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Archive for the ‘Etiquette’ Category

When life rocks, we roll. 

Craft your invitation with care. Wording can get a little sticky when trying to convey who is hosting~ when the hosts are divorced. Aside from communicating style and formality, the invite has the huge responsibility of communicating: who{the hosts}, what {wedding of b&g}, when, where, and time. Big responsibility!

Weddings are all about personalization. Below are four examples of invitation wording for four possible scenarios for divorced hosts. Choose wording that best reflects the formality of your wedding and pays the proper respect to the hosts.

When the Bride’s Mother is divorced and hosting:
Mrs. Barbara Johnson
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter

Both sets of divorced Parents AND Bride and Groom are hosting:
Together with their families
Ally Johnson
and
Paul Bernard

Divorced Parents of Bride are hosting:
Mrs. Barbara Johnson
and
Mr. James Johnson

Divorced Parent and Stepparent of Bride are hosting:
Mr. and Mrs. James Korman
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage
of Mrs. Korman’s daughter

Happy Planning!

Photo Below – Flat Rectangle Invitation INVC-11750: MagnetStreet Weddings

Know the rules~ then modify them!

From a foodie perspective~ if you’re making a grilled cheese sandwich, the basic ingredients should include cheese and bread. And from there, you add the personal touches that take your grilled cheese sandwich to a whole new level. For me, that means adding cilantro, onions and ranch dressing!

It’s the same idea with wording your wedding invitations. Once you know the basic guidelines, then you have the freedom to personalize according to your wedding style and formality.

Your wedding invitation is responsible for a great deal and will set the tone for your entire event! Not only must it be stylish and all that… it also needs to communicate very important wedding day information: who, when and where. Whether your style is classic, modern, or non-traditional, a less formal wedding will allow for more creativity and less formality. While there are no longer hard and fast rules, use this basic etiquette as a guide.

Basic Etiquette:

• All verbiage is in the third person
• Be consistent with spelling: honour/favour or honor/favor
• Dr. and military titles need to be spelled out: i.e. Doctor Marie Johnson
• Use Roman numerals in names instead of second or 2nd
• Punctuation is used to separate city, state or day, date or Mr. Mrs.
• All days, dates and times are typically spelled out: Saturday, the twenty-third of July, Two thousand and seven at two o’clock
• Avoid abbreviations: spell out Street, Boulevard, Avenue…

Mr. and Mrs. William Iverson

Request the honor

of your presence

at the marriage of

their daughter

Holly Iverson

&

Ben Johnson

on Saturday, the twenty-third of July

at two o’clock

Grace Fellowship

Lake City, Minnesota

Gate-fold wedding invitation via: MagnetStreet Weddings

Happy Planning!

Weddings are all about personalization! And, since the wedding invitation sets the tone for the event, let’s talk about unique wording that adds flair and personalization to the RSVP Cards!

There are 4 essential ingredients to every RSVP  

1. Name{s}
2. Accept Line
3. Decline Line
4. RSVP date {usually 2 weeks prior to the wedding}

Name{s} _________________  {or} M _____________

____Accepts

____Declines

Please respond by {date}

Now that we’ve got the logistics down, let’s concentrate on adding the flair. Think about where you can introduce your style and theme of your wedding into the wording. Enter… your creativity. Let your wording style match your formality. For instance…

For a less-than formal Spring or outdoor wedding, your wording might read:

Name{s}________

______ Rain or Shine, we’ll be there!

______ Unfortunately, conflicting forecasts keep us from attending.

Kindly respond by {date}

In other words, consider all that makes your wedding special: the venue, the time of year, a cultural aspect, the color theme or an overriding theme, the formality… and incorporate that into your wording.

TURN your RSVP Cards into KEEPSAKES

If you leave extra space on your RSVPs, ask guests to:

• Write out one piece of marital advice on the RSVP. Think of the fun you’ll have getting them back! Guests might even be more inclined to respond sooner than later. Plus, you can share the laughs by reading a few at the reception. Fun!
• Ask guests to include the dance song they would most like to hear the band/DJ play. {This will help you build your playlist too.} And, you’ll have great memories of the special songs played.

It’s all about sharing your style and making lasting memories. Have fun wording your RSVP Cards in the style and spirit of your wedding.

p.s.

Tip:  Number your RSVPs to match your guest list. In the event you cannot read someone’s handwriting, you will at least know who you sent the invite to in the first place.

Happy Planning!

Image source: from the Inspired Devotion Invitation ensemble from MagnetStreetWeddings

Save the Date… or Not

It’s up to you!

I once read an extremely funny blog post whereby the author blamed ‘Save the Dates’ for guilt-ing the guests into attendance… because they’re sent early enough for people to adjust their schedules. So, he expounded on their inherent evils and selfish imposition on people’s time.  

Hilarious post. Ridiculous reason. {I’m quite sure that people still have free wills and attend events because they want to}

I’ve also read that Save the Dates aren’t needed stationery items.

If like we need air to breathe… then no, Save the Dates aren’t needed.  But then I really don’t need mascara or earrings~ yet I’m always wearing them.

It’s up to you!

Save the Dates are Helpful Planning Tools! If your wedding is on or near a holiday… during the busy summer months… OR perhaps if you’re planning a really cool destination wedding in the Bahamas… then your guests may need ample time and info to adjust their schedules and make the necessary travel arrangements.  In this case, Save the Dates are a courtesy that can easily include: your wedding website, travel, hotel and any other info you deem important.

Save the Dates are FUN! There are virtually no rules to follow. Yay! Since they’re sent anywhere from 6-12 months ahead of the wedding date, colors and styles are often times still being explored. So, unless you know your colors and want to start setting the tone with your Save the Date, you have free creative reign! So go ahead, show off that personality of yours! Have fun with it! I always recommend using a Save the Date design that has room for 1-3 photos. That way, you can introduce your fiancé to those out of town guests. 

What are your thoughts on Save the Dates?

I say go for it!

~Heidi

Save The Dates from MagnetStreet Weddings