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Party, Party, Party! The excitement begins when your guests open
their mailbox and find your invitation. "We're invited to a party!" Your
invitation sets the tone for your occasion. Does it scream "I can't miss
this party it sounds fabulous!" or did you send out a letter sheet that
reads like a grocery list of boring statistics that immediately got
relegated to the pile referred to "maybe we'll think about it unless
something better comes up."
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When to mail your Invitations |
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Your invitation should match the style of your
event. Is it formal, semi-formal or a casual backyard get together.
Your invitation provides the details of the celebration as well as what to
expect at the party.
Traditionally, it is advised to send out
invitations eight weeks before your event. We can hear you screaming
"Eight weeks!" We've found while this is a good idea with formal
events and weddings, it is just not possible with most every-day events.
Our customers tell us that they didn't even think about having a party
until 2-6 weeks before their event. Obviously, the sooner you can
notify your guests, the better, but don't let this stress you out or prevent
you from getting killer invitations at the last minute.
If you know you're having a party for an event
that is several months away, consider sending a Save the Date card.
This is simply a notice to your guest list that you are planning an event
for that date and to mark their calendars so they'll be ready when the
details follow by invitation closer to the party date when the details have
been finalized. Save the Date cards are almost a necessity for events
taking place on holiday weekends, events that will require out of state
travel for guests or a wedding to ensure vacations are not scheduled for the
same time.
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What to include in
your invitation |
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Name of the host(s)/hostess(es)
or parent(s) giving the party
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The purpose of the invitation:
A birthday party, a wedding, a holiday open house.
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Name of honoree (the birthday
person, the mother-to-be, the bride and groom)
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Day and Date of the party
(Saturday, August 29th or if it is formal, Saturday, the twenty-nineth of
August). Look at your calendar to make sure the as in this example,
the 29th of August is really on a Saturday.
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If a formal event, include the
year and spell it out (two thousand and four)
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Time (6:00 p.m., or for formal
events, spell out the time such as six o'clock in the evening)
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Name of Place (Opah's
Restaurant)
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Location of Place (street
address, city and state if inviting out of town guests, but no zip code)
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Appropriate attire if it is an
issue with your party (do not use on formal invitations-the event should
be the clue as to the appropriate attire).
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Proof read several times for
mistakes and/or forgotten information! Even have a friend read it.
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Wording your Invitation |
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All phrasing is in the third person. |
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Example: John and Sally announce
the birth of their son... |
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Do not use abbreviations. |
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Example: Spell out words such as Road, Street, and state names;
California |
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Days,
dates are always spelled out |
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Example: Monday or September |
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Times and Years should be spelled out on wedding
or formal invitations |
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Example: Four o'clock in the afternoon / Two Thousand Four |
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Punctuation is not used at the end of the lines.
(no commas, periods, colons., etc.) |
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Example: John and Sally invite you to join the fun. (leave off the
period) |
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Commas can be used to separate information that
appears on the same line such as: |
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Example: November 14, 2004 or Rochester, New York |
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It is
socially incorrect to mention "no children allowed" or to mention gifts or
where you are registered on invitations. We have found that our
customers follow these rules on strict formal invitations such as black tie
or wedding invitations, however, on informal invitations, anything goes.
When in doubt, you can inform your guests of any important details when they
RSVP to the invitation. |
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Envelope Etiquette |
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Return Address |
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Return addresses do NOT use an
apostrophe on the proper name. |
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The
Clarks is the plural tense meaning more than one person in the Clark
family: |
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The
Clarks
123
Walnut
Anywhere, USA 12345 |
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The
Clark's means possessive as in something that belongs to them: |
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The Clark's car
was green.
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Be sure to take the time to put your return
address on your envelopes. If there is a problem with them, you want
the post office to return them to you, not throw them away. |
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Envelope Addressing Guide |
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Perfectly spaced straight line addressing is
as easy as 1-2-3 when you use the handy guide below! |
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1. |
Print out this page on thin white paper.
Cut
the guide to fit your envelope. (Cut
straight or your lines will not appear straight when inserted in the
envelope.) |
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2. |
Insert
addressing guide in the envelope to be addressed with the dark lines
facing the front of the envelope. Once inserted, the dark lines
below will become visible. Position the guide's lines to the area you wish to address
and choose the lines that look best for your envelope and the number of
lines in your guest's address.. |
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3. |
Write the address on the envelope using the appropriate lines as a guide. |
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Addressing the Envelopes |
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Envelopes should be handwritten with black, blue, blue-black ink.
(Generally black is used.) |
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It is
traditional to use a complete, formal name and address. Do
not use any abbreviations except: |
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Mr.,
Mrs., Ms. Dr. or Jr. |
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Names
should be completely spelled out such as: |
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Mr.
and Mrs. Ronald Gene Smith instead of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Smith |
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If
you know the full middle name, use it, if not, no not use initials, simply
omit it. |
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First
names (without Mr., Mrs., etc.) or the phrase "and family" are not proper. |
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If
there are children under the age of eighteen include first names as: |
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Mr.
and Mrs. Ronald Gene Smith |
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Ashley and Michael |
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123
Walnut
Anywhere, USA 12345 |
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If
children are living at the same address as their parents' invitation is going
to, they should receive separate invitations: |
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Adult
daughter: Miss Kathy Smith |
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Adult
son: Mr. Ron Smith |
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Adult
sons or daughters at the same address: |
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Messrs. John and Keith Smith |
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Misses Marie and Joan Smith |
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Stuffing the Envelopes |
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Insert the bottom of the announcement or invitation into the envelope
first with the printed surface up so that when the envelope is opened, the
printed side will be seen first. |
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If
you have included an RSVP card, it is traditional to place a postage stamp
on the envelope. |
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If
you are using two envelopes (inner and outer envelopes for a wedding),
click here for assembly details. |
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The
invitation and enclosure cards are placed in the envelope in order of size
and importance. |
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The
largest enclosure cards are placed closest to the invitation. |
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When
more than one enclosure card of the same size is used, the card that is
the most important for your guest to see would be placed closest to the
invitation. |
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Order of pieces layered from bottom to top (printing facing up): |
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1.
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Invitation |
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2.
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Reply Envelope |
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3. |
Reply Card
(tucked under reply envelope flap) |
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4. |
Reception Card |
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Tissues |
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Once
a practical necessity, tissue is now an option. If you choose to use
tissue, place it over the printed text of each item prior to assembling
the invitation. Use the largest tissue for the invitations, smaller
for the reply cards and other enclosures. |
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Postage |
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If
there is any question about how much postage your announcement or
invitation requires, take an assembled envelope to your post office and
have them calculate the exact postage for you. |
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