferences: As your caterer prepares for your celebration, they’ll likely need exact numbers and any pertinent information about your guests’ diets. The basics are beef, fish, or vegetarian, but you may want to share other specifics, too. If you have a relative with celiac disease, for example, your caterer will need to know so they can make a special gluten-free dish.
- Transportation and lodging details: Want to know a little more about where your guests are staying, and how they’re traveling to your event? Consider adding a section for them to share this with you. If you have a hotel block, this could help as you prepare welcome bags and transportation to and from the wedding venue for your guests.
- Fun questions: Couples who want to get the party started might come up with some cheekier questions for their guests. We love how many couples ask, “What song will get you on the dance floor?” This not only allows your guests to have fun filling out your RSVP form, but it also saves you time as you jot down your playlist preferences for your band or DJ.
As you wrap up this section, make sure you’ve presented a deadline for your guests. These forms should be submitted about two to three weeks before your wedding, so you and any relevant vendors have time to prep everything to perfection.
