Wedding question in Dear Prudence
Dear Prudence,
I am engaged and we are in the process of planning our wedding. There is a huge debate over what is OK to put in the invitations and what is not. My fiance and I have been living together for a little over a year and we aren't planning on registering because we already have so much. So, monetary gifts would be great for us! Now, how do you put this in your invitation? A few suggestions have come up but we don't want to seem rude or crass. Please help!
—Stressing Bride-to-Be
Dear Stressing,
The function of a wedding invitation is to tell people when and where they can join you for your joyous event. It is not a prospectus for soliciting funds. (Would the fine print say that there will be no reimbursement in case the merger fails?) Traditionally, wedding gifts are to help the couple set up their new household together. Since you've already done that, informing everyone, especially in print, 'We've got plenty of stuff, just send cash,' cannot be disguised to keep it from sounding rude and crass. Your one acceptable avenue toward swelling your bank account is that some etiquette mavens say it is OK to have family members and close friends put out the word that checks would be most appreciated.
—Prudie
I am engaged and we are in the process of planning our wedding. There is a huge debate over what is OK to put in the invitations and what is not. My fiance and I have been living together for a little over a year and we aren't planning on registering because we already have so much. So, monetary gifts would be great for us! Now, how do you put this in your invitation? A few suggestions have come up but we don't want to seem rude or crass. Please help!
—Stressing Bride-to-Be
Dear Stressing,
The function of a wedding invitation is to tell people when and where they can join you for your joyous event. It is not a prospectus for soliciting funds. (Would the fine print say that there will be no reimbursement in case the merger fails?) Traditionally, wedding gifts are to help the couple set up their new household together. Since you've already done that, informing everyone, especially in print, 'We've got plenty of stuff, just send cash,' cannot be disguised to keep it from sounding rude and crass. Your one acceptable avenue toward swelling your bank account is that some etiquette mavens say it is OK to have family members and close friends put out the word that checks would be most appreciated.
—Prudie
