wedding etiquette | Carolina Destination Wedding Blog

When to Use Admission Cards

Posted by Tabitha on Nov 29, 2010 in wedding planning | 0 comments

An admission card is an invitation enclosure that admits your guests into your wedding or other related social event.

The most common situation in which you would use an admission card is if you are hosting an exclusive event at a historic landmark that attracts tourists, for example a famous cathedral.

Another situation in which you may include an admission card in your invitation set is if your event location requires you to do so in order to host an event on their property. This is not uncommon if you are hosting a wedding or social event at a private estate and often times, in this situation you will also be required to hire security.

Finally, high-profile clients, for example celebrity weddings, also use admission cards. Therefore, unless you are a celebrity or hosting your event at a venue where tourists tend to congregate, an admission card is not necessary.

Do you have any wedding planning related questions? If so, please feel free to comment below and I will answer them.

*Originally published in July 2009

Image from Invitation Consultants

Maid or Matron of Honor?

Posted by Tabitha on Jul 18, 2010 in wedding planning | 0 comments

What is the difference?

The only difference between the two is that a maid of honor is an unmarried attendant. Whereas, a matron of honor is a married attendant and both can be thought of as your lead bridesmaid.

Do you have to have both?

No, it is completely up to you. However, if you want both a maid and matron of honor, you can have both. In this situation, the maid of honor’s role takes precedence during wedding ceremony (i.e. arranging your veil, holding your bouquet, and signing your marriage license). However, it is perfectly find for them both to share responsibilities like planning your bachelorette party or bridal shower together; and they can each share duties on your wedding day.

FYI: Did you know that an “honor attendant” is when a bride has a male as her lead attendant instead of a maid or matron of honor; or when a groom has a female in lieu of a best man?

*Originally published in May 2009 (content has been modified).

Do I Have to Send a Wedding Gift, If…”

Posted by Tabitha on Jul 24, 2009 in wedding planning | 0 comments

…I decline to attend a wedding?

If you receive an invitation to a wedding, proper wedding etiquette does call for you to send gift even you are unable to attend the wedding.

According to Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette, the only exceptions are if you receive an invitation from someone you have never spoken to or from someone you have not seen in many years. Otherwise, you should always plan to send a gift to the happy couple whether you attend or not.

Can I Return Duplicate Wedding Gifts?

Posted by Tabitha on Jul 11, 2009 in wedding planning | 0 comments

If by chance you received two of the same items, it is okay to return or exchange one of them if they were both purchased from the store where you registered for gifts. If you can’t determined whether or not they came from the store where you registered, then I think it’s safe to recycle or donate the gift as long as it’s a gift where extras would not come in hand. For example, you can never have enough bed linens and towels. Whereas you want need two of the newest George Foreman grilling machines. Lastly, you should not mention that you received duplicates to the givers, rather just proceed to send them a thank you note as you would for all others who gave you a gift (Forden and Finello, 2004:165).

Source: Forden, Diane and Kristen Finello. Bridal Guide Magazine’s – New Etiquette for Today’s Bride. New York: Warner Books. 2004.

Can I Ask for Money Only Wedding Gifts?

Posted by Tabitha on Jun 22, 2009 in wedding planning | 0 comments

Absolutely not!

Asking for money-only wedding gifts is distasteful and just wrong. Even a great deal of your closest family and friends will be repulsed by such a demand.

That said, it is a huge violation of etiquette. Why?

The most logical explanation is that there is no way to ask for monetary wedding gifts without running the high-risk of offending your guests. Don’t do it!

Really, Why Can’t You RSVP?

Posted by Tabitha on Feb 16, 2009 in wedding planning | 0 comments

I really do not get why guests cannot do the one simple task that is asked of them when they are invited to a wedding or social event, which is to RSVP for the event.

If you do not know what it means to RSVP or why it is so important, then please read the three-part series I blogged about couple of years ago.

The third part to this series explained a couple of “do nots” when you reply to an invitation that are faced by many hosts.

Etiquette :: Part III – répondez s’il vous plait

Have you been invited to an event recently or in the past and did not RSVP? If so, please feel free to tell us “why not?”

Or, if you have hosted a party, please share your experience (or frustration) with guests failing to RSVP?

Do I Really Need to Send Save-the-Date Cards?

Posted by Tabitha on May 28, 2008 in wedding invitations | 0 comments

Save-the-date cards are a very nice gesture that I highly suggest bridal couples show their guests. The purpose of sending save-the-date cards is to alert those you will invite of your wedding date, so that they can mark their calendars. Specifically, it gives them ample time to make arrangements to be off work and/or to prepare financially for travel arrangements (i.e. airfare and hotel accommodations) if they are out-of-town guests. Ideally, you will mail the save-the-date cards out once you have compiled your guest lists. They should not be sent more than six months before your wedding date or later than four months from your wedding date.

If you are concerned about the costs of purchasing both save-the-cards and invitations, do not be worried because save-the-date cards are an area where you can use your creativity and computer skills to make them. For example, you can create them on your computer and print them on card stock or some other high-quality paper. You can also personalize them with a printed copy of your engagement photo, like the example above. If you will be ordering them from an invitation designer, the good thing is that you do not have to mail them to each individual guest, you only have to send one save-the-date card per household family.

Essentially, the save-the-date cards will include both of your names, the wedding date, and the location. You do not have to specify the venue per se, but it is a good idea to tell guests the city or if you reside in a large city the specific area of town such as “Brier Creek” Raleigh, NC where your wedding will take place. If you have a wedding website, you can include this information as well. In this way, guests can to stay posted on your wedding details.

Photo Source: Wedding Paper Divas