Post 2020 we are re-igniting our flames for ‘occasions’. Communication and connection has been forced to be digital for the last 14 months but now our CHOICE is opening up again!
Not only can we choose to come together, but we must choose are very top people, and we have had to challenge our value.
Weddings, Wakes, Naming celebrations, Hens, Stags, Birthdays and Anniversaries are something to celebrate, and it doesn’t have to be behind closed doors anymore. Looking ahead from spring to summer, the doors are opening once more.
This then brings up the question – Shall we bother with invites? To which I answer YES YES YES.
An invitation means so much more than the words on the page.
The word ‘Invitation’ is Latin in origin and means “be pleasant toward”. To invite someone to something is to ask them to come towards you with love in their heart. To come and have a pleasant time – and who isn’t desperate for that!
To go one step further and make the invitation an ACTUAL invitation rather than a virtual has huge value.
Firstly, it shows worth.
It shows investment, it shows thought, time and effort. All things that take our energy. That invite has had energy put into it, and you are now asked to bring yours. If someone has sent you a beautifully designed invitation in the post, it’s a much bigger deal that just a stamp. They are showing you your worth and that your attendance is valued. It demonstrates the importance that the event you have been asked to come towards is worth to them. It’s an energy exchange.
@thelittlepaperloft
@queenbeaphotography (photography)
Secondly, It creates expectation, a sense of occasion, and shares information.
Our post these days are usually either junk leaflets and pointless rubbish or brown envelopes that make us nervous – so get some beautifully designed, positive post that calls us towards something of value and human connection is truly a gift.
We can place it on the mantelpiece, or put it on the fridge door and it brings a sense of expectation. It gives us something to look forward to. It gives us a focus. It might even give us the springboard we need to do something positive for ourselves – like make better health choices in preparation to be a best self or might give us permission to give ourselves a makeover or even just a pair of shoes – and it shows someone values US, then we value ourselves that little bit more too. An invitation absolutely spreads joy and love in the here and now, but also in the future. It will give us information like location, names and dates – all things that we need to ensure we don’t miss out on this special occasion.
@millie_stone_uk (stationery)
@constancedoyle (photographer)
Thirdly, it creates beauty in the world and in the soul and gives you a clue towards the feel and vibe of the occasion in a creative way.
The dictionary says:
“The word calligraphy comes from two Greek words stuck together, kallos, meaning “beauty,” and graphene, meaning “to write” — literally “beautiful writing.” In the days before printing was invented, all books and documents were written by hand using calligraphy, the most famous examples being the bible”
To have an invitation, is to receive Beautiful Writing. Of course, we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so the person that has sent this to you is letting you know what style it is that they find beautiful. It gives you a clue to the feel of the day. It shows you MORE than just direction and instruction. It shows you the lens that they are looking through and invite you to come towards it and share.
I have noticed a surge in Calligraphy in recent times, and I think that one of the reasons for this is that we know that time is precious, and to take time over something can be a declaration of love.
This may be ‘just’ an invite to you at first but it’s actually a little bit of post that says ‘I love you, and you mean something to me and the event or ceremony that you are invited to is also really, about love above all things. I know that for me personally, I LOVE it when clients send out invitation for funerals or ashes ceremonies – because it is about the call to bear witness to love.
It’s properly powerful stuff if you let it in.
@sweetopheliadesigns (stationery)
@doriendecamps (photographer)
Lastly, and most of all. It shows you the power of your word
The power of your word is what we base society on. Trust is the foundation of civilisation. You have been asked to come towards us with a pleasant intention and you have been asked to respond with your intention. If that is a Yes, you have given your word. You have showed your worth, and you are grateful for them valuing you as such. When there are ‘no shows’ or when people don’t bother or don’t get round to ‘RSVP’ing, it frankly rude and disrespectful. The WORD probably the very thing that you are being asked to witness. If it’s a wedding – you are being invited to witness to people give their ‘WORD’ to each other. To pledge all the things that they hold dear for a relationship. If you are going to a naming ceremony or a christening, you are there to witness what their name might mean, what the God or guiding adults are going to commit to as extended family, to what hopes and aspirations and vows the parents are going to declare as their intention for their little one.
If it’s for a funeral, then you are called to bear witness to the words of their life story. To hear and see the legacy that they have left. You might be called to say a tribute, or to vow that you will ‘never forget’ and vow that they shall be ‘forever in your heart’
An invitation is demonstrating the power of the word.
An invitation is informative, creative and enables the joy of expectation as well as a keep sake.
An invitation to an event is, as I say once more, an exchange of energy and worth, and above all, love.
I LOVE an invite. So YES – please bother, and please give it some thought. It can carry so much value for you and your guests.
@tigerlilystationery
All the images above are from some incredible suppliers I have worked with, so please, reach out, put pen to paper, and make it happen.
Your event will be the richer for it in so many ways.
