Response card etiquette and postage solutions for international guests
March 10, 2010 | Filed Under etiquette, posts with pics | Leave a Comment
One rule of wedding etiquette that is now widely accepted AND expected is providing postage for your rsvp envelopes. Not only does it make it as easy as possible for your guests to respond, it seems kinda rude to request a timely response from your guests while expecting them to spend money in order to comply. Most brides we meet with are well aware of this ‘rule’….but they often fail to realize that special postage is required for guests who live out of the country, resulting in an ‘etiquette blunder’.
There are a few different ways to handle postage for an international response card:
- have a different response card printed for international guests requesting a response via phone, website or email instead of by mail
- arrange to have a friend or family member residing in the foreign country send the correct postage stamps to you so that you are able to use them in the ensemble
- order postage stamps online directly from the appropriate country and have them shipped to you (most of the time, shipping is just $1)
- purchase postage vouchers from your local post office and send them with the response card – your guests take the voucher to their local post office and exchange it for the correct postage (this is the method we suggest and we explain it further below)
UNIVERSAL POSTAGE VOUCHERS
Thanks to Kendra and Kevin (one of our current custom invitation couples who are getting married in April) we were finally able to see, touch and photograph these postage vouchers for you! We’ve always known about them and encouraged brides to use them, but we have never physically worked with them while assembling invitations until now. So – the way it works – you (currently) pay $2.10 for the voucher and send it with your rsvp card. Your guest takes the voucher to their local post office and exchanges it for the appropriate postage stamp. This voucher works as an exchange in postage for nearly all countries. Though this option is probably the costliest solution, it is also the most convenient solution if you are sending invitations to a few different countries. Wanna see what they look like?!?! Here ya go!
- international postage vouchers can be purchased at your local post office and should be sent to wedding guests who live in other countries
- this is how we include the universal postage voucher in response envelopes going to international wedding guests
- front and back view of the universal postage voucher
Etiquette Question of the Week 4/20/09
April 20, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q:I am working on my guest list and I have 120 addresses total. How many extra invitations should I order?
A: Well, that depends. How firm is your list? And are you ordering Custom invitations or Catalog invitations?
If you are ordering Catalog invitations, you can only order them in quantities of 25. Since you have 120 addresses already, only ordering 125 invitations may be cutting it too close…so I would suggest ordering 150. That should give you plenty of extras. If you are worried about making mistakes on the envelopes – do not order extra ensembles – just request 25 extra envelopes. The cost is MINIMAL compared to ordering 25 extra sets.
If you are ordering Custom invitations, you can order them in any quantity you need. If your list is firm at 120, then 135 should take care of any last minute guest additions and keepsakes. Same rules apply for extra envelopes – if you are worried about making mistakes when addressing them, simply order additional envelopes.
Submit your very own etiquette question on our website – you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter!
Etiquette Question of the Week 4/13/2009
April 14, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q: I didn’t order my invitations through you (wished I would have, long story) but I am wondering if you could tell me if I should be ordering invitation tissues to go with my invitations? The place I did order them from said that they aren’t used any more and they can’t get them for me but my mom is pretty upset that they were not included in the order. I’m just wondering if it is proper etiquette to include them? Thanks, Anne (from Cleveland)
A: Hi Anne! All of the catalog companies that we represent have discontinued including tissues in their orders – however, they are available by request. Tissues were used to help keep the printed portion of the invitations from smearing – but due to modern printing methods, the tissue is no longer needed for this purpose so most people were not using them. It is not considered improper etiquette to not include them but if you still want to use them for your invitations, let me know the finished size of your invitation panel and I’ll be happy to get some for you.
Submit your very own etiquette question on our website – you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter!
Etiquette Question of the Week 4/6/09
April 6, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q: How do I address an invitation to a married couple where the woman kept her married name and is a doctor and the man is not a doctor. Do their names go on separate lines?
A: This is a great question. For the example, let’s say that the name of the woman is Jane Jones and the name of the man is Dan Smith. The degreed individual is listed first and yes – their names are listed on separate lines:
Dr. Jane Jones
Mr. Dan Smith
Let’s say that the woman was a doctor who took her husbands name it would be:
Dr. Jane and Mr. Dan Smith
Or both were doctors:
Drs. Jane and Dan Smith
Submit your very own etiquette question on our website – you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter!
Etiquette Question of the Week 3/30/09
March 30, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q: How much time do I have after the wedding to send Thank You cards? My fiance says 1 year, my mom says 1 month…
A: You will find etiquette sources that say 1 year is acceptable however 3 months is the most agreed upon time-line. Be sure to steer clear of pre-printed thank you notes. A personalized handwritten note should be sent to acknowledge all gifts and acts of kindness (such as hosting out of town guests).
Submit your very own etiquette question on our website – you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter!
Etiquette Question of the Week 3/23/2009
March 23, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q: When should I make the RSVP deadline on my response card? I need to make sure I have enough time to do the seating chart so I was thinking of 6 weeks before the wedding. Is that too early?
A: We suggest giving a deadline of between 3-4 weeks before the event. Most caterers need the food count 1-2 weeks before so our suggested deadline leaves plenty of time for following up with the procrastinators and for finalizing the seating arrangements. There is no rule that says you can’t set the deadline at 6 weeks…though statistics show that you will have less cancellations or no-shows the closer the RSVP deadline is to the event.
Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.
Etiquette Question of the Week
March 17, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q: If my cousin is in college but still lives at home, do I need to send him a separate invitation to my wedding or can I just include his name with my Aunt’s name?
A: Adult children should receive their own invitation whether or not they still live at home.
Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.
Etiquette Question of the Week 3/9/09
March 9, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Q: My mom and dad are divorced. My mom is remarried and she wants both hers and my step-dads name on the invitation. I don’t necessarily want his name on there, but since she (i.e. they) are paying for more than half of everything, I don’t want to upset her. At the same time, my real dad is giving us money too and I know he will be upset if my step-dads name is on the invitation. How should I word this? Thanks for your help! – Carrie
A: Hi Carrie. I wish I could offer a solution that will keep all parties happy, but if your mom is dead-set on including your step-dads name, she probably expects the invitation to read something like this:
Mr. and Mrs. Brides mom and Step-dad
and
Mr. Brides Dad
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Bride
to
Groom
Notice we did not use the phrase “at the marriage of their daughter”. No matter how close you are to your step-dad, you are the daughter of two people: your mom and your dad. It’s okay to list every ones names…you should just steer clear of using “daughter” to describe yourself.
Now, if your mom is willing to reconsider the wording in order to spare your real dad’s feelings, then the appropriate way to word the invitation would be:
Mrs. Brides moms name and
Mr. Brides dads name
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Bride
and
Groom
Your mom could even consider meeting in the middle and wording the invitation something like this:
The Smith family and the Jones family
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Bride
and
Groom
(Smith family being your step-dads last name & Jones being your dad’s last name)
This would include your step dad (assuming your mom took his name) and your dad without specifically naming each man. It helps soften the blow…a little!
Hope that helps!
Stephanie
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Etiquette Question of the Week
March 2, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | 3 Comments
Q: My Grandma told me that I should list the time on my invitation as the actual ceremony time. My dad says that everyone on his side of the family will be late and that I should list the time as the time the music begins. I’ve asked all my friends and half agree with my dad and half with my Grandma. Which is it?
A: Your Grandmother is correct. The time listed on your invitation should be the time the Ceremony begins. Your guests should know to arrive 15-30 minutes early. If you were to list the time the music begins (usually 30 minutes prior) the guests who behave appropriately and arrive 30 minuets early will not only wonder what happened to cause the wedding to start late…they will be a little mad that they had to wait an hour for the Ceremony to begin. If your dad is concerned with particular family members being late, perhaps he should contact them personally to offer directions to the Ceremony. At that time, he could stress how important their presence is to you and that late guests will not be permitted to enter the after the ceremony begins.
Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.
Eitquette Question of the Week
February 21, 2009 | Filed Under etiquette | Leave a Comment
Question: I am most likely ordering a petite pocket (4×5) invitation ensemble from you but I am worried that my wording won’t fit. What words can I abbreviate? Can we use our middle initials to save on space? Anon – Akron, Ohio
Answer:There are only two words that are considered acceptable to abbreviate on a formal invitation and those are: Mount (Mt.) and Saint (St.). As far as using your middle initials, traditional etiquette suggests that you either use the full middle name or leave it out. Initials are not considered acceptable.
Side Note to “Anon”: Drop us an email or give us a call to discuss the wording you’d like to use. We can often get creative with the layout which helps with spacing. We would also be happy to offer suggestions on how to condense the wording to better fit. – Steph
Ask the experts! Submit your very own question on our website - you will receive an email response with the answer within 48 hours – plus your question could be featured in an upcoming blog or newsletter.
