Invite Etiquette 101

Recently we've recieved numerous invitation questions, and for those answers, I turned to our old friends at Invitation Consultants. This week we are going to be tackling those invitation etiquette concernts. So without further ado, I bring you Dawn from Invitation Consultants.

Hello, adventurous readers! My name is Dawn, and I am a consultant with Invitation Consultants. Although our consultants answer questions on our products and the ordering process, we also receive a lot of inquires regarding invitation wording and etiquette. Most brides have never done this before, so all the intricacies of wedding etiquette can be a bit (or sometimes a lot) overwhelming. Sometimes clients will apologize for their not already knowing the answers to the questions they ask, but let me just tell you, I did not know a THING about this topic until I started working in the wedding industry. Try not to be hard on yourselves; this is for the most part all new information. If you, like me, were not all born with the inane sense of Emily Post perfect etiquette, the following is a list of common invitation etiquette questions and our suggestion for how to answer them:

• How do I request adults only for my wedding and/or reception?

What Emily Post would say…it is simply not appropriate to write this request (no matter what the format) on the invitation or enclosure cards. The most tactful way would be to address the invitations only to members of the family who are invited. So, for instance, you would address them to “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith” instead of “The Smith Family.”

What we have to add…never underestimate the power of word of mouth. Your request can start from the bridal party or your mother/mother-in-law and spread from there. Also, a lot of brides and grooms have their own wedding website, which can be created at no cost at many different websites (listed below in “resources”). You can list this request on the website as backup. If you insist on writing the request, we recommend doing so on the either the reception card (preferably smaller at the bottom) or within the RSVP wording, such as “___ out of ___ adults will attend.” If you have a lot of guests with families traveling from out of town, it would be a really nice gesture to consider hiring a couple of babysitters (or enlisting teenage family members/friends). It’s a lot cheaper to buy pizza for the children than to have them attend event, and it will make everyone happy!

Don't worry there is lots more to come this week from Invitation Consultants!