Sexy.  Sweet.  Anything goes…we just want to knock the groom off his feet!  It’s growing increasingly popular for brides to turn away from the traditional at-home boring bridal shower and say hello to a sexy and sultry themed shower to bring out her wild side, (and prepare her for that honeymoon)!  That’s right, we’re talking lingerie showers.

A traditional bridal shower was great for helping the bride prepare for her marriage and fill her brand new home with things she’ll need from china to linens to kitchen utensils.  For today’s modern bride, she may very well have everything she’ll need before she heads down the aisle, or, she and the groom may have lived together for a few years before engagement.  Nobody wants three extra blenders, ten extra sets of china or one hundred gifts to return – so if your bride-to-be is anything but traditional, it’s the perfect time to get creative and think of a fun shower that will help her spice things up after she makes that journey down the aisle.

A lingerie shower is a great way to help the bride prepare for her honeymoon and the months after, and add a little sweet, sass and spice to her marriage…just make sure the bride is outgoing and comfortable with this type of bridal shower, as it can get a bit racy!

When planning your lingerie shower, decide if you want to have it at home as a full-on bridal shower event, or as a pre-shower to your bachelorette night.  Create a fun theme and atmosphere with hot pink and black accents with lacey table runners and create a bit of ambiance with candles, bath salts and linens strung about.  Play a few ice breaker games like pin the panties on the clothesline or have each guest decorate their own thong or bra to take home.  I have even heard of lingerie showers with a ‘toy specialist’ who shows up to give some great ideas to the bride and the party guests.

Set the scene for your lingerie shower with a sultry lingerie shower invitation that will let your guests know exactly what type of shower you are hosting.  Our newest and most popular lingerie shower invitations feature lacy bras, bridal nighties, brides in trench coats, naughty nighties hanging on a line, bath linens, garters, damask patterns, teddies, lingerie gift boxes and corsets.  Choose one that matches the bride’s style, and her favorite colors or wedding colors, and then carry this theme into your lingerie shower.  If the bride is comfortable with it being listed on the lingerie shower invitation, you can list the bride’s measurements or cup sizes to be sure that the bride’s gifts all fit.  Most brides list the cup size along with a S/M/L size.  This will help your guests select the most appropriate gifts for the bride-to-be.

Check out some of our newest lingerie shower invitations below and you’ll be making the groom say “ooh-la-la” on his wedding night!

If there’s one thing we know about kids, it’s that their likes, dislikes and minds change with the drop of a hat.  What was cool a month ago might not be what is cool now, and we know that on their birthday, they want to feel like the coolest kid around!

Doc Milo is one of our most popular manufacturers for trendy, fun and social invitations for kids and grownups!  It seems like they’re always coming out with the latest and greatest themed kids birthday party invitations, and their designs are fun, bright, vibrant and totally trendy – which is just perfect for your little one.

In our latest Doc Milo release, you’ll find all of the most popular kids party themes to help your child celebrate in a big with – with the cutest patterns, designs and graphics that truly represent your birthday boy or birthday girl.  For girls you’ll see cupcake invitations, bowling invitations, roller skating invitations and tea party invitations.  They also have adorable pool party invitations and princess party invitations which feature looks-like-me invitations which feature pool party kids and princesses with blonde, brown or black hair and also different nationalities!  Remember, for older children, we also have teen party invitations which are great for ages 13 and up, (and sweet sixteen birthdays), which feature trendy, chic and stylish girls celebrating their birthday in style!

For boys the new Doc Milo invitations feature pirate invitations complete with a pirate hat and sword, bowling invitations and male circus themed invitations.  If sports is where it’s at, we also have a looks-like-me rock climbing invite in blonde and brunette, as well as kids pool party invitations which are sure to make a big splash!

If your little one is not old enough to have their first big-boy or girl party, we do have adorable brand new birth announcements and first birthday party invitations which feature a brand new digital photograph line, which is great for creating memories and keepsakes, as well as informing your recipients of your new arrival or child’s birthday.

Check out the newest designs below and make your little one’s day extra special!

Tired of the same old party themes and ideas, year after year?  Sometimes we’ve had enough of the typical fiesta party, pool party or black and white party, and we’re just in the mood for something different.  A party theme that makes your party invitations stand out to your guests, and a party theme that makes everyone get so involved with the party theme, they’ll be talking about it for years to come.  One of those, “Remember when we …” type of parties that can’t be beat – or that your friends ask you to host again and again!

One of the coolest things we have the opportunity of seeing while working at InvitationBox.com is all of the different party themes that our customers come up with!  From divorce parties to full-blown Vegas style events, you guys are always coming up with the coolest party ideas!  Sometimes we even have to create new invitations just to keep up with your chosen party themes!  Below we’ve compiled a quick list at some of our most unique party themes that will help keep your party modern, innovative, fresh and totally FUN for your guests to attend!

Decades - Do you have that one relative who is stuck in the 70′s groove or the 90′s grunge?  Next time they have a birthday turn back time and ask your guests to bust out their favorite 60′s, 70′s, 80′s or 90′s gear and be ready for a step into a time machine at your next party!  We have the coolest decade themed invitations which feature a variety of decades with juke boxes, disco themes, cassette tapes, leg warmers, feathered bangs, bell bottoms and more.  Bring back the child hood of your guests with this fun party theme!

Casino & Poker – Want to make it a full house?  Casino parties are great for adult birthday parties, bachelor parties or corporate gatherings and you can double the stakes with real money or fake – the choice is yours!  Set your party scenes by creating different game tables with black jack, texas hold ‘em or russian roulette and sip swanky drinks like you would in a real Vegas casino!   Our casino invitations will help you double down your guest list with poker chip invitations, playing cards, suit patterns, rolling dice and more!

Board Games – Feeling a bit bored lately?  Turn “bored” into “board” with a party theme that really gets your guests involved.  Board game parties are new to the party scene, and are great for kids and adults.  If you have a bunch of games, you can set them up for guests to play, or ask your guests to bring their own games to play!  You can pair your guests up in two’s, four’s or more, depending on how many players are needed for each game.  Up the ante a little bit by creating a competition with the winner’s circle.  Feel free to provide little gag-gifts for the winners!

Around the World -Next stop – Paris!  There’s so many places we’d love to travel to, however our busy careers, lives and budget may prevent us from hopping on the next jet across the world.  If you’ve got a great circle of friends full of cultured and eclectic people, try a travel around the world party and use one of our boarding pass invitations to set the scene!  You can set up each room in your house with a different culture, country or city theme, and then coordinate your food and drink to coordinate with that specific location.  Guests can mingle about and socialize while absorbing information about new cultures – they’ll feel like they traveled the world after being at your event!

Movies – Action!  Everyone loves the movies, big or small.  Create a little drama with a movie themed invitation, whether you’re heading to the theater or creating your own action at home.  Ask your guests to come dressed as their favorite movie star, or a character from a favorite movie or TV show.  Cater your decorations to your movie theme, and be sure to send out a stellar movie invitation to literally set the scene!

Spa Day – Need to unwind a bit?  Whether you’ve been working around the clock lately, have a wedding to prepare for or simply need an excuse to get together with your girlfriends, the spa has become a common meeting place for teen and adult women.  Whether you’re headed out for a mani-pedi or looking for a whole day of pampering, a spa party is the perfect way to wash your cares and stress away with those who mean the most to you.  Meet at the spa or create your own and set the scene with one of our serene spa party invitations.

I admit, I’m a bit of a stationery fanatic, but each time one of our vendors releases a brand new product line, I can’t help but go through all of the products and wish I was planning a party, just to use their cute invitations!  One of our more modern vendors, Noteworthy Collections, has updated their wedding line this week and we’re oh-so excited to share the new cards with our brides-to-be.

Whether you’re planning a bridal shower, a lingerie shower, a bachelorette party, a marriage announcement or a rehearsal dinner, the newest designs have you covered with everything the bride will need to set the scene for her special event – in a contemporary way.  For bridal shower invitations, Noteworthy has a new around the clock invitations which features an antique looking silver clock along with antique swirls which are modernly placed on a swashed background.  The bachelorette party invitations and lingerie shower invitations are sexy, sultry and flashy with animal print high heel shoes, hot pink and black city scapes, lacy bra invitations, leg and garter invitations and sexy lingerie wearing bride invitations.  If sassy and sexy is what you’re looking for, you’ll be making the groom say ooh-la-la quicker than you know it!

If your bridal event is a bit more reserved, say with a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower, we have elegant and posh rehearsal dinner invitations that will coordinate with your wedding colors, as well as set the scene for your bridal event.  Choose from long table settings lined with colorful table runners and chairs, an elegant etched floral azalea background, a scene of the bride to be with her wedding party or an elegant silhouette bridal design of the bride in her wedding gown.  We also have fun engagement party invitations which showcase “i do” and “me too!” written with wedding/engagement rings instead of o’s.   For couples celebrating their nuptials, we also have brand new couples shower invitations showcasing the bride and groom with a bouquet of flowers, as well as tall wedding cakes with “LOVE” cake toppers.

Check out some of the newest bridal invitations below by Noteworthy Collections!

If you could invite ANYONE to your wedding, (and I mean anyone), – who would you invite?  Maybe it would be a famous celebrity like Oprah, Angelina Jolie or Tom Cruise, or maybe it would be a famous artist, author or public figure that you’ve admired for years.  The trend in the wedding world today is inviting everyone and anyone you desire to your wedding - after all, it’s YOUR big day – there’s no reason that you shouldn’t invite everyone that you’d like to be there to share your special day with you!

A facebook friend of mine posted a photograph of her wedding invitations online yesterday, and the invitation on top was a wedding invitation to President Barack Obama!  I had seen this done once before, and seeing this on her facebook made me wonder just how many other brides have done this too!  And for that matter, has a president ever attended an unknown bride’s wedding?  After doing some research, I found out that the President actually receives about a dozen wedding invitations each week – which ends up being over five hundred wedding invitations a year!  Better make sure your wedding invitation stands out among the rest if you’re counting on the President and First Lady attending!

But don’t feel down if you don’t get an RSVP card back with a yes/no right away – the White House actually sends out a congratulatory note for most wedding invitations to the bride and groom.  The note is signed by the President and the First Lady and has the official White House seal embossed into the top of the card.  Best wishes from the bride and groom are given.  This letter can make a very special keepsake for your wedding album, or a frame for your wall in your new house together.

So if you find yourself having an extra wedding invitation or two to send, why not send one to your favorite celebrity, political figure or famous artist.  You just never know…Thinking of crossing your fingers and sending a wedding invitation to the President and the First Lady to try your luck?  Address your wedding invitation to the below address and your invitation will be on it’s way!  You never know…you may just have two extra special guests pop-in to your very special day to make it that much more special!

The President & First Lady
The White House
Greetings Office, Room 39
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20502

I’m sure you’ve heard it from your parents a million times – “Money doesn’t grow on trees!!”  And now, you probably repeat the same phrase to your kids, as they will do to theirs – but wouldn’t it be awesome if it did?!  Well, we can’t exactly make it “grow” on trees, but a popular trend in the bridal world today is to create a “Money Tree” for the bride-to-be.

So, what exactly is a money tree?  A money tree is a gift idea for brides and grooms who might not need to register for gifts from their guests.  Perhaps they have lived together for years and have enough sets of dinner wear, toasters and linens.  Or, they simply don’t want their guests purchasing multiples of items they already have purchased for their home.  Or, the bride and groom  may be financially planning to purchase a new home or need specific high-cost items that they wouldn’t ask for from a guest, but wouldn’t mind assistance from their guests in funding, rather than a traditional wedding or bridal shower gift.

So basically, a small tree is made, purchased or planted in a planter, to which guests will attach gift cards, money envelopes or literal money bills to the branches to create a money tree.  You can get creative and cute with it and dress the tree up with white or yellow strung lights and white bows to coordinate.  You can also give guests paper clips or tiny crystal clips to hold their monetary gift on the tree for display.  Place the tree on a table for the shower or wedding and watch it fill up as guests arrive.  The tree is then presented to the bride as her gift.

Remember, this is not a traditional way of giving gifts for a bridal shower or wedding – we suggest doing this for a young couple or a very modern couple – if you are very traditional and your guests are too, they might be offended by the request to ask for monetary gifts.  We suggest spreading word about the money tree via word of mouth by the parents of the bride or the bridal party.  Or, you may list “Money tree available” on your bridal shower invitation – but be prepared for some distaste by your guests. If you are having a money tree at your wedding – do not put this on your wedding invitation under any circumstances.

Think a money tree is for you – or have you created your own for a shower you hosted in the past?  Share your thoughts, ideas and experiences with us to help the next bride plan her perfect shower!

Nothing reduces stress more than a day off from the pressures of everyday life in corporate America, right?!  Labor Day is a federal US holiday that is held the first Monday of September each year, which celebrates the contributions of hard workers here in the united states…both socially and economically.  In other words, it is an amazing Monday that gives US workers time with their family and friends and rewards us for the hard work we’ve done over the past year to provide for our families!

The holiday was introduced first in 1882 by Matthew Maguire who was a secretary for the CLU in NY and became an actual celebrated holiday by the great state of Oregon just five years later after a number of deaths in the military during the Pullman strikes.  Today labor day is celebrated widely across America and is marked as a day to symbolize the end of summer and the beginning of the autumn months, (and the last day to wear white, of course)!  Most labor day celebrators celebrate this day with a family and friends picnic, BBQ or party or simply enjoy the fact that they have a day off and a nice long 3-day weekend.  Celebrations include cocktails and beer, food, fireworks, water activities and public events to mark the end of the summer season.  Students will also be preparing to head back to school or college.

Thinking about hosting your own labor day celebration this year?  One of the most popular trends we’ve seen this year is the use of patriotic invitations for labor day, which is perfectly appropriate for celebrating the land of the free while enjoying a day off from work.  For those looking for patriotic invitations we offer fireworks invitations, red white and blue themes and American flag themes.  If patriotic isn’t your style for this holiday, consider a picnic invitation or BBQ themed invitation to set the scene.  Choose from our BBQ couple invitations, family gathering invitations, BBQ food invitations, grill invitations or traditional pig BBQ invitations.  We also have pool party invitations which is a great way to cool off and celebrate one last swim at the end of summer!

Below are some of our favorite labor day invitations that will help you set the scene for your labor day gathering!  From picnic invitations to BBQ invitations to pool parties and more, we’ve got you covered to set the scene for an amazing day off to celebrate your hard work over the past months!

“Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.”  -H.F. Hedge

We all know how important bedtime is for our beloved children, and we want to make bedtime as easy, relaxing and enjoyable as possible for our kids, so that they can feel loved and safe before drifting off to sleep!  If you’re a regular shopper at Ibox, you know we sell so much more than your typical party invitation.  Inside our baby gift collection, we offer a variety of posh products which make great decorations for your child’s room or nursery, as well as great gifts for a child’s birthday, baptism or communion.

Our most popular collection of kids gifts has to be our collection of twilight turtles, twilight ladybugs and twilight sea turtles by Cloud b.  These adorable sleep companions sit right on your child’s bedside or night stand and when turned on, project a full night sky onto your child’s ceiling and walls to their room!  Each turtle, ladybug and sea turtle changes colors so that each sky scene is different, with projections in sapphire blue, emerald green and ruby red.

For girls we have the twilight ladybug, which is available in black and grey with a red shell or baby and dark pink with a pink shell.  For boys we have the twilight sea turtle and the twilight turtle.  Once your child’s toy lights up, a 45-minute sleep timer will begin allowing your child to begin relaxing and dreaming at bedtime.  You can even use the twilight turtle/ladybug as a learning tool to help your child identify different constellations in your projection, (a guide is included with your toy).  Each twilight animal includes an adoption certificate as well as three AAA batteries – which makes gift giving so much easier!  Nobody wants to give a gift that requires the parents to go out an purchase batteries, especially as your child will want to use their new toy that night before bed!

Twilight turtle and ladybug are available for children ages three and up!  And remember, we also offer a complete line of Cloud b products for your newborn, too!  From the classic and on-the-go Sleep Sheep to the Gentle Giraffe which gives off sounds of nature, mom’s heartbeat and baby’s favorite music.  Make bedtime and travel easy and fun with Cloud b’s amazing gift items!

Ready for a fright?  Pretty soon the ghosts will be coming (or creeping) out for Halloween night!  I’ve never been one to host a Halloween party, however I am definitely always ready to find the perfect costume when I am invited to one!  Maybe you host an annual Halloween bash, or you’re just looking for another great excuse to get together with friends early this fall.  Or, maybe you’re just out for blood!  Whatever the reason, we have the perfect adult Halloween party invitations to help you set one amazingly scary scene for your upcoming Halloween event!

I think some of our coolest Halloween invitations this year have to be our most creepiest designs.  There’s nothing  better than spooking your guests as they open your party envelope, or simply scaring them so much that they wouldn’t dare NOT come to your party!  Check out some of our new creepy Halloween party invitations below and learn a little bit more about why InvitationBox is your #1 source for all of your Halloween party needs this 2012 fall season!

Halloween Graveyard Invitation by IB Designs - Designed by our very own graphic designers at InvitationBox, this is one of my favorite Halloween invitations this year.  It’s utterly creepy with an eerie orange cloudy sky and a large grey moon on the left side, which sits as the backdrop behind a dark black graveyard with a fence in the front.  A black silhouette of a witch flies over the moon in the top left corner of the card.  Pair this creepy invitation with an equally creepy matching reply card or ghost over the moon sticker and you’ll have one Halloween set that your guests will never forget!

If You Dare Invitation by Noteworthy Collections - Come if you dare!  This invitation design is actually from last year’s release, but it’s still a popular favorite upon all of our Halloween fanatics.  When you think of Halloween and what scares you the most, for me anyways, a dark skeleton always comes to mind!  This eerie yet somehow elegant invitation features an antique tan background with white streaks throughout, which almost looks like the paper has been folded.  The outer border of the card has an elegant damask pattern with an antique or vintage flare, and a black skeleton design adorns the right side of the card.  This invitation is available with a coordinating reply card and a very eerie and elegant round monogrammed label, which is perfect for envelope seals or return address labels.

Scare Crow Invitation by IB Designs - Another creepy invitation by IB Designs, this unique invite features a vibrantly eerie orange and red shaded background with piercing etch marks in the background making it look like it’s almost on fire!  The bottom of the invite is bordered with black grass and the left side of the card features a taunting scarecrow design in black which features a large jack-o-lantern head under a black witches hat.  To top it off, three black crows perch on the scarecrow’s arms, helping him look for his next prey.  Flip the card over to reveal a coordinating fiery back, too!

The weary be warned, these downright creepy Halloween invitations are not for the weak!  But we love it for a fantastic Halloween invitation!

Aristotle once said, “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies…”

It’s such a wonderful moment when your parents or grandparents celebrate their anniversary.  Sometimes it seems like all of our friends, parents or relatives are divorced, or that we have more divorced families in our lives than married ones.  In this day and age, a 10th, 25th or 50th anniversary is such a special event for the married couple, as well as the lives that they have touched throughout their years together.  We know you’ll be excited to celebrate this special time with your family, and we’re here to help you celebrate!

At InvitationBox.com we offer a wide variety of anniversary invitations that will help you inform your guests of the married couple’s anniversary as well as invite them to a party to celebrate.  Most couples celebrate a 10, 25 (silver) or 50th (golden) anniversary.  However, I have seen some modern couples lately celebrate their first or fifth year anniversary, especially if the couple eloped or had a very small wedding the first time around.

Our golden anniversary invitations and silver anniversary invitations feature a variety of designs, both formal and informal, to help you commemorate this special event.  Choose formal invitations with gold and silver shimmer pockets with satin ribbons or a layered invitation with a shimmering gold or silver bottom layered card.  We also have flat formal invitations which feature damask patterns, falling damask designs, curly q borders, paisley patterns and ornate swirls that circle your anniversary year.  We also have more casual cards with floral patterns, vases, simple patterns, ticket style invitations and also invitations that focus on your anniversary year, be it 10, 25 or 50.  Be sure that your anniversary invitation makes it clear as to which anniversary the happy couple is celebrating, and that it fits the formality of your event.  Plan on sending your invitations out about 4-6 weeks in advance.

If your anniversary is approaching and you’re not sure what to get as a gift for your love, check out some of these traditional anniversary gift ideas…

1st – paper

2nd – cotton

3rd – leather

4th – fruit & flowers

5th – wood

10th – tin

20th – china

25th – silver

50th – gold

60th – diamonds

Check out some of our anniversary invitations below and start planning an anniversary celebration they’ll never forget!