#MannersMonday: Sharing Where You’re Registered

Apr25
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Welcome back to another installment of #MannersMonday! Special thanks once again to Kailyn Clay for doing the extra research to provide some useful information regarding your Big Day registry! Do you have a burning wedding etiquette question? Let us know over on Facebook!

#MannersMonday: Sharing Where You’re Registered  |  by guest blogger: Kailyn Clay

As you walk out of the Weddings-R-Us super store, you breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve finally completed the massive undertaking of compiling a wedding registry. You and your fiancé

have come to a compromise on the china pattern; you’re confident the color you chose for the KitchenAid mixer will coordinate with your other appliances (should you have gone for the silver one instead?); and you found that happy medium between overpriced bed sheets and the thread count that makes you feel like you’re sleeping between layers of clouds.

It is done.

Now your wedding guests will know exactly what to purchase for you and your fiancé. Your home together will be comfortable and properly stocked with the latest kitchen gadgets (I mean, who doesn’t need a pair of onion goggles?). You make a mental note to add a line to your wedding invitation about “where the couple is registered.”

Actually, just because the friendly folks who helped you build the registry hand you that shiny stack of “The Couple Is Registered at Weddings-R-Us” cards to conveniently slip into your invitations doesn’t mean you should use them. In fact, this sly tactic of giving you little cards that so conveniently slip into your invitations is just a form of free advertising for them, when in fact, the small action of mailing those with your invitation could send your eighty-year-old Aunt Thelma into cardiac arrest.

Did you know it’s a wedding faux pas to include registry information with your formal wedding invitation? Here’s why.

  1. It alters the purpose of the invitation. Your invitations serve as a formal offer to join in a celebration, not a formal offer to spend money on gifts. The wedding invitation’s focus should be on the guests, not the gifts.
  2. It makes assumptions about your guests. Though it’s common knowledge that guests should bring wedding gifts, the gift itself is a sign of guests’ love and affection for the couple. It is in good form for a guest to bring one, but it should not be taken for granted.
  3. There are more appropriate places to share information about your wedding registry. Typically, this is done by word of mouth. Tell your mom, aunts, grandma, cousins, and anyone else who may ask where you’re registered. If you have a wedding website, it’s also appropriate to list the information there and direct guest to it via the invitation.

So while you pat yourself on the back for a job well done at the Wedding Emporium, start your mental list of the family and friends who should know where you’re registered. This is a time when you can be grateful for your girlfriends’ gift of gab.

The importance of invitation etiquette cannot be understated. Feeling anxious about it? Let Jamie of Jamie Lynne Creative take care of the details as she designs your one-of-a-kind wedding invitations.

#MannersMonday: The Right Wording for Your Wedding Invitation

Apr18
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The rules of wedding etiquette are constantly changing, making it difficult for modern brides and grooms to stay on top of wedding do’s and no-nos. I constantly stress to couples when meeting for our initial consult, it’s my job to help make their lives easier when it comes to wedding planning. I understand the wedding stationery process. I was a bride myself, and with 5+ years under my belt I’ve learned how to properly approach subjects when it comes to your wedding. Enter #mannersmonday. Each Monday, I’ll cover a new wedding etiquette topic, with the help of my trusty guest blogger, Kailyn Clay! She’s an incredibly talented mommy-to-be that has a special way with words (you can tell where my writing stops and hers begins…bear with me). Kailyn and I have worked together to make it possible to provide you some helpful, and entertaining blog posts! Are you in the midst of a Big Day dilemma? Send me your etiquette-related question(s) via Facebook with the hashtag #MannersMonday and we’ll get you some answers. Check out this week’s topic below!

#MannersMonday: The Right Wording for Your Wedding Invitation  |  by guest blogger: Kailyn Clay

One of the most challenging aspects of constructing the perfect wedding invitation isn’t necessarily the colors or the design, it’s the words on the page. The language you use on your invitations speaks volumes about the wedding. When considering how to word your invitations, ask yourself a few questions:

  1. Who is hosting the wedding?

In other words, who’s paying? Traditionally, the one funding the big day gets the honor of their name (or names) first on the invitation. If you and your fiancé have saved up to throw your own wedding bash, then start off the invitation with your names and something like “Together with their families, Kimberly Fields and Zachary Amos invite you…” However, if your parents are doling out the big bucks to make your wedding a success, you should start with something closer to, “Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Fields request the honor of your presence…”

  1. Are the parents of the bride and groom married, single, or divorced?

This question is probably what confuses and frustrates people the most. What language should you use if you’ve been raise by a single parent or if your parents are no longer together? Never fear, because there are a few correct ways to signify familial relations for all sorts of family styles. Here are just a few:  

Divorced parents hosting: Mrs. Emily Richardson and Mr. Daniel Richardson request the honour of your presence..

The hosting parents are remarried: Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson request the honour of your presence at the marriage of his daughter…

A single parent is hosting: Ms. Emily Richardson requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter…

One of the couple (or both) have children: Kimberly Fields name and Zachary Amos, along with their children, invite you to celebrate…

  1. What are you asking for from your guest?

This part of the invitation can range from very traditional to phrases that are completely your own. So explore a few phrases that might fit the tone and style of your wedding, from very formal to “let’s just party.” Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

“Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson request the honour of your presence…”

“Please join Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson in celebrating…”

“John Michael Smith and Kelly Louise Anderson joyfully invite you…”

“Mr. and Mrs. William Anderson request the pleasure of your company…”

“John Michael Smith and Kelly Louise Anderson have chosen the first day of their new life together as May 21, 2016. You are invited…”

“You are joyfully invited to witness and celebrate the marriage of…”

Also keep in mind that this part of the wording typically gives a hint to the guests whether or not the wedding will take place in a house of worship. Traditionally, if the ceremony will take place in a church or other religious location, “request the honour of your presence” is used. If the wedding will take place outside, at a banquet hall, or somewhere else, then the wording can be less formal.

Though it’s great to follow tradition and keep to wedding etiquette, ultimately, the purpose of an invitation is to fill the seats at your wedding with the ones you love. Keep this in mind as you mine endless samples of wedding invitation wording looking for the perfect turn of phrase for you and your fiancé. Hopefully, the information here will be useful as a launching pad toward wedding invitation success. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Jamie Lynne Creative has the industry experience and technical know-how to make the wording—and design—of your wedding invitations exquisite.

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