E-invites are not everyone's cuppa tea

When Neha Iyer decided to have a budget wedding, she knew where to begin with her cost-cutting. The 28-year-old IT professional decided to ditch the age-old tradition of distributing invitation cards and chose to send e-invites through email and Whatsapp. She also created a page on Facebook breaking the news of her wedding to the world and inviting her friends and colleagues to her big day.
“When I decided to keep the whole affair pocket-friendly, I knew it was necessary to not spend money behind lavish wedding cards because it is one of the most expensive parts of a wedding. No matter how expensive a card you buy, it is only going to land in the waste bin once your guests finish reading it,” she opines. There is an increasing number of youngsters who endorse the idea of sending e-invites through emails and social networking. Not only does it lighten the wedding budget but it also does not consume time.
Mahima Goyal, who tied the knot last year, invited her friends through Whatsapp and pitches the idea for aspiring brides. “In this age and time when everybody is wired in most of the time, it is only wise to send e-invites. At the click of a button, you can inform all your friends across the globe and send invitations to a large number of people. Also, sending cards by post or courier is not only expensive but risky too. Whether a card reaches the address on time is always a concern,” she opines.
While this new-school is going gaga over the idea, the parents remain divided on it. Fifty-eight-year-old Sathish Narayanan, a theatre actor, finds this method of inviting people ‘cheap in the wrong manner.’ “I find it highly offensive. When your friends and acquaintances come to know about any big event in your life, they expect to be a part of it. In that case, personally handing them a card makes them feel wanted. It’s a warm gesture. Sending e-invites might be cost-effective, but it is a very impersonal way of communicating a matter of such great importance to people who are close to you,” he says. While Narayanan dismisses the idea right away, 55-year-old Amritha Murali finds it “cool”. “Why not? It’s an effective and beneficial way to bring down the otherwise humongous cost of our weddings. There is hardly anybody in this world who is not on Faceboook or Whatsapp these days. So, why can’t one utilize these services? You can make the invite as personal as you want, especially for your friends. If the message is conveyed properly, it can never come across as impersonal,” she opines.
Though e-invites are increasingly becoming popular, when it comes to the guests, most of them still prefer the age-old tradition of formal invitation cards. “If you are worried about the costs, you can make a simple card and distribute it. Don’t pick up anything lavish. I received a Whatsapp invitation recently from one of my closest friends and somehow it felt very cold,” rues Ishani Vishal, an architect.