etiquette/invitations/stamps (Haven??) and others?

[slg47]

Should you stamp the envelope for the response card? (yes we are having response cards...it seems to be customary with all the weddings I have gone to). I have read that you should stamp it to make it 'easier' for the guests but also that you should not stamp it because you should assume that your guests will have a stamp? Thoughts? what did you do?

 

[vc10um]

Put a stamp on it. Definitely. No one will be offended by having a stamp provided for them, but people WILL be offended if you do NOT include a stamp. We stamped our RSVP envelopes.

 

[slg47]

OK, sounds good...after googling seems that everyone includes stamps.

 

[swingirl]

The idea behind the stamp is that you have already invited your guest. It's for your benefit to know whether they have accepted or not.

 

[Amys Bling]

Put a stamp on it. Definitely. No one will be offended by having a stamp provided for them, but people WILL be offended if you do NOT include a stamp. We stamped our RSVP envelopes.

Big ditto!

 

[4ever]

OK, what if the stamps you can get are really ugly and will totally mess with the aesthetic of your invitations?

 

[KaeKae]

I'd definitley put a stamp on the response card evelopes. Too many people 'forget' to send back their responses. You don't want the rest of the invitees to have an excuse why they didn't mail theirs back, too!

OK, what if the stamps you can get are really ugly and will totally mess with the aesthetic of your invitations?

Go to the post office and ask to see all the different stamps they have available. I used 'Love' stamps when I was getting married (22 years ago!) I've also seen lovely floral stamps on invitaions and response cards. I'm sure you will find something you like.

 

[vc10um]

OK, what if the stamps you can get are really ugly and will totally mess with the aesthetic of your invitations?

FutureGirl, I think you have several options here.
1) For brides in the States, you can make custom stamps on websites like stamps.com and zazzle.com, so you can match them to your aesthetic. Hopefully you have something like this in OZ!
2) Put the envelopes in your invitation folio/envelope with the stamp facing to the back. It will be the last thing they see and will not ruin the design of the invite.
3) Use postcards for your RSVPs. Use the front for your "accept/decline" lines, and then on the back on the left panel, leave a space for your guests to a) wish you well, b) put in music requests, c) explain why they're not attending, or d) just tell you how excited they are. Then address the right hand side to whomever is receiving the RSVPs and stamp it. Again, they won't see the stamps until the end, and since they won't be KEEPING the RSVP or its envelope, they probably won't even remember how ugly the stamp was.

 

[Haven]

We put stamps on the response cards that we included in the invites to DH's family and friends.

We didn't include response cards in the invites to my family and friends because they all know how to respond to a formal invite and don't need the response card, and some of the old-timers would have been offended (or at least given a tsk tsk) that we presumed they needed a pre-stamped and addressed card.

You did the right thing with the stamps, slg!

As for ugly stamps, I think you can remedy that by ordering stamps online. They have a huge variety.

 

[slg47]

oh wow, they even have forever stamps that aren't the bell! I had no idea

 

[CharmyPoo]

I am not providing stamps. Most of the people who either respond online or give it to us in person. I am not wasting the money.

 

[JulieN]

It doesn't matter. The last invitation I received did not have a stamp, I didn't notice it until I read this thread and thought about it.

 

[lliang_chi]

I stamped all the domestic ones. International invites I sent with no stamp and gave them my email to RSVP if they needed to.

~LC