A Kardashian Holiday Card

"Tis the Season of the Holiday Card!  Now I won't lie, I love this time of year.  It seems like every day there is a new greeting from a far away friend in my mailbox.  For my distant friends and relatives, its fun receiving photo cards so I can see how their familes have grown and changed in the last year.  And I will admit that I have a photo box in my closet with several year's worth of photo cards!

I also enjoy seeing what types of designs appeal to my friends and family.  Most of the time when I see a card I think, "Yep, that looks like the Jones Family!" but sometimes people choose designs that catch me off guard.  And this is true for the Kardashians.

This morning I stumbled upon the Kardashian Holiday Card for 2011.  Don't get me wrong, the photography is stunning but the image itself doesn't say holiday to me.  At all.  In fact, my first impression with the over-exaggerated contrast was that it was the Addams Family Christmas Card.

Now I am not saying you have to have a red and green card that screams "HAPPY HOLIDAYS!", but this card made me more depressed than holiday inspired.  But it goes to show you that everyone has different tastes and its up to your designer to present those tastes to your holiday card list.  The 3-D component is very cool, but I wonder how many people have 3D glasses lying around.

I am sure tons of people think this is the coolest card, but it looks more like a advertisement than a holiday photo.  Then again, this is the Kardashians we are talking about, and everything about them is business!

To read the post from OMG!, click here

Giving Thanks

With the holiday season upon us, we at Sara E. thought that it was the perfect time of you year to Give Thanks to all of our loyal customers and to also discuss the subtle art of writing a proper thank you note.

When the stress of the Big Day is over and all the gifts have been unwrapped, the thank you note writing must begin.  A hand-written thank you note is the only way to let your guests know that you appreciate their thoughtfulness.

Some Simple Tips:

• Don't Procrastinate: several etiquette gurus say that you have up to a year to send wedding thank you's but we suggest sending them out 2-3 weeks after the ceremony.  6-8 weeks would be the latest they should be sent.
• Spread the Wealth: send separate cards for shower and wedding gifts even if the gifts were received soon after each other.
• Be Plentiful: be sure to order more thank you cards than you need.  That way you will be prepared if you receive more gifts than you expected or if you don't like your first couple of drafts.
• Get Out Your Pen: make sure to hand-write each note.
• Don't Forget the Specifics: be sure to mention the gift given and how it will be used/benefit your home (extra tip: this is why it is so important to have a designated person who writes down what each gift is and who it was given by)
• Above and Beyond: if the person giving the gift traveled a great distance or went out of their way for the wedding (made centerpieces, gave a toast or reading, etc) make sure to mention the act and thank them for it
• Food For Thought: sending thank you cards to your vendors is a great way to show how much you appreciate them helping your dream come alive.  Another nice gesture is to send your wedding party thank you notes so they know how much you appreciate the time and love that they have given you not only on this journey, but your entire relationship.
  
• Most Importantly: It is important to know that even if you thanked a guest at the wedding for their gift, you still need to send them a thank you note.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

At Sara E., we love to create custom thank you cards for our couples that include a wedding picture and/or monogram.  We also love dual purpose items, so a lot of our thank you cards can also fit in a frame so your guests can enjoy the picture as well as the sentiment.  We also love using custom stamps and envelope printing to give your thank yous that special touch.

Thanks for reading our blog and remember to Give Thanks!

We love compliments!

Everyone loves compliments!  This is what one of our brides said about us:  You are truly wonderful and I would recommend you to anyone and everyone I know!! :)  and by the way I am still getting compliments on my beautiful wedding invites! :)

Another October bride had this to say:  Thank you so much!  It's been great working with you - I love everything and can't wait to see it all together on Saturday!

We love happy brides!  Hope everyone has a great day!

Can you uninvite a wedding guest?

With the breaking news on how Kim Kardashian had to uninvite 50 wedding guests due to all of the TV equipment that would be present at this weekend's nuptials, it got us thinking on how and if you could uninvite a wedding guest.

Now we hope it would be a good reason, like the Fire Marshall has stepped in and forced us to cut our guest list instead of a silly reason like we simply didn't give any regard for the amount of people the venue could hold.  In any case, there are no real rules of etiquette that govern such a situation.  If this awkward situation was to present itself, we recommend that you call each of the uninvited guests personally and explain the reasons for the retraction. Now we aren't going to lie, this is going to be incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassing!  But this severe of a situation demands a phone call instead of an e-mail or printed piece.
Under no circumstances should you cut close family or friends.

One of the sites we visited suggested that if you are feeling really bad about the retraction to host a party or small gathering before or after the big day.  If you do go this route, plan on inviting all of the people that were cut from the invited list.

This is a great reason on why you want to go over these details with your venue or wedding planner in advance of sending your invitations out.  There are always situations that can come up that are out of your control, but we encourage all brides to be proactive and avoid this situation by double-checking the seating capacities before invitations hit the mailbox.

A Cute Thank You

Received this from a client and it made my day:

"Hi Sara! I'm a little behind on getting out my many "thank you's," but I just wanted to thank you again for the beautiful job you did on our seating board and the table numbers. They turned out really beautiful. I apologize, again, for the short notice and fast turn-around time. Thanks so much!" 


Just wanted to share.  Hope everyone is having a great day!

What Not To Include With Your Wedding Invitations

When it comes to wedding invitations, there seem to be more rules on what you have to include then the rules of the road.  And several of the rules seem to have been written by Emily Post herself. Here are a few tips on what not to include to make life easier for yourself and your guests.

1. Slips of Tissue Paper
Who hasn't opened an invite to have a piece (or two) of tissue paper flutter out?  When and why are they even in there?  When invitations were engraved, the tissue paper keep the ink from smudging and smearing all over the place.Modern printing techniques eliminate the need for the tissue paper, so as long as your invites aren't engraved, leave the tissue paper for your gift bags.

2. Registry Info
Several major retailers supply brides with pre-printed cards complete with the couple's registry info.  DO NOT USE THESE!  Including your registry info implies that the gift is more important than the guest.  Guests know to ask the mother of the bride or another family member where the couple is registered.  A modern twist is to add the info to your wedding website and then include the website address on the information card.

3. Monograms
A little known fact is that you shouldn't use your monogram until AFTER the wedding.  Now we have been guilty ourselves of breaking this rule.  But if you want to stck to tradition, save the new monogram for your thank you notes.  If you really want a monogram on the invite istelf, only use your first initials.

4. Dress Code
Couples like to include dress information, especially if they are looking to have a formal affair.  While, its helpful to include this information, don't include it on the invitation itself.  Include it on the information card or on your wedding website.

5. Alcohol information 
Now this is a no brainer.  Yes, sometimes you want everyone to know that you are throwing a party that no one wants to miss, but your guests are coming to celebrate your wedding, not the booze.

Hopefully these tips help you avoid a faux pas when creating your invitation suite.  The creators at Sara E. are always available to help navigate the rules of etiquette - feel free to send us your questions!