Invitations

Hold Your H'orderves! Pre-Invite Brainstorming

Before you even think about creating your invite, you have to know what to include in it. You'll need to think about your brunch in general. From this point on, think of every part of your brunch as a spoke on a wheel carrying you forward towards a thrilling food-induced coma of pure deliciousness. Who will be in attendance? Does your brunch have a theme? What are you willing to do (and not do) for this brunch? For example, if you absolutely hate cooking, but want to have brunch at your home, you can always cater/order out (it's not cheating to order out!).

What does all this have to do with creating an invite? Well, depending on what catering options are available to you will influence your options. If you want a Southern-cuisine-themed brunch but only have your average diner breakfast spot to work with, you're either going to have to suck it up and catch some old Paula Deen episodes on Food Network (may her career Rest In Peace), or be flexible about your theme.

But don't be detured. Brunch is like that guy you met at that event and thought they would be a jerk, but once you actually spoke to them, they turned out to be the most chill person ever. Out of all the meals you could plan, brunch is the most chill of them all. Just be sure to stay organized and the rest will be a breeze.

Let's Get to it: Invitations!

Ya got your who, your what, your where, your when, (and sometimes why, unless it's "just because") ready to include in your invite. To send them out to your friends, you have a couple options:

Digital

• E-mail: Pros: Simple to do and gets the job done. Usually has some customization features. Appropriate for low-key brunches. Cons: Not that much customization, virtually no RSVP management. Lacks tangibility.
  Examples: Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook
• E-vite & Event Websites: Pros: Lots of customization, nice pre-made customizable templates, usually has RSVP management as a part of the services, very accessible and can send guests updates and changes relatively easily. Cons: Lacks tangibility.
  Examples: Paperless Post, Splashthat

Analog

• Printed Invitations: Pros: It's always nice to get a pretty invitation in the mail! Selecting which paper could be a blog page of its own. The good thing about printed invitations are that they can be as upscale or as low-key as needed. Cons: No built-in RSVP management, may require more effort to follow-up or remind/update guests.