| WHAT YOU
NEED |
WHEN YOU
NEED IT |
WHY IT'S
PROPER |
| Engagement Announcements |
Because of school, military
service or other plans, your wedding date may be far in the future. If you
want people to know you are engaged, plan an Announcement using the Wedding
Invitation format. |
Either formal or informal copy
is proper to let people know your exciting news. |
| Hold the Date Cards |
Mail them three to four months
in advance of the wedding. |
It is a good idea to give
family and friends as much notice as possible of the coming event. This is
especially true if you have many out of town guests. |
| Wedding Invitations with
Envelopes |
Used for anyone you want to
attend the ceremony (even if they are ill or too far away to actually come.)
Always lists who is getting married, on what day, of what year (spelled out
in full), at what time, and the location. |
An occasion this important
rates more than a casual invitation. Elegance is enhanced by coordinating
with lined inner envelopes. |
| Reception Cards |
Traditionally a Reception Card
is only used when a select number of the guests invited to the ceremony are
invited to the reception. Nowadays, a Reception Card is included with the
invitation, even when everyone invited to the ceremony is invited to the
reception. |
This invitation says, "You are
special." Mailed along with the invitation, this card announces the time and
location of reception. |
| Response Cards with Printed
Return Envelopes |
A must in today's busy times,
or you simply won't know who is planning on attending. Plus, you will end up
chasing down guests who do not send a handwritten reply. |
The Response Card has become an
accepted part of wedding etiquette. Including one with invitation is a
thoughtful way to ease the guest's responsibility to reply to formal
invitations. As a courtesy to guests, enclose a stamped, self-addressed
envelope with Response Card. |
| Wedding Announcements |
If your circle of friends and
relatives is larger than the list you intend to invite to the ceremony, or
if you have a private wedding, you will want to send an announcement of your
wedding. |
Wedding Announcements include
the wedding date, but never the time or location of ceremony. Mail the day
of the wedding. |
| At Home Cards |
If you are moving to a new home
and want to inform family and friends of your new information. |
Informs family and friends of
your new address and lets them know whether you are keeping your maiden
name. Usually mailed with the announcement or mailed separately after the
wedding. |
| Thank-You Notes |
A perfectly proper time-saver
for those very busy days leading up to the wedding and immediately following
the wedding. |
It's a thoughtful way to let
gift givers know their gift was received. Always write a personal thank-you
note later. Send within two months of wedding. |
| Informals |
With or without the name of the
groom, this personalized stationery is needed to hand write thank-you notes
to those who gave a wedding gift. |
People who took the time to
pick out a wedding gift deserve a personalized thank-you note. Also
excellent for many other occasions where only brief correspondence is
needed. |
| Wedding Programs |
A great way for guests to
follow the ceremony and learn who is in your wedding party. Enables you to
share a special message or poem with your guests. |
Provides guests with a nice
memento of your special day. |
| Place Cards and Table
Cards |
Makes sit-down meals less
chaotic if people have assigned seats, or at least assigned tables. |
Place Cards list the guest's
name and table and are often displayed in envelopes on a table outside the
tent or reception room. Table Cards list a table number inside the folder
and the guest's name appears on the outside of the folder. |
| Ceremony Cards |
Used when everyone is invited
to the wedding reception but only a limited number are invited to the
ceremony. |
This invitation says, "You
are special." Mailed along with the invitation, this card announces the time
and location of reception. |