Memorable Note Cards
While email communication is commonplace in the 21st century, it is never a mistake to send a handwritten note to someone. In fact, according to David Masello, the “Social Graces” editor of Town and Country magazine, it may be more valued by the recipient.
Textured Note Card
David told the story of a previous boss who kept a file drawer filed with blank notes. Upon returning from a lunch date, she would immediately pull a card out at random, scrawl a fast note of thanks, and put it in her inbox. It is a habit he has learned.
People remember a handwritten, stamped, mailed note. It is guaranteed that what you write will be more heartfelt and memorable than anything in an email or text.
In a recent New York Times interview, Pamela Fiori, editor in chief of Town and Country magazine said: “In a world increasingly uncivilized, it’s important that we have some ties in tradition. And I honestly think that what we are losing with e-mail are our memories.”
What better way to send a note of thanks then with the new handcrafted notecards from Luxury Invitations. Available in boxed sets of 8 using many of our unique textured papers, the notecards can also be customized to your liking. Contact us at www.luxuryinvites.com for pricing and availability.
Wedding Invitation and Statinery Trends for 2009
Luxury Invitations can take current trends to turn classic stationery into a personalized contemporary statement.
Color Trends
Color trends come and go, but leading color experts agree that it is the most powerful element to excite, relax, inspire and delight. Depending on the mood you want to set for your party, your guest’s first clue to your party is the color and style of your invitation.
Wedding Invitations Etiquette Q&A
Q. How far in advance should you send wedding invitations? What is the proper date to ask for the reply card?
A. Ideally, invitations should go out six weeks before the wedding — that gives guests plenty of time to clear their schedules for the day and make travel arrangements if they are out-of-towners. It also lets you make the RSVP date a little earlier — say three weeks before the wedding date — so you can get a final head count and start making a seating chart (if you’ll have one) before the final-week-before-the-wedding crunch begins. At the very latest, guests should receive wedding invitations six weeks in advance, and you should get responses back two weeks before the big day.
Q. We are having a Saturday afternoon reception that includes a cocktail hour and a full dinner. How do I let guests know that it’s not just an afternoon informal brunch? I would like it to be formal attire but not black tie.
A. One of the best ways to let guests in on the fact that the wedding is formal is with the invitations. Get ultra-formal, traditional ones — on white, ivory, or ecru paper, with the wording done in black script, maybe even with a gold or silver border — and that should do the trick. Give your guests the benefit of the doubt, too — if they receive a formal invite from you and read where your wedding is being held, you can probably trust them to dress appropriately.
Q. We are getting married at a local hotel located on the beach. The ceremony will be held outside, with the reception following in a banquet room inside. It seems almost silly to have a separate reception card with the same location, but I have no idea how to put it all on the wedding invitation. Any ideas?
A. All you have to do is add a single line to the bottom of your ceremony invitation: “Reception to follow.” It’s invitation parlance for “The reception is in the same place.” Just make sure your ushers know where to direct guests after the ceremony, so they’re all taking the most convenient route to the reception area.
Taken from The Knot: http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-invitations/articles/wedding-invitations-etiquette.aspx?MsdVisit=1
Preparing the proper lists.
2009-2010
Color can be an integral way to set the theme and mood for any event. Here are some modern color choices to add to your palette in stationery!
Taken from www.decoratorsecrets.com/color-trends.html
Is it in or out? If 2008 was the year of lime green, what is the hot color for this year? What do I avoid so I don’t end up with the harvest gold of the 1970’s syndrome? Stay tuned for the hot color trends for the 2009-2010 season….
Hope and Inspiration
Not only is it in the White House, but it’s in your house as well. Yellow is THE color for this year’s decorating palettes. “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “yellow also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.” We imagine this is a hot color that’s here to stay with a sunny outlook for the future. If sunny yellow is too hot to handle in your home, tone it down to get the look without the heat.
Going Green
Green is not only the environmental word of the day, it’s also a color trend for the year. Moss green in particular is making an appearance in many of the upscale home magazines taking the place of the kelly and lime greens of yesteryear. Don’t even think of toning it down to the sage green of the 90’s, that was SO last decade.
The Luxury of Lavender
Lavender is the newcomer on the scene for this year. Bright purple just doesn’t cut it – it made a brief appearance in the color forecasts and fizzled. People just chickened out when they saw eggplant and amethyst colors hitting the walls. Lavender is the must-have color for the bedroom, signifying elegance and luxury in a toned down fashion.
Americans are looking for something uplifting, says Patricia Call, an interior designer and a board member of the Color Marketing Group in Alexandria, Va. – and that translates to purple power. “Historically, purple is associated with royalty. Now it’s being use for everything from cooking ranges to washing machines,” says Call. “In a bad economy, it gives you a lift to feel royal in the kitchen or laundry.
Going Gray
Slate and charcoal grays are the new neutrals. Browns and beige are slip sliding away and going gray. From pewter to ash – place a cool gray with almost any color for a hot pairing.
Aqua Cool
Aqua slipped into the scene in 2008 and has shown some staying power. Aqua will be hot, hot, hot for the summer, but may fade into the sunset come fall – try it as an accent to make the transition.
Scared to make the big leap to be a trend-setter? Accent colors in the hot colors of the year make the grade when watching your budget.
Exquisite Lavender Invitation Box
Stationery Wardobe
I read an article last week in the Home section of the New York Times about a “Stationery Wardrobe.” It stated that “social papers” are thriving, in spite of, or perhaps because of, the prevailing digital culture. For some, selecting stationery is as much a form of self-expression, as choosing their décor. Notecards can reflect the colors of your home, and can be as diverse as your wardrobe of clothes. Celerie Kemble, a Manhattan designer who created a line of stationery for Dempsey and Carroll, said “Using a card says, ‘You stopped me in my tracks and this comes from my heart.’”
As the Emily Post Institute states, “If you think you should be sending a thank-you note instead of an email, then you should.” It is never wrong to send a thank you note, and it shows that you gave of your time in choosing the card, finding the address, mailing it, and you value the person you are sending it you. What a wonderful gift to receive!
Informal Stationery
Hostess Gifts
Personalized Stationery make a fabulous Hostess Gift! With these economic times being so stressful for everyone, its important to remain courteous and bring a gift when invited to someone’s home– but bringing something useful is the way to go. For a similar amount of money for a nice bottle of wine or hardcover cookbook, personalized stationery from Luxury Invitations (www.luxuryinvites.com) tells your host how much you appreciate the gesture of being invited. It also shows the recipient that you went the extra step and are very thoughtful about the gift you are giving. Personalized stationery leaves a lasting impression for the host of a party!
Emily Post’s Invitation Etiquette
When planning an event, Luxury Invitations (www.luxuryinvites.com) can help you to properly send out your invitations in a timely manner, but how your guests respond is another story. In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, social commitments and obligations can be overwhelming. Referring to the standard of etiquette, Emily Post, can help you maintain the proper and polite way to handle an invitation.
1. RSVP
From the French, it means “Répondez, s’il vous plaît,” or, “Please reply.” This little code has been around for a long time and it’s definitely telling you that your hosts want to know if you are attending. Reply promptly, within a day or two of receiving an invitation.
2. How do I respond? Reply in the manner indicated on the invitation.
- RSVP and no response card: a handwritten response to the host at the return address on the envelope.
- Response Card: fill in and reply by the date indicated and return in the enclosed envelope.
- RSVP with phone number: telephone and make sure to speak in person – answering machines can be unreliable.
- RSVP with email: you may accept or decline electronically.
- Regrets only: reply only if you cannot attend. If your host doesn’t hear from you, he is expecting you!
- No reply requested? Unusual, but it is always polite to let someone know your intentions. A phone call would be sufficient.
3. Is that your final answer?
- Changing a ‘yes’ to a ‘no’ is only acceptable on account of: illness or injury, a death in the family or an unavoidable professional or business conflict. Call your hosts immediately.
- Canceling because you have a “better” offer is a sure fire way to get dropped from ALL the guest lists.
- Being a “no show” is unacceptable.
- Changing a ‘no’ to a ‘yes’ is OK only if it will not upset the hosts’ arrangements.
4. “May I bring…”
Don’t even ask! An invitation is extended to the people the hosts want to invite—and no one else.
- …a date. Some invitations indicate that you may invite a guest or date (Mr. John Evans and Guest) and when you reply, you should indicate whether you are bringing someone, and convey their name.
- …my children. If they were invited, the invitation would have said so.
- … my houseguest. It’s best to decline the invitation, stating the reason. This gives your host the option to extend the invitation to your guests, or not.
5. Say “Thank You.”
Make sure to thank your hosts before you leave, and then again by phone or note the next day.
17th Edition
Luxury Invitations make great Bridal Party Gifts!!!
Give the gift of Wedding Related Stationery!
