With summer in full swing, picnics and parties abound. Email invitations are a better alternative to paper invitations for several reasons.

1. Write the invitation once and send it to everyone at the same time.

2. No trees are killed in the process

3. No stamps are needed

4. No paper cuts on you lips from licking envelopes or water on your desk from your sponge bottle.

5. They are FREE and Easy!

So now you’re convinced this is the way to go, where do you find FREE invitations? It just so happens that I have a few sites I can share with you.

Evite – You can create your invitations from hundreds of designs or customize your invitation with your own design.  You can import your contacts from your address book (two steps). Evite sends a link to your invitation to your guests email address and tracks RSVP responses. Your guests can reply to your invitation on the site and view maps and directions. You can even send invitations to a phone. You can ask your guests to bring something to the party, poll your guests and even ask for payment from your guests (if for instance you are hosting a fundraiser). They have a party tips and tools section and even a drink calculator that will tell you how much alcohol you need to purchase for the party. 

American Greetings has a site for sending FREE party invitations. They have dozens of invitations. They don’t offer customization unless you become a member. However, do they offer background music (which you can turn on or off) and the cards are animated and stylish. Memberships are good for one full year.

My Punch bowl Sign up for a free account and you can use the tool to help you pick the best date for you bash and send out a save the date card. Create your invitation and send it to your guests email.  You can use their on-line party checklist to make sure you haven't forgotton anything. They offer RSVP and a Great after Party feature that lets you share your party photos on Flicker and YouTube. If you need a reason to party (your kidding right) they have a list of days like Cousin’s Day, Parent’s Day and my persoanl favorite National Milk Chocolate day!

Sendomatic If you are having a very small party Sendomatic might work for you. You can send up to 4 email addresses for free. They have an easy to use event center that tracks you RSVP’s and let’s your guests send you a response with a message and you can resend an invitation if needed. They charge for invitations in excess of 4. It must be said they do not have any ads.

They have a special section for business use where they provide event planning and management software.  You can easily create your own event website, send the invitations, track the RSVP's and manage your event.  If you are having an event for you clients this might be worth the cost.

So, what are you waiting for get that party started…. and don’t forget to invite me!