Invitations are a very crucial means of capturing the attention of specific people to an event such as a baby shower. There are certain rules and conventions that govern different forms of invitations. No room should exist for flaws when an invitation is being written. What makes the invitation unique and special is that it is addressed to a specific person who matters a lot to the sender. Baby shower invitation etiquette guidelines should always be adhered to.
The first thing to note clearly is that a guest list should be prepared. This list differs according to the type of event for which one is making invitations. You don’t invite the same group of people for both a christening party and a baby shower. Something must be seriously wrong if you ever did that. Invite only those who are going to share comfortably in the atmosphere. Give priority to those who will contribute most effectively to the atmosphere that is typical of a baby shower.
Baby shower invitation etiquette dictates that the proper timing of sending invitations should be adhered to. A baby shower is an informal affair whose invitations should be sent two or three weeks earlier. Were it a formal party the invitations would have to be organized between 6 and 8 weeks before.
The content of the invitation is perhaps what majority of people are most conscious of. Whereas the content can be personalized it will help to sample various conventional verses. The opening is normally a short phrase that states clearly the intention of the letter – to invite the individual (and her family) to the baby shower. What follows is a brief description of what the occasion is all about, its purpose and why the invitees are requested not to fail to attend.
Baby Shower Invitations
The name of the hostess hosting a baby shower should be written in full. Her title should also be included. Then the name of the honoree or person being honored should appear, also in full and with the relevant title. In this case, the honorees are the mother-to-be and the boy or girl who is about to be born.
Your baby shower etiquette is incomplete without an indication of time and date. Write this information in this order: day, date, and time. Abbreviations are allowed in a baby shower since it is an informal occasion. Were it a formal party the abbreviations would have appeared to be out of place and therefore inappropriate. Including the ending time for the event is a positive gesture that shows that you don’t want to inconvenience the guests, that they should make the necessary arrangements such as organizing who will pick children from school on that day and so on.
The name of the venue should be clearly indicated and proper directions given, including the address and name of the state. A map can be used to clearly describe the location. However, this might depend on whether there are any out-of-town guests who have been invited to the baby shower.
You also need to instruct the guests about the right dress code. Ensure that there is no ambiguity since this might violate the rules of baby shower invitation etiquette. In case the party is going to last overnight you might find it important to inform the guests about the importance of carrying a sleeping bag and some other personal effects.
The term RSVP comes from the French words ‘réspondez s’il vous plait’ which mean ‘please reply’. They are conventionally put in all invitation cards. They request the guest to confirm whether or not they will be attending the event. You need to clearly indicate your title, name, phone number, an email address and the date by which they should have made a reply.
In some cases you may request for replies only when one is not attending. In this case the phrase ‘Regrets only’ should be used and then followed by your contact information. For the purposes of replying it is good to accompany each invitation with a reply card and a stamp which is self-addressed. This is the best way of encouraging guests to attend the event.
For those moms who have held a baby shower in the past it would be advisable to omit those who attended previous parties and include only those close friends who have never been invited before. Finally, it is a matter of etiquette to host the party between one and two months before the baby is due. This gives the mother ample time to prepare for the delivery. A few weeks after the arrival of the baby a welcoming shower can be thrown, this time focus being on relatives only.
