Monday, January 25, 2021

The Reply Card Debate



At Fresh Ink, we get lots of questions about reply cards. Are they necessary? Why does it seem so few people reply these days?


The beginning is always the best place to begin, and we say that because everyone should be educated to know that it is proper to always reply to a formal invitation to accept or decline. Uber traditionally, reply cards were not included because every invited guest was expected to write a reply on personal stationery to accept or decline.  A formal reply to a wedding invitation would typically read:


Mr. and Mrs Jeffrey Wayne Upchurch

accept with pleasure

President and Mrs. Obama’s

kind invitation for

Saturday, the seventh of May


Beautiful, yes?


Many continue this tradition and send hand-written replies even when reply cards are not included with an invitation.


However as time progressed, there was concern that many people did not know of this requirement and the reply card was developed as a way to ensure the invitee made their reply properly by providing them with practically a fill-in-the-blank version of a properly worded reply. Self-addressed and stamped envelope was included.


Now that we have laid the grounds for the tradition of proper etiquette regarding replies, and it’s evolution to the modern reply card, the question still remains if you need one for YOUR wedding?


The answer, as you can imagine, is complex.


In a market like New York City, you would never consider invitations without a reply card because receptions are always seated dinners.


In our southern market, things are more flexible because we regularly have “cocktail buffet” style receptions where guests meander between various stations and do not have assigned seating at tables.


First you must come to grips with the reality that no reply system is 100% perfect and inevitably you will spend a little bit of time following up with people who do not reply if you desire a perfect guest count.


Which begs another question: do you need to have a perfectly accurate guest count for your wedding?


Our first consideration in the matter is your venue. A restaurant or club with an in-house kitchen may be able to react nimbly to a guest count above what you have estimated. A caterer bringing food to a site may not have this luxury. Always ask your caterer or your wedding planner their feedback on the matter based on their experience.


For larger weddings, where close 500 invitations might be sent, keeping up with individual replies might be a daunting matter. In this case, your planner might advise that they feel confident estimating the number of guests you can expect based on their experience.


If your wedding or reception will occur at home, a more precise count may be critical to ensure you have enough parking, tables, chairs, and other necessary preparations.


In past years, a frequent debate raged: Is including a reply card asking for a response via a website a faux pas? In our opinion, it is not. Reply cards that are mailed back present a physical reminder to the invitee that they need to reply, however the matter of delay from the post office returning the reply card can be an issue. Online replies have the advantage of being instantaneous, but might not be the preferable way for attendees of a certain generation to reply. A happy medium for some couples is to include a reply card that allows guests to reply via mail or online at their preference.


We find that given the expense of weddings, and the expense that can be associated with over or underestimating your guest count, a reply card is a worthwhile asset to help you plan accordingly and over 75% of our couples do choose to include them.


Armed with all of this information, you should be able to make the decision that is best for your event!

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Sunday, January 17, 2021

Bridal Registry at Fresh Ink Collective

We are so excited to have expanded our gift selection to include lots of great bridal registry gifts!

With the expansion of wedding web sites, some couples choose to register only online with big box companies like Williams Sonoma and Bed Bath and Beyond, but many people who are attending your event want the option to work with a small business because of unique and special products they offer. When you limit the places you register, because you think it will be more streamlined or you will only get products that you have registered for, it actually works in reverse. If guests don't see options that they like, they start to look other places where you have not made selections. The best thing you can do to be gracious for your guests is to register in several places to give them several options to consider when purchasing gifts for you. Some guests don't like to buy dinner plates or kitchen gadgets, they want to buy elegant serving and entertaining items that they know you will enjoy for years to come. Our assortment is curated for this purpose specifically, and we offer timeless and unique items that you will actually use as you entertain guests as newlyweds!

As a bonus, any couple who registers and posts their Fresh Ink registry to their wedding web site will receive a $100 Fresh Ink gift card to use toward any Fresh Ink purchase - invitations, stationery, napkins, koozies, invitations, luggage anything!

Here's how to qualify: Visit fresh-ink.com - our home and gift items are on this page. See something you like? Click "add to registry" then you will be prompted to create a new registry. We will receive a notification that your registry has been created, and we will confirm the link has been added to your web site and then we can apply your $100 credit to a purchase you are working on or mail it to you to be used in the future. 

Don't have time to create a registry but still want to claim the $100 off your invitations? Give us the OK to add our top selling bridal gifts to your registry on your behalf. These items are:

1. Ivory Handle French Steak Knives and Cutlery

2. Olive Wood Cutting Boards & Serving Pieces

3. Acacia Wood Square Plates and Serveware

4. Sparkling Stemless Champagne Flutes

5. Gold Edge Glass Serveware

Once your registry is created, you can modify and add/remove items at any time, our top-selling list just gives you an easy quick start to registering and claiming your gift card!

Want to see a sample registry? Click here to see one we created!

Questions? Email info@fresh-ink.com and we will be happy to help!

Here is a list of more of our favorite registry items:

Gold Leaf Stemless Wine $16
Gold Leaf Stemless Champagne $16
Acacia Wood Plates Set of 4 $84
Go Vino Wine Glasses $24
Acrylic Cocktail Napkin Holder $25
Acrylic Guest Towel Holder $33
Acrylic Napkin Ring Set of 4 $17
Acrylic Stemless Wine Glass Set of 4 $33
Acrylic Wine Coaster $19.50
Acrylic Ice Bucket with Lid $62
Stemless Champagne Flutes Gold Accents $94
Stemless Champagne Flutes Gold Ball $94
Lismore Waterford Goblet $75
Lismore Waterford Double Old Fashioned $80
French Baguette Knife with Board $52
French Ivory Steak Knife Set in Block $110
French Knife Cheese Set $40
White Melamine Round Serving Bowl $45
White Melamine Rectangle Platter $50
White Melamine Sandwich Platter $49
Tobacco Leaf Vintage Tin Plate $14
Gold Rim Clear Acrylic Charger $22

Please note effective 1/5/2021 there is a $300 minimum order to quality for the $100 registry credit.



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