STORY:
The Y2K Party Invitation

Party planning tips for a new Millennium

By Patty Sachs
Special to Everything2000

It is a well-known fact in the world of celebration, that the party starts with the invitation. Your ideal invitation is one designed to announce the mood and style of the party as well as any special theme. In addition, the perfect invitation states clearly the "why, what, when, where and who" to put the guest at ease regarding his role‹what to wear, bring, expect, etc. There is nothing more frustrating for a guest than to be in the dark about such things as how to find the party site, hence the need for clear and concise directions or a map. Before you mail an invitation, have several people take a look at the copy to verify that all necessary information is included.

The Small, Intimate Party (12-48)
You will be able to be far more creative and personal with these invitations utilizing some of the following:

• Hand-written on formal note paper
• Hand-crafted with original artwork, rubber stamp art, sticker-art, on paper, fabric or card stock.
• A calendar page with a countdown to the date
• A collage of photos representing the past century, as a mat for the printed invitation.
• Computer generated on paper with a Y2K design
• Matching or custom-crafted envelope made from an old calendar page
• Hand-crafted and mailed in a special container
• Envelope: Special papers, cloth, mylar or plastic
• Envelope: Over-sized
• Tube: Cardboard or see-through plastic
• Novelty container: box, bag, or cardboard sleeve

The Mid-size Party (48-120)
(Add to all above)
Custom printed formal invitation with prominent Y2K collectable design. These will be available through your local invitation dealer or mail order catalog.

The Large Party (120-300)
(Add to all above)
… Your original design, custom printed invitation and envelope. … This is an ideal opportunity for you to create a souvenir of your event to save as a piece of history for the new century. Millions of scrapbooks and time capsules will be created to preserve pieces such as this.
… Oversized or unusual paper/fabric envelope
… Foil embossing, vellum overlay, ribbon trimmed

The Gala ((300-1000)
The Extravaganza (1000 and More)
(Add to all above)
… An extremely professional, custom-designed and printed invitation and envelope to possibly include a gimmick:

• Miniature hour glass with hang tag invitation
• Inexpensive clock with countdown
• Toy or low-cost wrist or pocket watch attached to invitation
• Year 2000 date book with date of event marked
• Origami style invitation that forms a calendar when folded (as shown in ad specialty catalogs)

Invitation tips:

… Do not use the term "regrets only" on your invitation or you will not know if someone DID NOT receive theirs. Request a "yes" or "no" response. … Send yourself a sample of a uniquely packaged invitation to be sure it travels successfully. It need not be of the exact invitation, though, only the same design using materials of comparable weight. … You might use a voice mail box to collect your responses. This is especially practical during the busy holidays. Make the greeting fun and festive to match your invitation.

… For very personal occasions, a neatly handwritten address is far better than a typed label.

DATE: 9/21/99

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