Cell Phones And Your Weddings

Photo courtesy of Crazy For Us

It's your wedding and the last thing you want is for cell phones to be ringing as you walk down the aisle or as you are taking your vows. More and more often the bridal couple will post signs like the one above or make an announcement prior to the wedding requesting all cell phones and cameras be turned off during your wedding. Yes, it may mean your guests won't get some photos from the wedding using their cell phone but it certainly beats having Aunt Mable calling her favorite nephew in the middle of the wedding. So whether you make announcements prior to the wedding, post signs like the one above, or make clever blackboard signs for your guest to see as they walk in the ceremony venue, be sure your guests are aware of the 'no cell phone' rule. There's a reason voice mail and silent mode exist, your wedding is one of them. Some couples also opt for the 'no photo' rule as well, hoping to avoid their guests paying more attention to getting that great photo than to their wedding vows. 

Courteous guests will not use their cell phones during your wedding reception. If they feel there is a need to make an important call or if they need to touch base with a babysitter, it is only good manners to take it outside. 

So remember, put your phone on vibrate or better yet, turn it off, and don't use your phone to text during weddings or receptions. And if you are taking photos, be considerate and don't detract from the wedding when snapping photos.

Twenty years ago no one had to worry about this etiquette issue--today it is one that is not frequently addressed. So be a courteous guest and leave your phone off. And limit your photography. There is a reason the bride and groom hired a wedding photographer.

Guest Count Worries

If you've ever had a party and worried that no one would come, imagine what it must be like for a bride who worries about how many guests will come to her wedding. There's a reason she sends out those RSVP cards / response cards with your wedding invitation--you are supposed to reply. This lets her know how many to tell her caterer and a million other small details.

So if you are invited to a wedding, keep in touch with the bride and groom about your RSVP status. Be a polite guest. Imagine if you weer the bride what you would appreciate and follow through accordingly.

This is your mother--nagging you about your manners. So just do it!

Grammar Goofs You Don't Want To Make On Thank You Notes

Source: copyblogger.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Writing thank you notes for shower gifts or wedding presents? Copyblogger has  a few 'rules of the road' so your notes look and sound like a well-educated bride! We all make mistakes once in awhile but when you are sending out thank you notes it would be nice if they were grammatically correct.  Who says? Your mother! (And everyone who will get your thank you note!)

According to the queen of etiquette, Emily Post, you have up to three months to send out thank you notes for a gift,  but the sooner you send these important notes out the better.

A few tips? Order your thank you cards when you order your wedding invitations. They don't have to match but you might want to consider adding your new monogram for wedding thank you notes or color coordinating with your invitations.

And if you think you were busy during the time you were wedding planning, those days after you come back from your honeymoon are hectic as well. Finding time to write and address all those thank you notes may seem an impossibility.

If someone kindly gave you a bridal shower, write these thank you notes out right after the shower. This gets these out of the way so writing wedding gift thank you notes is a snap.

How can you beat the wedding thank you note rush?

Write out all the envelopes before your wedding. Add a blank note to the inside of the envelope all ready to be written.  Then when a wedding gift gets delivered you can write a heartfelt thank you note and slide it into it's pre-addressed envelope and add the stamp. Mail them as soon as you get back from your honeymoon. (Or if you are very efficient, on your way out of town!) Have a list of gifts and gift givers and check them off as notes are written and mailed. Wait to add the stamps so you don't mistakenly send out a blank thank you.

What's the most common thank you note forgotten? Thank you notes to your officient, your bridal party or anyone else who helped make you day go off seamlessly. I wrote them to my vendors as well as friends and family who helped out. One important thing to remember, an extra thank you never counts against you, forgetting one one can. So when in doubt, write a note. It isn't that hard to say thanks.

Why is it important to write thank you notes? When you send a thank you note it assures your friends and family that their token of love and support for you and your new spouse was both appreciated and noticed.

Also you can be sure if you don't send one it will be a permanent black mark next to your name (note the friend of my daughters who never sent notes for gifts, you know who you are! Needless to say by now we are not expecting one but it's still a topic of conversation whenever anyone mentions thank you notes!)

So get those thank you notes organized so it's easy to write them and easy to mail them in a timely manner. If  you can organize a whole wedding you can certainly organize sending out a hundred thank you notes!