wedding announcement dos and don'ts

my mom, sister and i are notorious wedding announcement analyzers. we love discussing the merits and mistakes, the nice touches and the horrible blunders many people make on announcements. many of our past family get togethers have been highlighted with a wedding announcement discussion session. to illustrate my point: heather gets home from her mission. after arriving home from the airport, she heads up to her room. as she is ascending the stairs to her room, my mother calls up to her, "heather, there is a basket of wedding announcements from the last 18 months next to your bed." that basket of announcements then made it to my house when my sister visited last week. i am actually a bit surprised that my mother didn't bring the basket with her to the airport.
anywhooo, i really am okay with lots of styles of announcements, i just really really really HATE it when people try and be goofy in their pictures. i think wedding announcements need to have some level of maturity, especially if you are getting married in the temple. save the cutesy stuff for other occasions. and the cleavage should be reserved for never.
i don't know these people. this was sent to me by my sister, who had it sent to her from her friend of a friend or whatever. hopefully you won't know them either so that it doesn't get back to them that their wedding announcement is being lampooned on someone's blog.
thomas claims that he likes it. he just likes to be the devil's advocate. thankfully, i was by myself when i went to pick out our announcements.

heidiluxe's short list of wedding announcement and photo do's and don'ts:

DO- make your print large enough so that all the swirly letters are legible
DO- ask for others assistance to spellcheck, edit, check of errors. if you are LDS, please make note that the Church's name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(lower case d)
DO- pick an announcement that reflects your personal style
DO- wear something simple in your photo. only wear medieval costume if you wear it everyday. and that is all you wear. then you are exempt. but you are also weird.
DO- check and see if your particular announcement needs extra postage

DON'T- wear baseball caps
DON'T- sit on hay bales while wearing matching all denim outfits.
DON'T- wear medieval costumes. even if you have a medieval alter-ego named lady claire-elisabethe. pretty much avoid all costumes.
DON'T- wear a large watch or any trendy jewelry
DON'T- choose a font that is difficult to read or too small. avoid using several fonts.
DON'T- put glitter in the envelope with your announcement. i got one like that once and it was just weird. and messy.
and
NEVER EVER EVER- put a picture of yourself and your beloved wearing swimsuits with your announcements. have some decorum people!

what are all y'alls announcement thoughts?

something fantastic this way comes

back in my glorious college era, i had a deep and loving relationship with express jeans. they were my faves! i knew that i could go in, pick my size and the color i wanted and they would look fantastic. and the price was just right. it was a sure thing for several years. then in recent years i found myself wanting to break off my relationship with express jeans. it just wasn't working out anymore. i didn't want to hurt their feelings; the history that we had together meant so much to me. but we weren't going in the same direction. they were getting all experimental with new cuts and new fits. the pocket placement had changed. the waistband pinched. i didn't feel as glamorous and carefree anymore. it was tough endng things. i just wasn't an express girl anymore.
well, that has all changed! i have been desperately searching for a new pair of jeans. i needed something i could wear with flats. i have a really nice pair of jeans, but i want to keep them long for when i actually go somewhere nice and need to wear a heel. my other jeans were just worn out or too small, i've just had another baby for the love!
i recently read an article in lucky magazine stating that the new express jeans were the next best thing to buying designer jeans. and since we like to eat, pay bills and live indoors, designer jeans are out of the question. but, i was encouraged by the article, so off i went to express this week. i tried on several pairs and i was immediately interested. i felt a spark of the old denim relationship. i had an definite attraction to a very $$$ pair. they tried to woo me. i was almost swayed, but i resisted. i've got a family to think about. plus, i have spent enough time with my own kids to know that i need something that i didn't mind getting a little worn, spilled on, washed often or not washed very often. then i discovered slim W10. i was apprehensive. slim? not in my vernacular right now. i need movement and comfort. as much as i fought it, it was love. there was excitement in the air and music in my ears. W10 held me in all the right ways. the slim cut was more of a curve hugger, not a blubber magnifier. comfortable, but not slouchy. i knew this was going to be a symbiotic relationship.
***sadly, the days of $40 express denim are over. this pair was more, but they definitely were NOT the $108 or $80 pairs i tried on. yikes.
***the blog title refers to the book title something wicked this way comes. i am not doing a yoda impression. i just think that sounds cool. or should i say, i think cool sounds that.

etiquette or eti-short-cut?

i received and evite this week for a baby shower and i am not sure what to think of it. please vote in my poll and let me know your thoughts. if you are brave enough in your opinion, leave a comment!

thanks but no thanks

this topic has been on my mind a lot lately. i saw this today and stole this from another blog. it sums up my thoughts perfectly:
"The Thank you note is a forgotten art of our generation. There are few things as offensive as bringing a gift to a wedding and having a pre-written typed out thank you note given to you at the door, with your little white baggie of Jordan Almonds. People that love and care about the couple took the time to purchase a present, (most often in the range of $40) and the least the couple can do is take the time and express genuine thanks. The same applies to birthday presents, christmas presents and baby gifts. The thank you note not only makes the giver feel good, but those good feelings you generate with in the giver makes them want to give again."

my thoughts on the subject:
1. there is no such thing as sending a thank you card too late.
2. they should be hand-written.
3. they don't need to be long, just mention what you are thanking them for. if it was a gift, try and mention it and how often you use it(if you can remember what the gift was).
4. if they are wedding thank you notes, they can be the same message over and over and over. people don't usually compare with friends the message in a thank you note.
5. forgive your friends if they forget to send thank you notes. we all screw up and i know that i need often need forgiveness.
6. send thank you notes for minor things. i often find those to be most appreciated.

heatherfeather

my beautiful sister is coming home from her mission today!!! i am so excited and proud of her. she is amazing. she is my hero. she inspires me to do more and work harder. but if she ever leaves me again for any extended period of time, i will kill her. the end.