A card for each stage
- Months ahead: a save the date for the gala, the conference or the anniversary, with only the name, the date and a web address.
- A few weeks ahead: the invitation, with the time, the place, the price and how to get tickets.
- Afterward: a thank you to guests, sponsors and volunteers, which is also the first nudge toward next year.
Using the same colors on all three makes the event recognizable before anyone reads a word.
Black tie and benefit nights
A starlight gala under gold stars and a moon, a harvest gala and silent auction in a gold frame, a benefit save the date inside a gold laurel, an art deco card for a black tie evening, and a gold on black thank you that tells guests what the night raised.
Details people look for
The weekday with the date, the start time, the address (with a landmark if the place is hard to find) and the price. Outdoor events need a rain date: the fall festival and the block party cards print it on the front. The newer invitations add a small street map to the back.
From the shop: Print the rain date on the card from the start. A second print run after a washout costs far more than one extra line of type.