POSH 101: The Invite

Being in the event rental business, we get to see the most beautiful events and the most beautiful invitations. With the holidays upon us and wedding season around the corner, we thought it would be nice to brush up on our invitation etiquette. Cue Susan Strauss, Owner/Creative Director/Everything of Simply LUXE, a Simply Personal company. 

You may remember Simply Personal and Simply LUXE for winning the NACE 2012 People's Choice Award earlier this Fall. (We loved their "Tree of Life" tablescape! See images here.) See what Susan has to say about invitations for your most important events. 

Images courtesy of SimplyLUXE

From Susan Strauss:

"At SimplyLUXE, we love to assist our clients with common questions regarding addressing, RSVP information, and timing on when to send invitations out for their big event. It is the first glance a guest will have of their personality, style, and event - so make a statement! The invitation should provide guests with practical information such as directions, location, parking information, and often time attire - it truly sets the tone for the event. As we often say, 'Every event deserves a great invitation!'

Gathering the guest list is often the hardest part of the planning process. When sending invitations, we suggest that the client provide her address list to us that has state names and words such as street, drive, or avenue spelled out. We like to keep abbreviations to a minimum for aesthetic and practical purposes. Normally, we have our clients write out exactly who is invited to their event, including children's or significant other's names. The more specific the better, which will clearly communicate to the guest who is invited and who is not. SimplyLUXE also offers envelope addressing using dozens of font options and colors - it's a great match especially for wedding invitations.

Wedding and large event invitations are typically sent out 8 weeks before the event to give guests enough travel and planning time. The suggested date for the RSVP return date is about two weeks before the reception venue/catering final count is due. We try to allow time for those RSVP cards that trickle in - they always do! Remember, if you are a guest to a wedding, always send back your RSVP! The bride and groom have gone through painstaking measures to ensure that YOU are on their final guest list, so please do them the honor of responding on time!

Visit SimplyLUXe at www.simply-luxe.com