- What is the proper information to be included on a birth announcement?
- It is traditional to include birth weight on an announcement, but what happens if you've had a premature child or an extremely large child?
- When should announcements be sent out and when is the latest that it can be sent out?
- Is there a special way of writing announcements for twins?
- Is it necessary to write a personalized note on each announcement?
- Is it necessary to include a photograph with my birth announcement?
- Are people who receive birth announcements expected to send gifts?
- I kept my maiden name, how can I best word my child's birth announcement?
- Does my baby need stationery, thank you notes or calling cards?
- We have adopted a child, is it appropriate to send out announcements, and what is the best wording?
- I am worried about offending friends of different faiths by sending my Holiday cards.
- How wide a circle of people are you expected to send Holiday Cards to?
- Is it necessary to sign each and every card?
- What about beyond the signature, must I write a note?
- When should I plan to mail out my holiday cards?
- How quickly do thank you notes for holiday gifts need to be sent, and is a note always expected?
- How far in advance should invitations be extended for a more informal party?
- How is the best way to word an invitation if there more than one host for an event?
- Is there a certain way the date and the time should be written on an invitation?
- What about how to word dates?
- Is it rude to put an end time on an invitation?
- I'm unsure about whether to use RSVP or regrets only on my invitation.
- What about having nothing at all, just an invitation with no RSVP?
- When should children receive their own invitations?
- I have been given a complete wardrobe of stationery and don't how best to use it. When is the appropriate time to use letter sheets versus note cards versus flat cards or calling cards?
- Should a mother write thank you notes for her newborn?
- When is the latest you can send a thank you note?
- At what age should children write their own thank you notes and what are some guidelines for how to get my child to write them?
- When is the time appropriate to send a sympathy note?
Of course the name of the baby and, if the baby has a nickname, provide it in quote marks underneath his or her name. You will also want to include the date, the time, the weight, the names of the parents, even if they're not married, and perhaps the town in which the baby was born. And, if you want to have more, you can put down the name of the hospital in which the baby was born and the address of the parents, and that's enough. Don't say no gifts or "see gift registry at Neiman Marcus". Personally I think that's in terrible taste, the less said the better. Leave it in people's hands and they should react in some way. They can write a note or send a gift.
It is traditional to include birth weight on an announcement, but what happens if you've had a premature child or an extremely large child?
Well no, if the child you had is an extremely large child or born premature, there is no reason to draw attention to it. But most babies come between 6 and 9 pounds and people are just sort of curious. Really only the parents care, but it's good to put down.
When should the announcements be sent out and when is the latest that it can be sent out?
In a perfect world, birth announcements would be sent out almost immediately. If you can, work on getting ready to order them during the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy. You can have them picked out and everything organized so you just fill in a few blanks and then you can get them printed fast. Get the easy stuff out of the way, like buying stamps at the post office that are appropriate, sort of fun for babies. Have that all ready so that once the baby's born it can be done easily. Of course a perfect world rarely happens and suddenly weeks have gone by and that's fine. At some point your little one will let you find the time to announce him or her to the world. The latest you should get them out I think would be six months. You don't want the baby growing up and getting married before you announce its birth.
Is there a special way of writing announcements for twins?
No, I think it's better not to. It's a surprise element just to see their names. Put them on both sides of the announcement so there's no question that they are two different people instead of one horribly long name.
Is it necessary to write a personalized note on each announcement?
No. The mother and the father will be too busy and too tired to do that. If to a grandmother or an aunt or uncle or something, yes. You can say, little John looks just like you. Do something that's obviously sort of a joke. Other people, no. They should come back to you. Then, when they receive the announcement should call you or send you a note or just send up fireworks of joy.
Is it necessary to include a photograph with my birth announcement?
No, because the baby's hospital photographs are all simply terrible. They all look alike and, quite frankly, it is usually not a very attractive picture. If you want to send a photo, wait until the baby is attractive, which he or she will be by one month old, already has a personality. Then you can send out some photographs.
Are people who receive birth announcements expected to send gifts?
They're not forced to, they're not expected, but it's just a nice thing to do. A letter, certainly, in lieu of gifts. If you're having a tough time financially, don't send a gift. But send a note saying, we're so happy for you. React to the announcement. Make a telephone call, do something. Speaking of stationery, I think stationery makes a very cute gift, with a monogram or the baby's new name, any kind of stationery. That's a really sweet gift.
I kept my maiden name, how can I best word my child's birth announcement?
Robert Anderson and Mary Lewis Smith announce with great joy the birth of their daughter, Mary Louisa etc., etc. Just put both their names up there and put her name, the name that she goes by, and if people wonder whether they are married or not, they can find out through other means. The invitation doesn't have to spell out that they are married. Many women keep their own name after they're married and nobody who would look at that and say, oh they're not even married, not in today's age. A lot of women just keep their name, so it's nobody's business anymore whether they're married.
Does my baby need stationery, thank you notes or calling cards?
It's very nice to have stationery for a baby or a child to send, for example if one of your contemporaries has a baby, for your baby's card to be in the gift to the new baby. It's adorable. So, just have the name printed in the middle like a calling card. It's adorable, very sweet to go with the gifts.
We have adopted a child, is it appropriate to send out announcements, and what is the best wording?
Of course, an announcement is always appropriate to let people know about a new member of your family. "Mary and Bob Campbell are happy to announce that a wonderful young man has joined our family, George Louis Campbell, born on? and you put down his birth date, even if it is two or three years previously. And that's all you have to say. If you want to you can say who came to us from China, if this is a Far Eastern or South American child I think it's good to apprise people of that fact.
I am worried about offending friends of different faiths by sending my Holiday cards.
You have two choices: What you do is you either find a card that is neutral, non-specific without any religious connotation greeting. Or you can have two sets of Christmas cards made. One of them say, May the Joy and Holiness of this Season Be With You Always, May the Lord Bless You in the New Year, or something like that. Then another set made for all your business friends and so forth that should say, Seasons Greetings and Happiest of New Years. You can say Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays or Happy New Year, you're not going to offend the people of any faith.
How wide a circle of people are you expected to send Holiday Cards to?
Holiday cards are a wonderful way of reaching out to those you have not seen or spoken with during the year - why limit the number of lives you can touch? And further, in tough times, you should triple your holiday card order because you may not be able to afford gifts for everyone. So send those people a card. If you've given them a gift every year, they are going to expect one this year. So you send them a card around December 4th or 5th, and say I'm terribly sorry we're tightening the budget this year, no gifts but I had to tell we send you our love and best wishes for the season, etc. etc. So a handwritten note on a Christmas card or Holiday Greetings card will take the place of the gift.
Is it necessary to sign each and every card?
Yes. It is insulting to have a printed card come with only a printed name. As far as the recipient is concerned, nobody from that family saw a card or signed it. It might just not as well have been sent. If you're a celebrity, you write "Hope this is a great one, love Harry." - very simple, but do not let it go through the mail just with that printing. It's just so business-like, it's like sending a small cheap calendar. I hate those little things.
What about beyond the signature, must I write a note?
Well, say cheers to your family or hope all goes well. You don't have to make specific names. You are sending a holiday card, not a letter. You could write a hundred of them while you're on the airplane and not worry about what you're writing, just make them personal.
When should I plan to mail out my holiday cards?
As soon as you have them addressed. The mail is so slow, worse every year. Mail them immediately, and you have to get your act together and order them by September, early October. Get on the ball and do it and get them out early. They're appreciated when they come early, they're not lost in the barrage of catalogs - it will make an impression. First Christmas cards always make an impression. The earliest is the day after Thanksgiving. At the latest, cards really should be sent by the day before Christmas. But since I'm so busy, I'll send many Christmas cards after Christmas. Up until January 1st I think you're okay when you say, I'm sorry I'm late and you explain why. After January 1st it becomes a bit of a joke.
How quickly do thank you notes for holiday gifts need to be sent, and is a note always expected?
A note should always be expected. So many have bad manners today. Generations are being born without anyone teaching them that notes are important and they think email will do it. Well the email will do it for the little presents. If you got a present from your bank, a key chain with the bank logo on it, and it is sent by the person who handles your account, you send an email back and say "Jerry, thanks a lot for the key chain, it's already in use." That's fine. If Jerry, who handles your account, sends you a case of Florida oranges, you write him a letter, you do not send him an email. And you say "…that was the nicest thing, you got us some vitamin C for Christmas, thank heavens we need it." Just two sentences, that's all you have to say. Just acknowledge the gift because otherwise that person is going to wonder, did you get it, do I dare ask, it's embarrassing to ask.
How far in advance should invitations be extended for a more informal party?
Two weeks is really it. One week only if you're in a small town, you know they're not going to be busy for a cocktail party. Any kind of a meal you need two weeks at least, three weeks is preferable in a city like New York.
How is the best way to word an invitation if there more than one host for an event?
Good question. An event hosted by a business, you have to list the hosts in order of rank. The CEO's name comes first, the President's comes second, the Vice President, Chairman, etc., the Board of Directors underneath that. If it's just informal, if four people are giving a cocktail party of equal, four managers list them across the top alphabetically -- George Abbott, Mary Barnes, David Edison -- across the top. If you have to explain their titles or the companies they are with, do it vertically. List them alphabetically and put George Abbott, Western Electric Company. Mary Barnes, Sears and Roebuck...that kind of thing so they all know who these people represent.
Is there a certain way the date and the time should be written on an invitation?
On a formal invitation you write out "Six O'clock". You don't use p.m. and a.m. With a more informal occasion you don't need to send an invitation with "Four p.m." written out, everyone's going to know it's not four in the morning.
What about how to word dates?
Write out the month, don't abbreviate it. Put the numbers, and forget the year. That's for formal invitations, unless it's a New Year's Day Party -- then you want to make that year stand out
Is it rude to put an end time on an invitation?
No, it is not rude. If time is an issue, you must absolutely do it and plan to turn the bar off 30 minutes later. Must do it, put 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. People need to know that so they can arrange their dinner dates, their pick up times for the children, everything. It's helpful for everyone.
I'm unsure about whether to use RSVP or regrets only on my invitation.
I'm against regrets only. It's a negative. You're asking only the people who aren't going to come to your party to make themselves known. Most times people who are not going to show aren't going to bother to contact you either. With an RSVP you get to hear the good with the bad and get excited about your event.
What about having nothing at all, just an invitation with no RSVP?
Well that's what people are doing now because nobody RSVPs anyway. So, yes people are doing this more and more. You just have to take a guess at how many people you'll get. If you're in a large city and it rains, you're going to lose two-thirds of the party, your guest list. If you're in a small town, you're going to have 95% show up. You just figure on where you are and what the weather is and make a calculated guess. I still push for using them, an RSVP helps take the guesswork out of it and it does give your party a bit more flair.
When should children receive their own invitations?
On a wedding invitation they should receive their own invitations from the age of 13.
I have been given a complete wardrobe of stationery and don't how best to use it. When is the appropriate time to use letter sheets versus note cards versus flat cards or calling cards?
Well, for calling cards it is quite obvious when you are to use them. You send them as gift enclosures and that's really all you do. Of course correspondence cards or "Flat cards" can be used for anything - they are incredibly versatile. You use them for a thank you note, you can turn them into invitations you can even stick a stamp in the corner and send them as a postcard - I've done that. Fold over notes are strictly for thank you notes for things like wedding gifts, traditional gifts, Mother's Day gifts. Letter sheets, when you have a lot to say, use a letter sheet. When you're going to write a long letter with an update of the family, use a letter sheet.
Should a mother write thank you notes for her newborn?
Definitely, yes. Not only a mother, a mother or father in today's age where women are working. A mother or a father, definitely. Young couples both working. Whoever is at home, not working, should undertake the social correspondence chores.
When is the latest you can send a thank you note?
It is never to late. I've known people who've sent a thank you note for a wedding gift, brides, three years later and the people who received it were so thrilled, so surprised. It's never too late. The trick is, if you've waited a year, you have to make it a clever note.
At what age should children write their own thank you notes and what are some guidelines for how to get my child to write them?
Children should write thank you notes from birth or have them written for them, of course. Mom or Dad or even a caretaker can do it. Mom can leave a list of people who have to be written thank you notes. "Dear Betty, Tom loves his porcelain cup. He loves all the rhymes on it, etc. etc. I'm sure he's smiling because of your cup" And that's all you have to say, you've done it. You've written for him.
Then, when the child is four, you guide his hand over the notepaper. "Dear Mary, I thank you for your birthday party. Love, George." Guide his hand over the paper, it looks weird and jerky but they'll know it came from the child. The child knows it, the child is aware of it. When he's 7 or 8, you write it down and then he painfully prints it out, makes mistakes, runs up and down the page, it doesn't matter. "Dear Mary, I really had a good time at your birthday party. Thank you very much, George."
When he's 9 he should write a better note and you have to be on his back. You have to sit down with him, hand him the stamps and address the envelopes for him. But make him write the notes out and promise him all kinds of rewards - we'll go to the football game when you finish. By the time they are 12 you should not have to say, have you written that thank you note Louise? You probably will have to, but you shouldn't have. By the time the child is 14, definitely he or she should be in a regimen where it's an automatic response the day after and mom should keep giving him boxes of stationery and note cards as a reminder that sits there on his bureau. Send him a new beautiful fountain pen and say I'm expecting you to use this for your thank notes.
When is the appropriate time to send a sympathy note?
Immediately, and if you missed out on "immediately" because you didn't know the person died, whenever you hear the news and if you don't hear it until a year later, write then. "Dear Julie, I didn't know about Ben’s passing. I'm so sorry and would have called you. I hope you're doing alright, etc." It's never too late. It's like thanking somebody for a gift.
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Unique Photo Baby Announcements
We invite you to browse our unique collection of photo birth announcement designs and check back often, as we are always adding new birth announcements, custom photo baby announcements, thank you notes, and holiday cards to our site. Our site also offers valuable information on how to write birth announcements, including proper etiquette and wording ideas for birth announcements. And don't forget that many of our birth announcements can also be used for birthday parties, baby shower invitations, and many other special occasions.
Ideas for Wording and Information on Writing Baby Birth Announcements
Once you have your birth announcements, thank-you notes or holiday cards all picked out, it is time to figure out what to say and how to say it. Below we have included traditional etiquette guidelines to help you through the process of wording, addressing and sending your birth announcements, thank-you notes, and holiday cards. We provide ideas for birth announcements wording, such as what information to include when writing your birth announcements. We also answer frequently asked questions related to writing thank you cards, such as when to send thank you cards. Keep in mind that this is meant to be a guide so please feel free to use as much or as little of it as you like.
Etiquette for Writing Photo Birth Announcements:
Is it acceptable to use abbreviations in names and titles?
Non-professional titles such as Mr., Mrs., and Jr., are acceptable as abbreviations, but professional titles such as Doctor should always be spelled out. When using titles such as "Doctor," "Professor," or "Judge," the husband's title should always come first.
Should I include a middle name?
Including a middle name is a matter of preference. If you are after a more formal look and feel, then using a middle name is suggested. If a middle name is used it should be spelled out completely.
Should children receive their own invitation or announcement?
If the child is 18 years of age or older they should receive their own invitation or announcement.
Should couples that are not living together receive their own invitation or announcement?
Unless couples are living together they should receive their own invitation or announcement.
Is it acceptable to use abbreviations?
Generally speaking, you should avoid using abbreviations at all costs. You should avoid using state abbreviations and spell out commonly abbreviated words such as "street," "drive," and "court". You should also be sure to spell out words such as "you'll" as "you will". By doing away with abbreviations your invitation or announcement will naturally take on a more formal look and feel.
Is it acceptable to mention gift registries?
It is generally considered tacky to mention gift registries on birth announcements and invitations. Instead of listing your gift registries it is better to allow your friends and family to ask you directly, or a friend indirectly, who may be in the know. On the flip side, it is acceptable to explicitly decline gifts on an invitation or photo birth announcement as long as it is done in a discreet manner.
How should I address my envelopes?
Photo birth announcement envelopes should be addressed in dark blue or black ink, with no abbreviations with the exception of titles such as Mr., Mrs., and Jr. Professional titles such as "Doctor," "Professor," or "Judge" should be spelled out and you should avoid using any other symbols to interpret the word "and". All house numbers should be written out in numeral form except for "one," which should be spelled out. Apartment, suite, and zip codes should all be written in numeral form as well. You should avoid using state abbreviations and spell out commonly abbreviated words such as "street," "drive," and "court".
Where should I put my return address?
Your return address should always be centered on the back flap of your envelope, whether you are writing it out or printing it directly onto the envelope itself. You should use the same font and ink color as your invitation or photo birth announcement.
How should I stuff my envelopes?
You should always place your invitations or announcements printed side up so if faces the back of the envelope and is the first thing a recipient sees when he or she opens the envelope.
Photo Birth Announcement Cards:
Who should I send birth announcements to?
The purpose of baby birth announcements is to inform your family and friends of the new addition to your family. You should send them to anyone and everyone who you think would be interested in hearing your great news.
What standard information should appear on my child's announcement?
At a minimum a birth announcement should contain your child's first and last name, date of birth, length and the parents' names. In addition to the above-mentioned items you could also include your child's weight, a photo of your child, time of birth, a short message or bible verse, and the names of the baby's siblings.
When should baby announcements be sent out?
Ideally, birth announcements should be sent out to family and friends immediately, within a few weeks of your child's birth. If you can, I would recommend getting ready to order them during the last couple weeks of your pregnancy. You can pick everything out and even order your envelopes ahead of time to get them addressed and the postage applied in advance. Since you will be so strapped for time once the baby arrives I would strongly recommend doing this.
When is the latest that baby birth announcements should be sent out?
The absolute latest that you should send them out is six months.
We have just adopted a child, should we send out baby announcements?
Of course you should. Adopting a child is as big of an event as giving birth to your own child and is great news that should be shared. For adoption wording options please visit our wording ideas section.
If I kept my maiden name, how should I word my child's photo birth announcement?
You can either just list your first names or you can include your full names, it is up to you and what ever you are comfortable with.
Do I need to write a personal message on each photo birth announcement that I mail out?
No. Your friends and family will understand that with the new baby you are pressed for time and just too tired.
How do I word a photo birth announcement if I have twins?
See our twin birth announcements department for examples of how to organize birth information for two babies.
Is it necessary to include a photograph on my child on the birth announcement?
No, it is entirely up to you. If you have a good picture, use it, otherwise you can just order one of our traditional birth announcements and send photographs separate of the birth announcement at a later date.
Do I need to include my child's birth weight on the birth announcement?
Again this is something that is entirely up to you. If you have a premature child or an oversized child there is no need to draw attention to it.
I would like to add a short message to my birth announcement cards, what should I write?
In today's world of invitations and baby birth announcements, less is more. More and more parents are choosing to use very simple, classic language to convey the birth of their child. Fluffy language is a thing of the past and has instead been replaced with simple and short messages such as "we welcome with love" and "we joyfully announce"b ut it is always what you want and like that truly matters. We will always just keep publishing what we see as the trends.
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