getting ready for celebrating zoe's first year!

it's that time of year again! if your calendar looks like ours you've got countless events already scheduled from now through nearly the start of the holiday season. i love being able to gather with family and friends, especially as we're able to start enjoying time together outside in the gorgeous warm air. one part of hosting that always sneaks up on me - and can be so time consuming - is getting invites prepared and dropped in the mail.

the invites for an event are so important to me. i look for something that sets the tone for the event, has a look that i'll still love years later, and matches the personality of the individual being celebrated.  invites are one of the key parts that i dedicate a lot of time to getting right.

i've been both excited and also hesitant for the month of may to get here this year. i can't believe that zoe is getting ready to celebrate her first birthday! she has been an absolute blessing and has brought so much joy to our family. i'm trying to soak up as much time with her as i can while she's still little and wants to snuggle so i'm so thankful that i found a website that's made designing her birthday party invites a total breeze!

i've made my own invites for most our events in the past either by hand (you don't even want to know how much time that takes me 🙉) or with different software, but it can be so challenging trying to get the design just right and let's be real - i love a digital invite so that i can't misplace it and can easily check the start time from anywhere. i was recently introduced to Paperless Post and it's been so incredible to use! they have so many great designs to choose from and they're customizable too so you can get the perfect invite exactly how you want it.

i've saved a few of my favorite designs below 

 invite details: top left | top right | bottom center

thank you below

i also love how meaningful a simple thank you note can be after an event! this design below is so sweet and can be used for so many occasions. 

which invite do you think i should use for zoe's first birthday party? thank you for reading this post and i can't wait to share all the details of her party as it comes together for celebrating how special she is!

this post is in collaboration with Paperless Post. as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.