Paper invitations take much longer to design and order and often cost a pretty penny, while companies like Paperless Post and HiNOTE make email and text invites an inexpensive breeze.

Loads of balloons centered around a cake with a few candles and a large colorful banner; does this sum up the basic birthday ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I realize we lead a technology-filled life, with cellphones, laptops and so forth. However, lately I have received text messages as invitations to baby showers and birthday parties.

1. Send out invitations with Punchbowl. You still want last-minute party invites to feel special and personal – but you also need to send them out quickly and efficiently.

The invitation sets the tone of the shower. If it is to be very casual, then a text could suffice, but if it is very over-the-top, then a paper invitation, or a very nice paperless post, is better.

The invitation sets the tone of the shower. If it is to be very casual, then a text could suffice, but if it is very over-the-top, then a paper invitation, or a very nice paperless post, is better.

The invitation sets the tone of the shower. If it is to be very casual, then a text could suffice, but if it is very over-the-top, then a paper invitation, or a very nice paperless post, is better.