The mailbox holds mysteries of enchantment when an invitation to a party, an event or a wedding is uniquely designed and created.

But today, thanks to the evolution of electronics, an invitation can whisk through the ethers to thousands of potential guests in a matter of seconds by e-mail.

Surprisingly, an email invitation – or e-vite as it’s appropriately coined - can be just as uniquely designed and the right e-vite system can handle responses from hundreds without any need for stamps or delivery, or wasted phone time trying to confirm invitations.

“It was much easier to do it this way,” Alan Berg, who had a Sunday morning brunch before attending a Redskins, national league football game in Washington D.C. “I just didn’t have the time to put together an envelope, a card and lick 47 stamps. Besides, I already knew most of my guests’ email addresses by heart.”

And with a two-week notice, a reminder notice and an easy check-box rsvp, Alan and his roommate knew the day before exactly how many people would be coming. Only 10 turned them down.

Even wedding invitations have become less formal.

Some couples prefer more traditional methods using high-quality invitations such as Crane, William Arthur, or Stacy Claire Boyd -- each invitations requires two or three envelopes and two or three cards in one invitation. But others have felt the desire to handle the big day in their own way.

Similarly, wedding invitations or invitations for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, housewarming events and many other occasions may be ordered on-line through the internet. Personal photos of the happy couple or new baby can be downloaded and added to the invitation.

In California, where an afternoon wedding for the bride would be her second, Angie Carlton felt she wanted to make her own invitations. It cost less and it gave her the opportunity to be more personal.

By purchasing paper by weight or by the sheet at a national craft store such as Michael’s, Angie was able to pick the exact shade she preferred. Then she created her own wording by choosing a computer type-face that was both eloquent and inviting. And because she is especially crafty, she added tiny pieces of branches and dried flowers to give the invitations her very own signature.

“It took a little longer, I suppose, than just ordering some invitations, but I enjoyed doing every one of them,” she said.

When all 50 invitations were completed, Angie knew exactly what she had. There was no need to worry faulty printing and misinterpreted instructions. “They were very special,” she said.

But tradition can still speak volumes. One bride choose to create frame-able invitations befitting a princess, with bows and lace creating a delicate but undeniable presence. Each 8 x 11-inch invitation was placed in its very own box with a calligraphy label on the outside with the guest’s name.

Then a delivery person dressed in a tuxedo hand-delivered each invitation to the guest’s door. Any out-of-staters received their invitations via special delivery by UPS.

“It created a statement,” said Taylor Farrand. “I wanted everyone to know that this was my wedding.”

In another case, a wedding to be held sea-side used invitations with tiny seashells attached and a sprinkling of sand across the wording.

Invitations to children’s parties can be just as festive if not more fun. An invitation to a child’s birthday often sets the theme of the party.

Invitations to a young surfer’s birthday party were fashioned with a row of tongue depressors and a fake grass skirt to give it a Hawaii-like theme. For a boat party, a crafty mom created Styrofoam life rings with the party information attached in the center.

In other cases, an event or a destination party may call for some way-out invitations that involve a small production team. For a bon voyage party for a young graduate about to travel abroad for a year, friends including parents, neighbors and even some former teachers got together and created a video presentation that went out to all 100 guests invited to the send-off.

The vid-invite included a bunch of funny comments from friends, a silly plea from mom and dad, and comments from a few neighbors who kiddingly said they were glad to see the young man go. With dubs of VHS videos costing a few dollars, the invitations went out in padded envelopes.

“But the response was great. Every one looked at that video and got a chuckle out of Michael and his friends,” says Edith Confer, whose son boarded a plane a few days later to travel overseas. “The video was a keepsake for a lot of people who had known Michael since he was a baby.”

Even DVD’s have become available as invitations. Similar to a video, a DVD can be burned from video or film, and its packaging can include a gimmick as well. An invitation to a Hollywood charity event that centered around the Titanic included a tiny squeeze box inside the packaging that squeaked out a couple bars of the film’s opening song. Anytime someone pressed the packaging the box would squeak a few bars.

A cassette tape or CD is yet another alternative. CDs cost cents to burn, and cassettes can be copied nearly as inexpensively. An invitation that includes a song or just a voice can be slipped into a car’s CD or tape player while en route to work or while running errands. The novelty of a CD or cassette alone will usually draw attention to the party.