Ideas & Inspiration
for exceptional events
How to Make Online Invitations
Online Invitations are an economical, eco-friendly and efficient way to see who can make it to your event! Whether you are hosting a celebration for friends and family or for your company, this guide will help you get started.
Online Invitations are an economical, eco-friendly and efficient way to see who can make it to your event! Whether you are hosting a celebration for friends and family or for your company, this guide will help you get started.
Design an Invitation
To start, you will want to use an online tool to create the actual invitation. The invitation should convey the vibe of the event and include all the major details, like: Date, Time, Location and links to any additional information an attendee might need.
If you’re using a tool like Blackbird RSVP, you can use images from our background library like what’s shown below or we always love a tool like Unplash that has a beautiful catalogue of photos to use for many event types.
If your event has custom graphics created by a designer, you should consider including those in your invitation somewhere.
Create your RSVP Form
The RSVP form is where you will collect any relevant information for your event planning needs. Common requirements for an RSVP form include First Name, Last Name, Dietary Preferences and sometimes a Meal Choice.
If you’re using Blackbird RSVP we also recommend to collect their email address (this happens by default in our system) so you have a preferred way to contact the guest if needed for reminders or any changes.
Double Check the Details
This might go without saying, but we always recommend double-checking the event details, especially the Date, Time and Location! This can save you from a major headache after you’ve sent the invitation out already.
Create a Guest List
Who are you looking to invite? You will need to create this list, accounting for any +1’s and start collecting their email addresses. Blackbird RSVP invitations have a shareable URL so if you know someone but don’t have their email address, you can always copy & paste the link to them via text or other methods.
Send your Invitation
You’re ready to go! Send your invitation out to your Guest List and let the responses pop into your inbox. This is usually where we start getting excited and begin frantically preparing.
Send Reminders
Even the most organized people miss an email or two. By a week or two, it’s probably time to send a reminder to anyone who may have missed the invitation.
Blackbird RSVP has a built-in email tool that allows you to remind just those who haven’t responded yet.
Close RSVP’s
At some point when you’ve locked in your number, you will want to cut off any new registrations for your event. It’s possible you could have guests reach out about bringing an additional person and that’s totally up to you and your venue. However, you want to make sure the form isn’t accepting more guests after your cutoff date.
In Blackbird, we have an Attendee Limit that once reached closes the RSVP section while still keeping the page up for guests.
Send a Pre-Event Reminder
One to two days before the event is a great time to send a reminder to the attendees. This reminder should include the date, time and location and any information they need about logistics and parking
Get ready to celebrate
Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
Don’t forget to follow up & say thanks
A follow up note after an event is always appreciated!
Ready to start creating?
Create your online invitation now and try the program out before you buy! Events are just $39 and include unlimited invitations.
The Holiday Gift Guide for People Who Celebrate
This is a list of some of our favorite things for people who love to congregate; who love to get their friends, colleagues, and family together to eat snacks, clink glasses, and celebrate a holiday, a promotion, a baby shower…or just about anything.
This is a list of some of our favorite things for people who love to congregate; who love to get their friends, colleagues, and family together to eat snacks, clink glasses, and celebrate a holiday, a promotion, a baby shower…or just about anything.
A bag to carry all the things.
If there is one common trait among event folk, it’s that we love to carry stuff places. We’re carrying food, decor, platters all over and we need bags that are up to the task. Look no further than this Baggu grocery bag that can carry up to THIRTY pounds of stuff.
2. Life in a box
If you don’t know already, Blackbird is based in Michigan and we love plants almost as much as we love fellow Michigan companies. Bloomscape has the most gorgeous plants and will deliver them anywhere in the continental U.S. to help spruce up any space.
3. Table Top Fancy Things
We found these ceramic candle holders on Food52 and they are designed by The Floral Society. They are a beautiful matte ceramic and dare-I-say would look fantastic on any table.
4. Sustainable Straws
Can we stop with the paper straws? With these babies, you can. If you’re serving something that’s better with a straw, these dishwasher-safe, reusable glass numbers are designed by Hay, a furniture and home goods design company out of Denmark.
5. Snack Inspiration
Question: are cheese boards considered a centerpiece? If they aren’t, don’t tell us. Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occassion is a great gift for your friend that you’ll hopefully benefit from.
6. Pretty Wine
Usual Wine looks great on a table, but also is very easy to drink. We aren’t wine experts, but as wine-drinkers, we support this.
7. Touch-up Mirror
Don’t let your friend rely on iPhone selfie mode to check their lipstick. These Poketo mirrors are a great gift for the planner on-the-go.
8. Cheese Board
These geometric marble platters from West Elm will have you forgoing the floral centerpiece for something much more delicious: cheese.
9. Nothing Fancy
‘It’s not entertaining. It’s having people over.’ is our new favorite mantra from cookbook author, Alison Roman. Released this year, Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over has all the essential elements of getting together (snacks! spritz! mains! desserts! anchovies!) with a fresh outlook on hosting parties in 2020.
10. Festive Feet
Who doesn’t love a pair of cute socks? This pair from Poketo are a celebration all to themselves.
Background Images for Holiday Party Invitations
We curated a few photos that would work great as Blackbird RSVP background images for your holiday party. Feel free to download them and use them on your holiday invitation! Photographers and links are listed below each image.
Holiday Party Season is approaching and we wanted to round up some images from one of our favorite royalty-free stock photo sources: Unsplash.
We curated a few photos that would work great as Blackbird RSVP background images for your holiday party. Feel free to download them and use them on your holiday invitation! Photographers and links are listed below each image.
We also have some Blackbird Pro Images in our editor that are perfect for any holiday celebration. Check them out by logging in and viewing the banner photo library.
Photo by Kieran White on Unsplash
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Photo by Nathan Fertig on Unsplash
Photo by Jessica Furtney on Unsplash
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Photo by Food Photographer | Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash