The Do's and Don'ts of Reception Cards

I’ve received a fair amount of inquiries lately about reception cards and what purpose they serve as part of your wedding ensemble, thus I thought I’d share my reception card etiquette with my dedicated wedding bloggers.

When planning your wedding, you have two options for your reception – your reception will either be at the same location as your ceremony or at a separate location following the ceremony.  When your reception immediately follows your wedding ceremony at the same location, a simple “reception to follow” or “reception immediately following” at the end of your wedding invitation is appropriate, and you won’t need an enclosure card with additional details.

If your reception and ceremony are at two different locations you will want, (and likely need), a separate reception card, which you can include with your wedding invitation.  It should list “reception to follow” followed by the  time of the reception, (if not immediately following), as well as the name and address of the reception location.  You can even choose to include attire information, parking information or age requirements, (adult reception), at the bottom of the reception card.  The reception card is great because you can keep your wedding invitation about the ceremonial love, vows and commitment you’ll be making, and add any little extra important details to your reception card.  Just be sure that you don’t list wedding registry information on this card.

When you assemble your wedding invitations, your reply set will be placed ontop of your wedding invitation, and the reception card ontop of that, so that the reception card is immediately noticed by your guests.  You don’t want to put it behind the invitation in case they miss it.  Your guests may want to bring the reception card with them to your ceremony so that they are able to find your reception location easily.  Be sure it is a small card that coordinates with your wedding ensemble.

 

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Perfect Postage for Invitations

It’s what everyone fears.  You spend $200 on the perfect party invitations, another $75 on having a calligrapher hand-write your envelopes, and then you put the invitations in the envelopes and mail them and then realize later that you haven’t yet had one RSVP.  The next day you receive all your invitations returned to you with hideous markings all over them from the post office for insufficient postage.  Now not only did you waste money on stamps, you now have to re-stamp them, add extra postage and purchase new envelopes, putting you another week behind.  It happens to the best of us!

Make sure your next party mailing isn’t a postage catastrophe by checking the required postage requirements prior to mailing out your invitations.  At Noteable Expressions I do my best to alert customers when an item automatically will require postage, be it due to size, weight or bulk.  There are so many factors that go into postage that you may not think of.  It’s not just the size of the item.  It can be the size, for example, a square envelope, which adds 20 cents to your normal postage fee.  It can be the weight, which adds another 20 cents, or the size, which can start at 80 cents an envelope, plus 20 cents an ounce for weight.  Remember that things like rhinestones, bows or pockets also increase your postage costs due to the “bulk” of the envelope when mailing.  Many of these types of invitations may need to be “hand cancelled” at the post office, which means someone, (or you), hand stamp the envelope for mailing, rather than having the invitation envelope run through a machine, as with a normal bill or mailing envelope.

So how do you avoid a postage disaster?  I always say, if you are concerned or have the slightest feeling that your envelope may be too heavy or too large, go to the post office and have the postman check for you before you mail them – especially if you are sending multiple cards in one envelope, like an invitation with a registry card or a directions card.  Remember that even the slightest thing, like the humidity, can affect the weight of your paper, especially if you have a textured or particularly porous stationery.  When in doubt, add on an extra stamp or two, it may just save you from a return postage mishap. 

 

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Party Invitations vs. E-Vites

It’s the word that makes me cringe when I hear someone suggest it…the dreaded e-vite. Of course I understand the coolness factor of the e-vite, it’s convenient, quick and cost-effective. However, it also can be so impersonal. When did things switch from the hand-made, crafty and creative days over to the quick, need-it-now society that we all (self-admittedly) adore?

A printed party invitation is the perfect way to create a memento for your event, before the party, at the party and after. From the moment your guest opens their party envelope, your printed invitations say a little bit about you, the host, being that you took the time to find the perfect invitation to coordinate with your event. Your invitation will set the scene for your event by reflecting your party theme and being elegantly printed with your party details. Guests will post your invitation on their fridge to save the date and get excited before the party date arrives.

At your party your invitation will come to life with your party theme, and afterwards you can save your party invitation for scrapbooking or framing to commemorate the event. Whether it’s your child’s birthday party invitation, graduation invitation or a wedding invitation, I know that just glancing at your invitation will bring back memories. Something tells me that a printout from your e-vite or facebook party page can’t do that.

Let your next party invitation stand out and grab the attention of your guests…years from now you’ll remember how much fun you had picking out your special invitation, the rave reviews you received from your guests, and how much fun it is to relive your party every time you glance at that party invitation page in your scrapbook.