Birth Announcements

What is the proper information to be included on a birth announcement? Of course the name of the baby and, if the baby has a nickname, provide it in quotation marks underneath his or her name. You will also want to include the date, time and weight of the baby and the names of the parents.

When should the announcements be sent out and when is the latest that it can be sent out? Ideally, birth announcements would be sent out almost immediately. If you can, work on getting them ready during the last couple weeks of pregnancy. Get the envelopes addressed, stamped and ready to go. The earlier you can send out the announcements the better, but the latest they should go out is six months after the baby is born.

Is there a special way of writing announcements for twins? There is no particular way of writing birth announcements for twins. However, it is good to write the names on either side of the announcement so that it is very clear that there are two different babies being announced and not one really long name!

Is it necessary to write a personalized note on each announcement? No, it is not necessary to personalize each announcement. There will be little time in the life of the new parents to do this. A personalized note to family members can add a special touch that they will very much enjoy.

Is it necessary to include a photograph with my birth announcement? You do not have to send out photographs with the birth announcement. If you choose to, though, it is completely appropriate and everyone will enjoy seeing your new baby!

We have adopted a child. Is it appropriate to send out announcements and what is the best wording? Absolutely, an announcement is always appropriate to let people know about a new member of your family. "Jane and Bob Davis are happy to announce that a wonderful baby girl has joined their family, Ella Marie Davis, born on (date).

Christmas Cards

How wide a circle of people are you expected to send Christmas cards to? Christmas cards are a wonderful way of keeping in touch with friends and family who you may not see on a regular basis. It is a great time to let them know you are thinking of them, so the more the merrier!

Is it necessary to sign each and every Christmas card? Yes. The closing on a Christmas card should be hand-written, not printed. It gives the card a much more personal touch.

When should I plan to mail out Christmas cards? Mail out your Christmas cards as soon as you get them addressed. It is best to have your cards ordered by early October so that you will have plenty of time to get them together. The earliest someone should receive a Christmas card from you is the day after Thanksgiving and the latest you should mail them out is the day beforesd Christmas.

Wedding

When should the invitations be mailed out? Eight weeks prior to the wedding day is appropriate.

What should I consider when addressing my envelopes? Weddings are one time when everything should be done by hand. Calligraphy is not necessary, but neat handwriting should always be used above printing or labels on wedding envelopes.

Should I order extra wedding invitations? You always want to order extra invitations than you think you will need. If and when you need to send out a few extra, you will have them on-hand.

When and to whom should I send wedding announcements? Wedding announcements are sent to everyone you know can't make the wedding or people that you wanted to invite to the wedding but couldn't. They should be sent out after the wedding ceremony.

Party Invitations

How far in advance should invitations be extended for a more informal party? Two weeks prior to the party will give your guests enought time to plan accordingly.

Is it appropriate to put an end time on an invitation? It is completely appropriate to put an end time on your invitation. It gives your guests a good idea of what to plan for as far as time is concerned.

Is it okay to have an invitation that does not ask the guest to RSVP? It is okay and more and more people are doing this now anyway. However, it requires the host of the party to guess at how many people will be attending the party.

Stationery

When is the latest that you should send a thank you note? It is never too late to send a thank you note. The sooner the better, but with thank you notes, it is definately better late than never!

At what age should children write their own thank you notes? The art of note writing is a learned skill and should be taught from a young age. Allow your child to write his or her own thank you notes as soon as they can write. It is such a great learning experience and means so much to the people who receive it!