Wedding Invitation Etiquette

Part two of Invitation Etiquette is for your wedding
invitation wording.

These are some of the common questions and comments we receive regarding wording for Wedding Invitations. We hope this helps with selecting the perfect wording for your invitation. For more assistance with all your invitation wording, check out our Suggested Wording at http://www.paperstyle.com/

• You are a fiancée if you are a woman and you are a fiancé if you are a man.
• A good guideline to follow is to avoid abbreviations, such as street addresses, cities or states.
• Zip codes are not typically included on a wedding invitation or reception card.
• Date, time and year should be spelled out.
• If your wedding is before noon, it is considered morning. If it is between noon and 5:59 p.m., it is considered afternoon. Evening hours begin after 6:00 p.m.
• On wedding invitations, “the honour of your presence” is reserved for ceremonies held on sanctified grounds (i.e., church, temple etc.) It is recommend to use, “the pleasure of your company” when the wedding takes place outside of religious grounds.
• When sending a Reply Set with an invitation, as a courtesy to your guest, we recommend two things 1) Printing a return address on the front of the Reply Envelope and 2) Providing the envelope already stamped.
• The bride or the bride’s family typically takes the replies for the wedding.
• Often, the weight of a wedding invitation and it's reply cards and enclosures may alter the required postage rate. Check with your local post office before applying stamps.
  
  For a personal touch, visit http://www.stamps.com and have a picture of the Bride & Groom or the Anniversary couple put on the stamp.

Social Invitation Etiquette

Etiquette seems to be a popular topic this week. I've seen a number of things, from how to say "Adults only" and "no gifts please" to "how to properly eat corn on the cob."

Here are a few Etiquette tips that our typesetting department typically recommend, according to the Crane Blue Book with regard to Social Invitations. Check back tomorrow for Wedding Invitation Etiquette!

• Social Invitations should include the Date (including the day of the week), Time and Location and are recommended in that order.
• According to etiquette, shower invitations should not have registration information. However, for convenience, it has become acceptable.
  
• As a courtesy, a name should accompany the RSVP (it’s nice to have a name when calling to RSVP ) or you can use “Regrets only” and also consider a date to reply by. The word “please” is not necessary, as it is included in RSVP.
  
• When the guest of honor does not want to receive gifts, a nice way of saying that on an invitation is “Your presence is gift enough” or plainly “No gifts please”. Please know that your guests may be uncomfortable and still bring you a gift.
  
• Theme parties usually require some extra planning on the guest’s part (dressing up, extra items to bring etc.) be sure to include that information on your invitation.
  
• If you are having a shower, we suggest including the word “shower” on your invitation so that it is clear to guests, rather than stating it as a celebration or party.
  
• Special occasion invitations (Christening, Baptism, Confirmation, Bar Mitzvah etc.) should be sent 4 weeks before the RSVP date.
  
  For an adorable, personal touch, visit http://www.stamps.com and have your child’s picture put on a stamp.

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Spotlight on Anna Griffin

Over the years, we have been pleased to provide beautiful products to our customers that are creative, expressive, classic and memorable. As one of our most notable product vendors, Anna Griffin has long been one of our wedding product leaders with her extensive line of invitations and accessories. We were able to catch up with Anna Griffin recently and here is what she had to say!

PaperStyle - When, and why did you start Anna Griffin, Inc.?

Anna Griffin - From my experience in working for Vera Wang in New York, I fell in love with the Bridal business. Combining that love with my training in graphic design, it was only natural that I start my own company designing invitations. I started one of the first wedding invitation companies that allowed brides to make three dimensional invitations themselves without having to custom-order. I launched Anna Griffin Inc. in 1994 and we have been growing ever-since.

PaperStyle - When you are looking for inspiration, where do you turn?

Anna Griffin - To the antique patterns and documents that I have collected for years. My love of antiques and prints stems from my childhood, growing up in my great grandmothers house. She had the most beautiful pieces and I have been inspired by decorative arts created in the 1800’s ever since. The rich color and elaborate painting style is what brings most of my ideas to life.

PaperStyle - In the years you have been doing this, what have you learned that you would like to share?

Anna Griffin - I am so fortunate to be doing what I love to do. I think that it is so important to decide what truly makes you happy and do it the best that you can. My whole journey has been a learning experience. Take everything as an opportunity to grow and change and never be afraid of that change, it will only make you stronger. Remember, everything happens for a reason.

PaperStyle - When do you expect the new line of products to be available?

Anna Griffin - We had such a tremendous response to the fabric collections that we launched earlier this year, we expanded the line to include two sizes of hold everything pouches and an assortment of fashionable luggage tags. They will all be available October 1st, so they are the perfect gifts for the holiday season!

PaperStyle - Do you have a “favorite” of your new line of products?

Anna Griffin - That’s a hard one. I love all of the collections, but I have really been in the Maime mood lately. The Maime Collection is perfect for the summertime with cool and breezy patterns. Since I am always traveling, I really love my bamboo inspired laptop tote bag, it makes me feel like a chic jetsetter and I think that is fabulous!

Let's Go Team!

School is back in session, and everyone knows what that means..... College Football!

Everyone has their favorites, and PaperStyle is no exception. We have Alumni and attending supporters of #1 ranked University of Georgia, as well as current attending and supporting #3 University of South Carolina, #7 Auburn, and #80(yikes!) Georgia Tech.

Kickoff your season with a gathering to root for your team! Whether it's the rival game or the championship, you'll still have a

ball.

Here are a few playful invitations for your pigskin party. (Great for the little kids as well as your big ones!)

If you didn't see your touchdown invitation, check out the rest of our product line at here!

Tie Bow

No, not the exercise with Billy Banks!


We're talking about tying those sometimes complicated bows for your invitations and announcements. We've got a great set of images that could assist you with "wrapping things up." If you still need some help, PaperStyle is always available to walk you through it, or even assemble your invitations for you! Just contact us a 888.670.5300.

The Bow

The Bow (with holes)

The Cross Over Bow

The Faux Knot

The Winged Bow

A Little Typesetting Humor

Video sharing sites are an addictive, yet wonderful thing. When surfing http://www.digg.com/ over the weekend I saw some pretty funny things.

Here is a video about fonts that we found amusing in the typesetting and proofing department. If you deal with font styles on a daily basis, you'll probably get a laugh.

Font Conference: Times New Roman and Friends discuss font inclusion

Yeah, we're nerdy.

But at least we're amused and nerdy.
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