Have a little time before your upcoming event? We often say our smartest shoppers are the ones who plan way in advance and begin searching for the perfect invitation long before the party details are even finalized.

At InvitationBox, we offer physical samples of each of our invitation, stationery and greeting card products so that you can view a physical product before placing your actual invitation order. Samples come either blank or with sample wording printed upon it. Samples are typically ordered so that a customer can verify card stock colors, ink colors and paper quality/weight. This is especially helpful to verify invitation and stock colors, as different computer monitors are displayed differently and with higher/lower resolutions.

Samples cost between $3.00 – $4.50 depending on item quality and are typically sent via USPS within about 2 – 10 business days.

Trust us, it pays to plan ahead! Order three to five of your favorite samples and then have the items on-hand when making your decision. This way, you’ll know you already like the design/quality of the product you’re ordering, which will help you make a simple transition when adding your wording to place your actual order. Customers who order samples will also receive a coupon for their invitation order!

Uncle Tom can’t sit next to Aunt Rose. Cousin Jake and Grandpa Joe always talk politics. Take control of your next party situation by creating formal organization with a place card or table card for your guests to follow upon entering your reception or party venue. Table cards and place cards advise a guest where to be seated for an event.

A table card is a small flat card, approximately 2 x 3 inches, which is placed inside an envelope. The couple’s name is on the front of the envelope and the card inside reveals what table the couple is asked to sit at. Table cards are typically given to guests prior to arriving to the reception, (at an outdoor table in alphabetical order), so that when your guests arrive they have plenty of direction.

A place card is a top fold rectangular card, approximately 2 x 3 inches when standing, which is again given to the guest prior to arrival at a reception, typically given outside the reception entrance. The card will have the couple’s name written on the front with a table number below it. Typically names and table numbers are done in calligraphy or printed in script. The couple then takes the card to their table and places it before their place setting. Some couples will put the place cards in different colors or patterns to assist their caterers with supplying each guest with the dinner choice they had given when originally replying for the event.

Create organization at your next formal event with these posh place cards and table cards from ibox!

Mama Mia! Relax with a glass of chianti and get ready for an Italian feast so that no guest will leave hungry! Italian themed party invitations have become more and more popular this year. Most are used for rehearsal dinners, corporate events, adult birthday parties or casual dinner parties. It’s a great party idea as it appeals to many guests, (vegetarians and non-vegetarians), and even kids. You can have your guests bring an Italian dish to share anywhere from wine, salad or bread to the main dish or dessert.

Our Italian themed invitations range anywhere from vintage Italian restaurant signs to Italian place settings, dinner table scenes, Italy street scenes, Italian chefs, Tuscan arches and olive branches. Whatever your party style, or whatever the formality of your event, we have a classy Italian invitation to coordinate. Browse below to view some of our most popular Italian dinner party invitations:

Hungry yet? Check out these great invitations and more at InvitationBox.com!

All kids, big and small, love the circus or the carousel! Celebrate your child’s birthday with a trip to the circus and a fabulous invitation to match! At InvitationBox.com our circus invitations are available with carousel themes, horse themes, Ferris wheels and circus animals in vibrant or pastel colors, depending on your child’s party style and personality.

Below are some of our favorite circus themed invitations for kids. They truly capture the fun essence of the circus and will entice your guests for the upcoming event:

Need some circus party ideas? If you can’t attend a circus, have the circus come to you! Many places offer traveling petting zoos or clowns that will come directly to your party. Choose a cake in the shape/theme of your child’s favorite circus act or animal. Have fun circus snacks like hot dogs, popcorn, fried dough, cotton candy or peanuts. Host a raffle with tickets like you’d get a real circus. Have the kids put on a show or do a tightrope contest. The possibilities are endless.

Check out all of our circus invitations at InvitationBox!

When writing an invitation we often feel like we should be writing in first person or a combination of 3rd and first person. I have seen this so much as of late on invitations and when read as a whole, it just does not create the most appealing message or invitation to your guests. For the most part, invitations should be written in third person. This way your guests know who the event is for and all invitation information is clear and consistent. It also portrays a sophisticated image to which will reflect upon the invitee. For example:

Incorrect:
Jane Scott and Robert Thompson
invite you to our annual
Summer BBQ

Correct:
Jane Scott and Robert Thompson
invite you to their annual
Summer BBQ

As noted above, the use of “our” and “their” can completely change the ‘voice’ of an invitation. When speaking or writing to someone, you would never say, (when referring to yourselves), Jane and Robert invite you to ‘our’ event. This is a mix of first and third person and does not convey a clear or grammatically correct message. It is always best to use third person consistently throughout the entire invitation. Exceptions to this may be for a child’s birthday event, like a first birthday, when you want to make it sound like your child has written the entire invitation.

If you’re ever unsure, please feel free to contact our customer service or send us an etiquette inquiry. We’re always a fan of helping customers create grammatically and etiquettely correct invitations and stationery.

Wedding season is well under-way. It seems like more and more every day wedding orders come in. Along with our wedding orders come a plethora of questions on how to word specific parts of your wedding ensemble which is essential in portraying a clear message to your guests. Nobody wants to receive an invitation and be questioning when to reply, attend or where to attend.

In focusing on reply cards today, one specific section of reply card wording that is always tricky is when a bride and groom write the “M___________________” line followed by the line reading “Number of persons_____” or “will_____attend”. This specific line of text can cause major confusion or major problems/issues for your wedding day.

“Number of persons_____” indicates that your guest may fill-in however many people they would like to bring to your event. This can turn a guest list of 100 easily into a guest list of 175. If you’re on a limited budget, this could be quite troublesome. Also, it can be quite confusing if someone writes two names on the “M______” line followed by “3″ in the persons attending section. Does this mean five people total or attending or three?

Using “will______attend” can also be confusing as guests may not be completely sure what to write on the blank line. If attending do they check the line? Write yes? If not attending do they write no or not?

All in all, it is important to relay clear information to your guests just as it is important for your guests to be clear in replying to you. We typically suggest either of the following options for your reply card text after the “M___________” line:

____accepts with pleasure
____declines with regret

____will attend
____unable to attend
Remember that the number of guests attending should be indicated by what and how many names are written on your “M________” line.

It’s that time of year again. Time to plan your child’s next birthday party and of course, you want only the best for your child. But what types of parties are “in” now? I did some research about what KIDS like this year, and this is what we came up with! Click on each title/link below to view our amazing invitations for each section:

1 – Pirate Party

2 – Princess/Fairy Party

3 – Superhero Party

4 – Safari Party

5 – Farm Party

6 – Dress Up Party

7 – Circus Party

8 – Dinosaur Party

9 – Monkey Party

10 – Beach/Pool Party

Remember, it’s great to get the kids involved in planning or picking out a theme for their upcoming birthday. Have your child browse the above categories and choose which invitations fits their party best. Check out these invites and more at InvitationBox!

It’s a jungle out there! Celebrate your little monkey’s birthday party with a monkey invitation from our jungle and safari animals collection. Monkey invitations seem to be the perfect theme for those between the turning ages of 1-7 as our monkey cards are as cute, bubbly, bouncy, crazy and adorable as your little one. Our monkey themed invitations will work with any party event or style featuring monkeys with balloons, monkeys at the pool, bounce house monkeys, monkeys wearing party hats, swinging from trees in the jungle, riding bikes or doing ballet…all of the things your child loves to do!

Check out some of our favorite and newest monkey cards below:

Swim Monkey Invitation by Inviting Company - Ready to make a splash? This fun monkey invitation is ready for a day at the beach or pool! This adorable invitation features a vibrant blue background with a brown and white monkey on the left side. He wears a red and yellow baseball hat and a pair of yellow and green swim trunks. A beach party is not equipped without a beach ball! See him carry it under his right arm.

Monkey’s Wigglers Party Invitation by Paper so Pretty - This invitation will truly make your guests feel like they are headed for a jungle! This die-cut invitation is in the shape of two tall palm trees with red, blue, yellow and green leaves at the bottom. A die-cut of two monkeys and a toucan adorn the back of the card to give the illusion that they are hanging from the tree. This die-cut is held to the card with a wiggler that makes the monkeys wiggle and bounce from side to side as if they were really bouncing.

Monkey Around by Red Leaf Papers - This monkey card is from one of our newest vendors and is perfect if you have one or more birthdays to celebrate. This card features a light sky blue background with a monkey standing in the grass at the bottom left holding a bouquet of navy, green and red balloons. Four light green vines hang at the top of the card with a brown monkey hanging upside down from one of the branches. Add your text in brown and green ink to match the colors of the invite.

Find these adorable kids birthday party invitations and more at InvitationBox.

Invitations so mouth-watering that you might just hear the sizzle of the grill when you first look at it! Take a jump toward the summer season ahead with a BBQ invitation from our Barbecue collection of invitations that will really set the tone for your summertime event.

Whatever your party occasion or theme, we have the perfect barbecue invitations to coordinate. Choose from invitations with park scenes, outdoor picnic themes, burgers and hotdogs, grills, buckets of beer, pigs for pig roast events, grill chefs, kabobs, vintage barbecue signs, elegant barbecue place settings and cowboy boots.

Below are two of our many favorite barbecue designs that you’ll see in our Barbecue Invitation Collection:

Kabob Invitation by Red Leaf Papers – From one of our newest designers, this fun barbecue invitation features a light blue background with a red patterned charcoal grill at the top. A green stripe adorns the left side of the card with two veggie kabobs lined up for the grill. This card is available with matching reply cards, reception cards, thank you notes and stickers for all of your barbecue party needs.

Grill Patio Invitation by Inviting Company - Hosting a more dress-casual barbecue? I absolutely love this invitation as it pictures an elegant barbecue scene on a stone patio with a fire pit and a large gas grill on the left. A patio table and chair adorns the left side of the card in black. This invitation is great for rehearsal dinners, anniversary parties or evening barbecue events with close friends.

Get ready to relax, have fun and celebrate this summery season with friends. A BBQ Summer Kickoff is a great place to start!

We all know the phrase…“Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite…” I have to admit, along with thousands of other teenage, 20′s and 30′s girls, Gossip Girl is programmed into my DVR every Monday night. After watching this week’s last episode with Nate’s birthday, this brainstormed an incredible idea in my head…why not host your own Gossip Girl party! Perfect for sweet 16′s, 21st birthdays or adult birthday parties. I did some research and found that other girls also had the same ideas and compiled a pretty good collection of ideas and suggestions to create your own Gossip Girl party.

Invite your closest friends to the party and ask them each to dress up as a different Gossip Girl character like Jenny, Serena, Blair, Nate, Chuck, Dan, etc. Choose the character that best matches who your friend looks like or assign complete opposites to see how they pull it off. Ask your friends to come in character, (dress/personality/tricks). Host your party in a hotel room or hall with couture or classy decorations like candles, chandeliers, glasses, flowers. Ask everyone to dress semi-formal or formal as if they are attending a gala or charity ball like the characters so often attend. You can even host Jenny’s fashion show mid-event.

Want to make the party just a little more fun? Mix things up by telling one of your friends that in addition to the character they were given, they are also Gossip Girl. Give them one piece of gossip to spread across the entire party and in the end, make it a game to see where the gossip originated from.

For food/drinks, serve up your favorite daiquiris, pina coladas or cosmos if you’re of age. Create mock-tails if you’re underage. Have a cake made in the birthday girl’s favorite colors…something ornate and ‘Serena’ oriented. Serve finger foods and other hors d’oeuvres.

When sending out your invitations be sure to choose one that matches your Gossip Girl favorite character’s style. Choose one with the city of New York behind it, a fashioned theme invite or one with cocktails galore. Remember to showcase your inner Gossip Girl…

xo xo .. Gossip Girl