Sending Thank You Notes to Wedding Guests

Sending Thank You Notes to Wedding Guests

After the wedding is over and the hot steamy honey moon is almost done, you will have to pause and think about the people who showed up to your wedding day.

Thinking of those people will never be sufficient. Adhering to wedding etiquettes, you should appreciate them and show your appreciation through a material token.

That is where thank you notes come into the picture. Wedding experts and society or lifestyle gurus advise married couples to send out tokens of appreciation or simple thank you notes to their wedding guests at least two weeks after the event.

Thank you notes should or must be sent especially for those friends or guests who showed up with wedding gifts. Wedding etiquette will also have you send thank you notes to people who were not able to come to the wedding, but sent in their gifts, or even to people you have invited but did not show up at all and did not even bother to buy you any gift.

To outdo wedding etiquettes, it would be better if the couple will send out personalized thank you notes. If it would not be too expensive, thank you notes bearing pictures of the couple with the particular guest would be a really, really good gesture of sincere appreciation.

It is not against wedding etiquettes to buy thank you note templates, but be sure to personalize it by adding your personal hand written notes of appreciation. Some couples also prepare thank you notes along with wedding invitations to save time and money.

When you opt to do this, just be sure you order enough or plenty of extra copies to so you will never run out in case too many people show up.

Etiquette when writing thank you notes

A couple of do’s and don’ts will help you get away from troubles that may arise in writing wedding thank you notes. It is not enough that you show up efforts to sincerely thank and appreciate the presence and gifts accorded to your romantic wedding.

Wedding etiquettes have it that thank you notes should be written appropriately. Even the paper used for the notes should be written on white or ivory-colored paper. Some couple prefer to have their thank you notes monogrammed, but others feel its just okay if everything is handwritten.

Here are some guidelines that adhere to wedding etiquettes when it comes to sending out thank you notes:

o  Remember to send thank you notes to relatives and people who coordinated showers and parties for the both of you. It would be okay if you thank them for the efforts within the same card sent to them for their gifts.

o  Wedding etiquettes suggest that you appreciate each gift you have received. That means each and every gift should be recognized through its own thank you note. If a person sent you two gifts, for example, send two thank you notes for each gift. The same treatment should be given to gifts received during the shower or even stag party.

o  Advanced wedding gifts or gifts that arrived before the wedding you must be immediately responded to so you will never have the chance to forget sending out thank you notes for them.

o  It might be time and money saving, but it is not advisable to send out preprinted thank you notes. Sending preprinted cards will give the person receiving the thank you note the impression that his or her effort or gift was not totally appreciated.

o  Personalize your thank you note by handwriting the message. Warm but short thank you notes are better than longer but non-personalized or insincere notes.

o  Write your thank you note message in blue or black ink. It is for the simple reason that the colors are far more readable.

o  It is in accordance to proper wedding etiquettes that you put or include your new return address on every thank you note you have sent. The recipients will greatly appreciate the gesture if he or she is informed or posted of your new and correct address.

o  Never start the thank you note with the pronoun “I.” To create a good and lasting impression use “You” as often throughout the note instead of “I” or “me.”

*******
aileen//
    - do not forget to say thank you or send a thank you note to your wedding guests. Its always important and polite to acknowledge their presence to witness your grand day.

Huge Love In Small Weddings

Huge Love In Small Weddings

An elegant small wedding is one of the most beautiful weddings that can be organized. The budget is not too high, the attendees are all relaxed and will likely have a good time and nuances such as children running around and making noise will be avoided. A wedding without too much frills makes sure that the love between the couple is the focus of the ceremony.

Etiquette in a small wedding

ATTIRE: Guests are only advised to wear clothes comfortable to them. A dress from a closet selection, a white one or even a sundress is appropriate for a small wedding. A bridesmaid can wear a white dress or even a pantsuit. The groom can go for khakis, or even jeans paired with a shirt and a sport coat.

SETTING: A small wedding can be held in a community center, a local park or even your parents’ backyard. Holding ceremonies in a unique location such as a rooftop, a barn, an art gallery can clearly speak about the personalities of the couple.

INVITATIONS:  Invitations in a small wedding can be handwritten on handmade paper. Send them like writing a note to a close friend. It is important to note that attendees should be in casual attire.

FLOWERS: Simple bulbs such as hyacinths or tulips can serve as alternatives for floral flower arrangements. Using these will generate huge savings for the couple. Gerber diaries inserted in a flat container filled with wheat grass can serve as an attractive centerpiece.

MENU: The menu of a small wedding can be very diverse. A party can be set a few months before the wedding and the guests can be asked to bring their favorite recipes. The couple can choose their favorites and use them as wedding food. It is also good to acknowledge whose recipe it is by putting a label in front of every dish. Besides a party, a barbeque or picnic fare can be held.

REGISTRY: Common retail stores such as Sears or Target can be used as gift registries. Couples can specify what they want to receive in order to avoid the usual gift of expensive China that will likely collect dust in a cabinet.

Costs, costs, costs

Tradition dictates that the bride’s parents are responsible for paying off the wedding regardless if it is small or big. However, expenses have become an issue due to the challenging times. The etiquette in requesting for money is by gathering both families and discussing how to share in the wedding expenses, as the couple will unlikely have enough to cover all of their needs.

The budget will be a major basis on what type of wedding will be held. The couple needs to meet with everyone who will be attending. However, the couple cannot force their parents to shell out money that is not available.

Couples can make various compromises if their budget falls short. For example, less expensive rings can be used. A more expensive replacement can be acquired in the future. Some couples do not even have wedding rings at all. Those living in a nice climate can have the reception at home and hire catering services. To help control costs, a butler can be tasked to pass around hors d’ oeuvres and refreshments.

The parents of the groom traditionally pay for the following items:

Boutonnieres for groom's attendants
The bride's bouquet
Officiate fee or donation
Rehearsal Dinner  
Lodging and transportation expenses of the rabbi or minister
Corsages for every family member
Transportation of the Groom and Best Man going to the wedding

Giving tips is a nice way of rewarding those that have given good service but it is not a requirement. A tip given to a minister can be seen as a gift for marrying the couple. Tips can be given to servers, drivers and musicians but still, this is not a requirement.

The etiquette in service fees

Couples should make sure that they are comfortable with the people that are helping in the wedding whether it is the wedding experts, the photographer and even the florists. They should share the same vision on how the wedding should come out and not merely focus on how much money will spent.

A couple may receive possibly the lowest price but if the rendered service does not meet what was promised, the value is useless, even if it is a small wedding.
************
Aileen//
     - its doesnt matter whether you have small wedding. The important thing is there's a huge love between the bride and the groom to share in a lifetime.

Wedding Etiquette on Victorian Weddings

Wedding Etiquette on Victorian Weddings

Thanks to educated Victorians with their lustrous names, intelligence and writing abilities, they have passed on to us what a mannered person should do in all social situations. In the 1870's to 1880's there were at more than sixty (60) etiquette books that were published of which includes Victorian wedding etiquette. These Victorian wedding etiquettes became popular before and are still popular in these days.

Victorian wedding etiquette focuses on manners, culture and dress before, during and after the wedding ceremony and reception. Victorians also have etiquette rules on courtship and engagement.

--  Victorian Wedding Etiquette on Marriage Ceremony

For Victorians, the marriage ceremony varies with the fortunes, desires and wishes of the wedding parties. According to Victorian Wedding Etiquette, a bride and couple may have a very lavish and expensive wedding if they can afford it or they can have a small gathering of closest family and friends celebrating the wedding with them.

As to the form of right, Victorians have no specific directions as to how the wedding rite should be done, but they should follow rules of their churches of the proper wedding rite.

Victorians who are to be married by their ministers, wedding etiquette calls them to study the form or proper wedding rite of their particular church. For Victorians who will be married in a Methodist church should study Book of Discipline. Episcopalian Victorians, on the other hand should read the Book of Common Prayer. Catholic Victorians are invoked to know the basic Ritual in a Catholic Wedding Celebration.

In Victorian wedding etiquette, couples must do wedding rehearsals. The rehearsal of the ceremony is always made in private. Victorians believe that  with this way, the bride and groom and the wedding parties could understand better the necessary forms and rites.

--  Victorian Wedding Etiquette General Rules

Victorians have general rules in wedding etiquette. They are interesting to learn and to note especially if you are planning to have a Victorina wedding theme.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen are expected to assist in the preparation of the wedding and even during the wedding especially if the wedding is not private. Wealthy Victorians held weddings for public and with many guests that were expected to attend (even from nearby towns), the hired help won't be able to accommodate the guests.

Although this seems funny nowadays, but Victorian wedding etiquette is clear on this matter: bridesmaids should be younger, yes you read it right, younger than the bride. If you have an older sister who you love you dearly, you won't be able to make her a bridesmaid if you were born during the time of the Victorians.

Victorian wedding etiquette on bridesmaids clothing is also peculiar. Bridesmaids should wear dresses that look like that of the bride. It was believed before (even before the time of the Victorians) that a devil is on the loose everytime there is a wedding. This devil is tasked to kidnap the bride, take her away from her groom, and take her virginity from her. So, bridesmaids are selected, those that look like the bride, younger or of her age, and must dress the way she dresses so as to confuse the devil who should be taken.

The material for bridesmaids wedding dresses are usually light and flowing fabric that allows graceful gait, and must have lots of ornament. Dresses should not be necessarily expensive.

The bridesmaids should assist the bride (thus the name brides' MAID) in dressing her, receiving company, holding her things, etc. They should stand at the brides left side, with the first bridesmaid or the maid of honor holding the gloves and bouquet.

As for the groomsmen, he should receive the clergyman and present to him the couple to be married. The first groomsman or the best man should stand upon the right side of the groom during the ceremony.

Victorian wedding etiquette has not been changed much. They are still the basic wedding etiquette that we have today. We can follow Victorian wedding etiquette's general rule as is without looking or making ourselves outrageous. Some of victorian wedding etiquette are just bent a bit, such as a wedding dress, to accommodate the wishes and desires of the bride or the groom or of a relative special to the hearts of the couple.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette

A wedding of an acquiantance is going to be held some time soon. You are now thinking of what gift you should give the newly wed. But do you know that there are gift giving wedding etiquette? Yes, there is such a thing. If you are contemplating on giving cash as a gift, read on first the gift giving cash wedding etiquette before you do such a move.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 1:

If a guest who receive an invitation can't make it to the wedding, they are not obligated to send gifts and much more cash gifts. Wedding etiquette dictates, however, that those who are unable to attend should send a congratulatory card for the groom or for both couples or a simple best wishes note to the bride.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 2:

Cash gifts or any gift items may be sent to the bride or groom's home before the wedding or to the couple's new home one year afterwards. This is a way of guests to lessen the burden to the newlyweds, such as how would they transport heavy gift items. Couple need not worry about renting a truct to transport the gifts to their new home. Also, your cash gift will be a great help to couples within their first year of marriage who are still in the stage of raising their own savings.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 3:

Giving cash gifts are not a violation of wedding etiquette. Couples need cash as a start up money for them. They need to rent a new apartment, bigger than their bachelor pad, if any of them has one, buy toiletries and groceries for the two of them, buy appliances and furniture that the two of them needs. These are just few among the many expenses that a couple would face in the first few months of their marriage which is why gift giving cash is a good idea to do and does not violate any wedding etiquette.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 4:

So how much should you give if you decide to give the couple cash as a gift?

It is a horrible idea that the amount or price of one’s wedding gift should equate to what the couples had spent on your dinner at the wedding reception. It is untrue. You can give as much as you want and as less as you want, if your budget is really tight. But in gift giving cash wedding etiquette, a guest's transportation does not count as a cash gift to the couple.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 5:

Also, don't stop yourself from giving cash gifts if the couple has listed their preferred wedding gifts in registry. Buying gifts from the wedding registry list are optional; you can either give the couple the gift of their choice or don't.

So, the gift giving cash wedding etiquette fact # 5 is that you can give cash gifts eventhough the couples have a wedding registry.

Here are gift giving cash wedding etiquette for couples:

Wedding registries are gaining popularity these days. But there are limitations on how much the bride and groom may direct gift giving. Gift giving cash is a wedding etiquette violation. You should not tell your guests that you prefer cash than gift items or request donations in cash to pay up a mortgage or ask them to give you cash to fund your honeymoon or that gift giving cash is preferred because you will send the money to charity.

Whether you like it or don't asking for gift giving in cash will make you look greedy, even if you claim that the money will go to charity. Also, your guests will fell less generous.

Gift giving of cash is an option to guests. They may opt to give cash as a wedding gift but wedding etiquette tells that you should not, ever, ask them for gift giving of cash. You may use the cash gifts in anyway you want.

If the bride and groom receive cash from guests, accept it and say your thanks, write them a thank you note the way you would do after opening a gift item.
==========
aileen

Wedding Etiquette For a Second Marriage

Wedding Etiquette For a Second Marriage

What if your heart beats again for the second time? Scary, isn't it?  Many questions pop-up your mind especially now that he proposed marriage to you.  The first question that your mind have formed was what is the wedding etiquette for a second marriage?

It is a tough question but it needs to be answered. Learning the wedding etiquette for a second marriage will help you lessen the pressure and tension that your first family (which you love so much) have unconsciously thrown at your back.  You need to carry the situation like any sensible adult.

Before, it is a popular thought that second marriage should not be elaborate, extravagant and formal the way a first marriage is celebrated. But today, this belief does not hold true anymore. You can still aim for an intimate, smaller and quieter second marriage but you can also celebrate a festive one, if you prefer and your budget allows you to do so.

What is important is that your second marriage is celebrated the way you would want it to be. Don't limit yourself and do what others expect you to do for a second marriage. Remember, it is you who will get wed and not them. Besides, you would not violate any wedding etiquette by following your heart's desires.

Here are some information for you on wedding etiquette for a second marriage.

-- Wedding Etiquette for a Second Marriage - Announcing Your Engagement

In getting wed for the second time, your major concerns will be the second marriage's effect on your children, if you have any, and to your close relatives. If you plan to remarry, your children should know first of your decision. You must ready your children for having a new family and new brothers and sisters. Uniting two families will not be stressful for you but for your children, most especially.

The next to be informed are your parents. Of course, they need to be in your wedding and informing them is a sign of courtesy to them. Next will be your ex, especially if you have arranged joint custody for the children. He should know that there will be some changes in your household.

Also, you should wear your new engagement ring. There mustn't have any trace of old flames on your fingers the moment you begin planning and announcing your second wedding.

-- Wedding Etiquette for a Second Marriage - Dress Issue

Widow brides who are getting married for the second time are expected to wear lilac or lavender dress. But these does not hold true nowadays. Wedding etiquette for a second marriage gives bride a chance to wear white dress again. Divorced brides can also wear white dress although they could remove the veil and tiara and instead simply wear flowers on your head.

-- Wedding Etiquette for a Second Marriage - Who to Invite?

When planning for your second wedding, think that you can invite any person you want to attend to your wedding. Refrain from inviting former in-laws and ex-spouses, even if you are on good terms with them. Guests may also feel awkward seeing and being around them.

If your children, however, requested that their father should be in the wedding, try to talk them out about it and tell them how awkward it would feel for the new in-laws and the new groom to see an ex-spouse around. Wedding etiquette for a second marriage does not obligate you to invite an ex-spouse to your second wedding, although you may do so if the situation warranted.

But if your new groom agrees to the idea of inviting an ex-spouse as requested by the children and your ex-spouse agreed on it, then you may invite your ex-spouse to attend your second wedding.

But there is a more sensible idea than inviting your ex-spouse to your wedding. Invite him to a dinner, perhaps at your home, with your children and new husband, if he is up to it. Tell your children that the dinner replaces the wedding invitation and your children may finally agree on not invitating their father on the wedding day. You may do this before or after your wedding or honeymoon.

********

aileen//

     - wedding for the second time? why not if you fell inlove again..but you have observe proper etiquette with your respective ex's.

Miss Manners on Wedding Etiquette for Brides

Miss Manners on Wedding Etiquette for Brides

If you are getting married anytime soon and you want to know some tips from Miss Manners on Wedding Etiquette, here are some Wedding Etiquette basics for you, the blushing bride.

* On Wedding Dress

Miss Manners says Wedding Etiquette of our age is not very strict anymore. Today, Miss Manners allows brides to wear non-conventional color for a wedding gown. Aside from ultra white, creme, and beige, Miss Manners says that it is not against Wedding Etiquette to wear pastel colored wedding gown, especially if the wedding is a Destination Wedding. For a beach wedding, brides can now wear turquoise or aquamarine colored wedding dress to match the color of the dress with the aqua-blue freshness of the sea waters.

* On Wedding Shoes

Miss Manners says Wedding Etiquette allows brides to wear open toed and ankle strap wedding shoes. According to the modern Miss Manners too, white is not anymore the basic color for wedding shoes. You can go with beige, creme, ivory or even red to match an ultra white wedding gown.

Miss Manners says that shoes should be comfortable and stylish. Rhinestones are good and does not defy Wedding Etiquette. But for the sake of taste, Miss Manners recommends that brides should go for less ornamented shoes.

* On Announcing the Engagement

Miss Manners says that first time brides may announce their engagement in newspapers or if they have the fortune to host an engagement ball, then they can announce the engagement in the said party. If you do not have the money to throw an engagement party, Miss Manners says that you can announce your engagement to close family and friends during a dinner.

For second wedding, Miss Manners recommend to brides with second marriage to talk to their children first before making the public announcement. Then the next person that they should talk to is their parents before the ex-spouse. Miss Manners says that a bride, who does not have any child from her ex-spouse, fails to tell her ex about her engagement does not violate a Wedding Etiquette. According to Miss Manners, the bride have no obligation to her ex-spouse unless they have a children of which they have joint custody.

* On Who to Invite

Miss Manners says that it is the bride and the groom and the host (in case the parents will co-host the wedding) has the say on who are or who are not to invite. But the last say, for Wedding Etiquette's sake, is always upon the lips of the bride and the groom since it is their big day and it is them who are the center of attention.

If the bride or the groom don't prefer to invite an ex-boyfriend who is one of the best employee of the bride's father, then the bride's father cannot command her daughter to invite the old flame even if it is the bride's father who have hosted the wedding.

* On Wedding Registry and Cash Gifts

Miss Manners says no to Cash Gifts. Asking for cash gifts is a Wedding Etiquette blunder. Miss Manners says that asking for cash gifts makes the bride and groom look greedy. Even if the couples want to donate the cash gifts to charity, Miss Manners is still against for couple who will plead for cash gifts. Whichever way one may look at it, people will think that couples who ask for cash gifts have a mark of greed on their foreheads.

Wedding Registry card is okay to Miss Manners, except that you should not insert the registry card on the invitation. Better put up an online registry and tell your guests, through your wedding invitation that a registry is currently online for those who wish to give the couple gifts under the couple's wishlists.

This way, according to Miss Manners, Wedding Etiquette is preserved and you won't look too pushy to your guests.

==============
AILEEN//
This is very interesting. Wedding Etiquette is sometimes disregarded. But its only right to know and learn how we should act when we are attending a wedding. Want to know more about this topic?...