PHOTOGRAPHY James Edward LIGHTING BEYOND DRAPE Quest Drape ENTERAINMENT Suede (Austin, TX) DJ Chris Tracy DANCEFLOOR Bickner Dance Floors DFW FURNITURE Suite 206 RENTALS Ducky-Bob’s, Top Tier Rentals CATERING Food Glorious Food, Goff’s Hamburgers PHOTOBOOTH Air Graffiti
Contact the mathes collection (www.themathescollection.com) to order your custom gift tags today! Fun for yourself and to give as gifts!
visit the m collection (www.themathescollection.com or 214.350.6360) and order personalized hostess gifts!
1. custom notepads 2. stationery 3. return address stamp 4. set of coasters 5. personalized plastic and styrofoam cups
Check out this fun carnival themed 40th birthday party. We transformed an empty house next door into a fun house equipped with midway games, Texas Fair themed food, entertainment and a hoppin’ dance floor. Rain wasn’t stopping this party…
DECOR Stageworks & Rusty Glenn TENTING AND RENTALS Ducky Bob’s LIGHTING/AV Beyond CATERING Ruthie’s Rolling Cafe, Ssham BBQ, Crazy Sisters, Superfly Pies, Trailer Cakes AIRBRUSH HATS Barrels of Fun MIDWAY GAMES Texas Entertainment Group TALENT B3 Entertainment DJ DJ Patrick P Love VALET Gold Crown Valet STAFF Trinity Staffing PHOTOBOOTH BoothBOOTH PHOTOGRAPHER Rebecca Lorrine Photography
Timing
PARTY INVITATIONS On average, we suggest sending your party invitations out 4 to 6 weeks prior to the event. If there is a reply card enclosed, the best days of the week to choose for your reply date are a Wednesday or Friday. If you are waiting on a final head count for your caterers or other vendors, make sure to give yourself ample time to receive replies.
GALA INVITATIONS Because most galas are for fund-raising – make sure to allow yourself and your fund-raising team enough time to reach and exceed your goal. Try and get the invitations in the mail as soon as possible – at least a few months from the gala date.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS Birth announcements can be sent up to 6 months prior to having your new little bundle of joy. It is understood that the new parents might be a little overwhelmed and a little loss for time.
HOLIDAY CARDS Any holiday season can seem to sneak up on you. Some online invitation companies upload their holiday cards as early as July. Try and order your cards in the early days of December. This will give you plenty of time to hand address, if you desire, and get them in the mail before the rush of the holiday season. No one wants to stand in line at the Post Office too close to the holidays!
SAVE THE DATES Common practice is about 6 months prior to your wedding date. Although, if you are having a destination wedding, we recommend mailing your save the dates about 9 months to a year out…if you have that much time! This will allow all of your guests to plan travel accordingly.
WEDDING INVITATIONS I cannot think of anything more exciting to mail! Wedding invitations are typically mailed 6 to 8 weeks from your wedding date. Don’t forget to allow yourself enough response time to hear from your guests. You may have a quota that you need to meet or you might need to update your vendors on the guest count. Allow your guests about a month of response time from when they receive the invitation.
THANK YOU NOTES A handwritten note is the perfect way to say thank you. Don’t wait too long or your might forget! The day after you meet with some one, have dinner at a friends house or receive a gift, try and drop the thank you note in the mail.
Addressing
There are multiple styles to use when addressing – mostly depending on the type of mailing you are doing. You may choose to use your guests full names when sending a more formal mailing or simply using first and last names for a less formal mailing.
A few things to remember
Remember to always place the woman’s name first
Jennifer and John Smith (if they are married)
Miss Jennifer Smith and Mr. John Thomas (if they are not married)
Try and spell out all abbreviations (for street, avenue, boulevard, etc)
Spell out state names
If you are addressing two married doctors, address to The Doctors Smith
If you are addressing to a family with children under 18, list the childrens’ names in order of age. If you are addressing to a family with children over 18, the young adults should receive their own invitation.
Postage
We always recommend having your invitations weighed at the post office before purchasing postage. There are many factors that can affect the amount the post office will require. On average, a wedding invitation is typically between 64 cents and 84 cents. Custom postage is always a fun choice – we have used sites such as Zazzle numerous times to order custom postage with logos, initials, dates, etc. Typically 1 sheet of custom postage is double that of purchasing postage at the post office. If you are looking for ways to save, use custom postage only on your main invitation.
1. Fun and Festive Placecard Holders from Paper Source 2. Mini Pies using the Breville Pie Maker from Williams-Sonoma 3. Create Table Ambiance with Birch Candles from Pottery Barn and ideas from Martha Stewart 4. Spice up Dessert with Themed Plates from West Elm
Having a fourth of july party? No worries! Use some of our ideas to make your party a fun, family event.
VENUE Three Points Ranch in Round Mountain, Texas PHOTOGRAPHY Two Pair Photography FLORAL Bows and Arrows RENTALS Outback Party Rentals and Posh Couture Rentals LIGHTING Beyond CATERING Graze Catering, Austin ENTERTAINMENT Two Tons of Steel MAKEUP Maitee Miles GETAWAY CAR Austin Classic Limo
