January Is Thank You Note Month

Did you know that January has been designated as thank you note month? What a great time to review some thank you etiquette. Whether you have received a wedding gift, birthday gift or a thinking of you gift, you will always want to send a handwritten thank you note.

What makes a great thank you? Make sure you use the person’s name (Aunt Susie, Uncle Joe), thank them specifically for the gift and tell them you intend to use it (Thank you for the beautiful wok we received as a wedding gift. We will have so much fun trying out new and fun oriental recipes, and will definitely invite you both over to sample some of our creations!), and then a lovely closing (It was great to see you both at the wedding. Thank you for sharing in our special day – see you soon!) Sign your name (Love, Michelle and Nick), and into the mailbox it goes!

So simple and it will just take a minute of your time, but will really make the gift giver excited to know how much you loved the gift.

Pen in hand, let’s write!

Etiquette 101: How to Properly Set a Table

Photo Credit: Emily Post Institute

It never hurts to have a refresher course on the proper way to set a table.  The above picture is for an informal, 3-course meal.

The dinner plate would go underneath the napkin which would be folded and placed on top.  Silverware is placed in the order you will use it, salad fork and the dinner fork on the left with the cutting edge facing towards the plate, soup spoon, teaspoon then the knife.  

The drinking glasses go to the right (as most people are right handed) above the knife and spoons.

A salad plate is place to the left of the forks.  A bread plate is place directly above the forks with the knife at an angle and the blade facing down.

And lastly the coffee cup and saucer are placed to the right of the knives and spoons.

To make an appointment with our resident etiquette expert, Victoria Wagner, please contact us through our contact form, call us at 703-888-8728, or email us at info@asplashofelegance.com.

Receiving Line Etiquette

Receiving lines are becoming less and less common at weddings as couples are opting for the more casual option of going from table to table at the reception to greet their guests.  For the couple who does choose to do a receiving line, we wanted to share the proper standing order for a receiving line.  No one can say it more succinctly than the doyenne of etiquette herself, Emily Post:

"Whoever is hosting the wedding is the first in line. Traditionally, that’s the bride’s mother, followed by her father, the groom’s mother and father, the bride, the groom, the maid or matron of honor, and one or two bridesmaids (they can take turns and share the duty). But if Aunt Martha and Uncle Fred are hosting, Aunt Martha starts the line. Fathers aren’t required to stand in line; they can circulate, with the groomsmen, among the guests. However if one father participates, the other should also. In a military wedding, it’s protocol for a groom in uniform to stand before his bride."

-Emily Post's Etiquette

Pearls of Wisdom

I've just read an article that troubles me, so I wanted to share some pearls of wisdom with all of our dear brides.  Let me preface by saying that it is our job as wedding planners and consultants to make you, our dear brides, look as perfect as you can on one of the most important days of your lives.  Now, having said that, once we give our expertise to you, it is your decision as to whether or not you implement said wisdom.

Apparently there is a new service for brides called e-Gifting, which allows a bride to print off gift registry cards to include in her invitation ensemble and to print off pre-printed thank you notes, among other things.

Please let me be very clear about this ~ while this sounds like a wonderful time-saving thing to do, there are real etiquette issues with using this service.  It is NEVER (sorry, the caps are for emphasis) permissable to add your gift registry with any invitation ... wedding, shower, whatever, it is just not to be done.  Word of mouth is the proper way to let your guests know where you are registered, if they are interested in knowing.  (Remember, you have asked  for their presence, not presents). 

And then we get to the thank you notes, and any of you who knows me can see me reeling on the ceiling fan over this one!  Thank you notes must always (ok, I spared you the caps this time) be handwritten, either by the bride or the groom.  If you write them as soon as a gift arrives, you're not faced with a mountain of thank you's to write when you arrive home from your honeymoon.

There you have it, pearls of wisdom ~

We value the day and the event, but we treasure the lifelong relationships with our clients.

Meet the Team!

I am so excited to introduce the Splash of Elegance team of consultants ~ these accredited ladies bring their professional demeanor and expertise to assist our clients with their wedding and event planning. So, the next time you want the best in wedding, event planning, or etiquette training, call the Splash of Elegance team!

As always, we are at your service ~
xo, Victoria

We value the event and the day, but we treasure the lifelong relationship with our clients.

Man vs. Woman or Woman vs. Man ??

I get a lot of etiquette questions, so will share some of them here ~ today's question comes up a lot, and we don't give it much thought unless we're going to a wedding, and then it comes up a LOT! Who's name goes first, the man's or the woman's? Very simply, the woman's name always goes first. We like to think it's all about being the bride, but sorry ladies, it's actually all about the men. Yes, when a man is born and for the remainder of his life, his first name is never removed from his last name. So, here are some examples of correctly writing names:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Susan and John Smith

Mrs. Susan Smith

Mr. John Smith

And, for you ladies who are mothers of the groom? When you're preparing your invitations for the Rehearsal Dinner, please don't insist that your son's name goes first on the invitation ~ it's just not the correct thing to do ~ it's my job to make you look perfect, so ...

Here's to making you look fabulous!

Love,

Victoria