Wedding Wednesday: A Kid-Friendly Wedding

The last blog post I wrote about how to graciously tell your wedding guests that you do not want children to be at your wedding.

Well, you may be a teacher, have lots of nieces and nephews, or just love kids, so this week I wanted to share a few great ideas to make your wedding kid-friendly.

From the get-go, establish a kid-friendly atmosphere by having wedding programs just for the little peeps.

I absolutely adore this wedding activity book (free printable) from Lovely Indeed.

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Another fun idea is to create an "I Spy" card to keep the littles occupied during the ceremony and reception. This is an easy DIY project and one that can easily be customized.

I love the idea of having disposable cameras with the "I Spy" card at the reception.

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Here are some great inspiration pictures! How cute are these kid-friendly tables...

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It would be a great idea to have kids decorate their own desserts at the wedding. Keep it simple. 

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And of course, be sure you have some kid-friendly food items.

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Wedding Wednesday - Saying NO to children at your wedding

One might think that wedding invitation and reply card wording is simple and straightforward. For the most part it can be. What happens when you decided that you don't want children to attend your wedding? Everyone has different reasons for requesting there not to be children at their wedding. How do you communicate that to your guests without sounding completely rude?

Source | Little girls reaction to kiss at the wedding...Priceless! 

A few ways to graciously communicate your "no children" policy...

1. On your reply card, communicate how many seats are reserved for the guests.

Example:

We have reserved _____ seats in your honor. (In that blank you would fill in how many seats are reserved for them)

2. Be sure to write out the names of the specific people invited to the wedding. This lets your guests know who you are expecting.

Note: Despite all your efforts you might still get reply cards with the number of seats crossed out where they replace a number "2" to "4" and/or write in additional names. This can be a very tricky situation, but in this case it might be best to make a phone call.

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A few tactful explanations for not wanting children at the wedding..

- Venue capacity
- Efforts to maintain a certain budget
- Want to give guest a night off from the kids to celebrate

Stay tuned as next week we will talk about all of those people who want to say YES to children being at their weddings! I have some great tips and ideas to make your wedding and reception "kid-friendly!"

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Monogram Etiquette

Whether designing a shower invitation, wedding invitation, or stationery, I am often asked the proper etiquette for monograms. It can be a tricky thing, so I hope to clear the air with this post.

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Three Letter Monogram – Women

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As seen in the image above, these Jack Rogers there are three letters. The proper order of the initials would be First Name Initial, Last Name Initial – usually this is larger than the others,  Middle Name Initial or if married the Maiden Name Initial Would be used.

Three Letter Monogram – Men
Different than for women, a man's monogram goes in the order of their name. The proper order of the initials would be First Name Initial, Middle Name Initial, then Last Name Initial. Also, unlike a woman's monogram, the letters are typically all the same size.

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Now, when buying or ordering wedding gifts or preparing invitations, people often ask what the monogram should look like for a married couple.

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Three Letter Monogram – Couple
For a married couple the proper order of initials would be Brides's First Name Initials, Couples Last Name Initial, then Groom's First Name Initial.

If your specific question about monogram etiquette was not answered please leave a comment or check out this great resource "Monogram Etiquette."

Wedding Wednesday: Inner and Outer Envelopes – purpose and etiquette

©521 Designs

People often ask the questions, "What is the purpose of having two envelopes when mailing wedding invitations?" and "Do I have to use two envelopes?" Today, I hope to clear the air and break down the purpose of using two envelopes.  

What is the purpose of an inner envelope?

The inner envelope simply holds all of the pieces of the wedding suite together. As we all know, those envelopes can be jam packed full of wedding goodness. 

The inner envelope is also important as it is the host/hostesses opportunity to clearly state which members of the house-hold are invited to the wedding. 

In addressing the inner envelope, use only titles and last names. *Avoid using the phrase "and family.

What is the purpose of an outer envelope?

The outer envelope is for mailing purposes. 

On the outer envelope guests should be referred to by title, first names, and last names.  *Titles may be abbreviated.

For more detailed information and scenarios for addressing envelopes, this is a infographic: "Why two envelopes?"

Do I have to use two envelopes?
The answer is simply no. Often times cost is a hinderance when deciding between one or two envelopes. Be sure to do the research because the cost for two envelopes might not be as expensive as you think.

It may seem like "just etiquette" to you, but keep in mind the inner envelope is a great opportunity to clearly state who is invited to the wedding and prevent more guests than you were planning on!

Wedding Wednesday : Kick-Off

Today, I am kicking off a new blog series entitled "Wedding Wednesday." Each week I will cover topics ranging from invitation wording etiquette to RSVP card wording, answering questions such as, "Why is there an inner and outer envelope?" and everything in between.

Photo Courtesy of NadiaD Photography

There seemed like no better day to kick-off "Wedding Wednesday" than today, because it just so happens to be our anniversary.

Photo Courtesy of NadiaD Photography

Our wedding and the day we got married, were two big factors in starting 521 Designs (please check out the "About" section for the full story). First, the company's name in part comes from the day we said "I Do" – 5.21.11. Second, I took the risk of completely designing our wedding suite and in the meantime fell even more in love with letterpress printing (Stay tuned for a post all about types of printing).  I decided to take that risk because I wanted something that was classic and timeless but had a few unexpected twists.

Below are images showing each part of our wedding suite. If I had to pick a favorite piece of the suite, it would either be the coordinating envelopes for the reply cards or the tiny little star showing the wedding location on the accommodation card.

Photo by 521 Designs

Photo by 521 Designs

Photo by 521 Designs

The program (pictured below) was the only piece that was digitally printed. It took quite some time to finalize the design and layout for the program, but the end result was well worth the effort. 

Photo by 521 Designs

In hindsight, I would not change a thing about our wedding suite. It may not be on par with today's trends, but that is just how I wanted it.

Photo Courtesy of NadiaD Photography

Takeaways from Our Wedding (3 years later):
1. Figure out what are the things that are of highest value to you, focus your attention on those, and try to delegate other things. For example: Music for our ceremony was not a high value to me, nor am I musically gifted, so I asked my mom to just make the final call for music.

2. Focus on your future marriage more than the wedding. Wedding planning can be overwhelming at times, and it is best to be able to take a step back and remember why you are planning a wedding in the first place. Have people in your life that can point you back to that! Make the investment in pre-marital counseling (and after for routine "oil changes").

3. Have fun! Simple as that.

4. Pinterest can be your worst enemy and friend. It may sound crazy but when we got married Pinterest had not made it mainstream, so I didn't have hundreds of pins to sift through. For that, I am extremely thankful. I didn't get caught up in all of the trends brought about by Pinterest, but made choices based on things I really liked. On the other hand, Pinterest can be a great tool for fleshing out details such as your wedding colors or bouquet styles.

Be sure to stop by next week for the Part Two of "Wedding Wednesdays."

Photo Courtesy of NadiaD Photography