I should be pleased to have the company of you and your husband at
breakfast with us, Wednesday morning at ten o’clock.
Cordially yours,
MRS. GEORGE HORTON. GERTRUDE HORTON.
The invitations should be sent out a week or five days in advance, and
should be answered at once.
Luncheons, in this country, are very apt to possess much of the
formality of a dinner, and are written or engraved, according to
the degree of stateliness that is to mark the occasion. Very formal
invitations are sent out ten days or two weeks in advance, and are
couched in precisely the same terms as a dinner invitation, save that
the word “Luncheon” is substituted for “Dinner.” Written invitations,
also, follow the same plan as those written for dinners, and are not
usually issued more than a week or five days in advance. Some ladies
use their visiting card, thus: MRS. FRANK E. WENTWORTH. Luncheon,
Wednesday, at one o’clock.
A later hour, say two o’clock, is usually adopted for a more formal
affair. Replies should be sent at once that the hostess may be enabled
to make up her table.
Teas and “Kettledrums.”
Teas and “Kettledrums,” High Tea and Afternoon Receptions, have come
to bear a strong resemblance one to another, in fact to infringe so
much upon the same territory that it is very difficult at times to
distinguish between them sufficiently to apply the appropriate name.
A simple affair is announced thus by those ladies who have a regular
reception day: MRS. JOHN ST. JOHN. Thursdays. Tea at five o’clock. 40
West 49th Street.
Or: MRS. JOHN ST. JOHN. Five o’clock tea. Thursday, February fifth. 40
West 49th Street.
The words “kettledrum” or “afternoon tea” are not to be used, and these
cards may be sent by mail, enclosed in a single envelope. They require
no answer. Where the lady has not a regular reception day and wishes to
give an afternoon tea, an engraved card, like the following, is usually
sent out: MRS. ARTHUR MERRILL. MISS MERRILL. Monday, February third,
from four to seven o’clock. 274 Chestnut Street.
In case of the hostess having no one to receive with her, her name
would appear alone upon the card. The name of any friend may take the
place of a daughter’s. Such an entertainment partakes more of the
nature of an afternoon reception, or high tea. It may be adapted also
to other occasions, such as the introduction to one’s friends of a
guest who is to make a prolonged stay, as for instance: MRS. ARTHUR
MERRILL, At Home, Monday, December seventh, from one until seven
o’clock. To meet MRS. FRANCES ELMER. 55 Vine Street.
Invitations like this and the one just above are to be enclosed in two
envelopes, same as for dinners and sent out ten days or two weeks in
advance.
Kaffee Klatsch.
This furnishes very much the same class of entertainment that is to
be found at an afternoon tea, save that coffee is the predominating
beverage. The invitation is precisely the same as for teas, simply
substituting the words “Kaffee Klatsch.”
Suppers.
For the evening supper, invitations are issued in some one of the forms
presented for dinner parties, substituting the word “Supper.” Answers
should be returned at once.
Coming-out Parties.
These special festivities may take almost any form, so that the
presentation of the blushing _débutante_ may be at a dinner, ball,
reception, evening party or afternoon tea; which latter custom has
become very frequent of late. So much is this the case that it is
somewhat to be reprehended as rendering afternoon teas too ceremonious
in character. There is this in its favor, however; it relieves young
girls from the strain incident upon a large party or ball. In some
cases, the invitations preserve their usual form (whatever that may be)
and the card of the _débutante_ is enclosed in the same envelope. Even
this distinction is sometimes wanting. Again, in the case of “At Homes”
and “Teas,” the name of the young lady is engraved beneath that of her
mother; if it is the eldest daughter, the form would be: MRS. ARTHUR
HOLT. MISS HOLT.
A younger daughter, under the same circumstances, would pose as: MISS
EDITH MAY HOLT.
Such cards do not need a reply, but the guest will remember to leave
cards in the hall for the _débutante_ as well as her mother or
_chaperon_. It may be said here that, should it for any reason occur
that the young lady is “brought out” under the wing of some friend
instead of under her mother’s care, the relative position their
names will occupy on the cards is precisely the same, as: MRS. D. G.
HAVILAND. MISS HOLT.
A more formal presentation would be in the style of an engraved note
sheet:
[Illustration: _Mrs. Arthur Holt
Requests the pleasure of introducing her daughter,
Edith May,
To M^r and M^{rs} Ross Clark,
On Thursday evening, December fifth,
At nine o’clock._
_28 St. Caroline’s Court._ _R. S. V. P._
]
This invitation, of course, implies a large evening party, reception or
ball, and should be sent out ten days or two weeks in advance of the
event.
Receptions.
Informal receptions and full-dress occasions of the same kind are
announced somewhat differently. In the first case the affair partakes
so closely of the nature of an afternoon tea that the same form of
invitation is used: MRS. HOWARD POST, At Home, Tuesday, October second,
from four to seven.
If a series of receptions are planned the form would be: MRS. HOWARD
POST, At Home, Tuesdays in November, from four to six o’clock.
Full-dress receptions are frequently given both afternoon and evening,
sometimes in the evening only. Invitations to these should be engraved
on square cards or note sheets, and sent out two weeks previous to the
reception day. A very good form is:
[Illustration: _Mrs. Jerome Hastings
Requests the pleasure of your company,
On Thursday, November twelfth,
From five until ten o’clock._
_711 DuPage Street._ _R. S. V. P._
]
If a daughter or a friend is to assist in receiving, the invitation
should include her name also: MRS. JEROME HASTINGS, MISS HASTINGS, At
Home, Thursday, November twelfth, from five until ten o’clock. 711
DuPage Street.
When the reception is given by a gentleman, and its object is to enable
his friends to meet some distinguished guest, the following form is
used: MR. HOWARD POST requests the pleasure of the company of MR.
ALONZO METCALF to meet GENERAL E. L. BATES. Union League Club. 100
Cedar Street. _R. S. V. P._
Though some prefer placing the name of the honored guest first,
according to the form given under dinner invitations. The answer should
be:
Mr. Alonzo Metcalf accepts with pleasure Mr. Howard Post’s kind
invitation to meet General E. L. Bates.
Weddings.
Wedding invitations are issued two weeks in advance, sometimes earlier
to friends at a distance, in order that they may lay their plans
accordingly. They are engraved in fine script on small sheets of cream
note, and the form most used for church weddings is as follows:
[Illustration: _Mr. and Mrs. Richard Earle
Request the pleasure of your company
At the marriage of their daughter,
Guendolen,
To
Mr. Egbert Ray Cranston
On Tuesday, June Eighteenth, 1895,
At half-past twelve o’clock,
Christ Church,
Binghamton._
]
Still another form would give the daughter’s name as “Miss Guendolen
Earle.”
There may or may not be a monogram on the sheet of paper, but, if used
there, one to correspond must be placed on the inner envelope also. The
envelope, however, may be stamped with a monogram and the paper left
plain, this latter style being much in favor. Where the wedding is in
church, it is usually followed by an after-reception, cards for which
are engraved in some similar form to the following: Reception from
one until three o’clock, 107 Washington Street. Or: At Home after the
ceremony. 107 Washington Street.
A still more ceremonious invitation to the reception may be issued in
the parents’ name, and in the usual form of similar invitations, as:
MR. and MRS. RICHARD EARLE request the pleasure of your company at the
wedding reception of their daughter, GUENDOLEN, and MR. EGBERT RAY
CRANSTON, Tuesday evening, June eighteenth, 1895, from nine to eleven
o’clock. 107 Washington Street.
If there is reason to believe that the church will be crowded with
uninvited guests, admission cards are engraved as follows: Christ
Church. Please present this card to the usher. Tuesday, June eighteenth.
How Invitations are Sent.
Several of these cards are usually enclosed for distribution to friends
of the invited and for the use of servants that have accompanied guests
to the church. This custom is hardly necessary in country towns. All of
the cards and the invitation are enclosed in one envelope superscribed
with the name only of the person invited, and re-inclosed in another
envelope bearing the full address. All formal invitations are to be
enclosed in the two envelopes as above; less stately affairs requiring
but one envelope; send by mail.
In England, wedding invitations are issued in the name of the mother of
the bride only; here custom sanctions the use of the father’s name as
well. If the invitation is issued in the name of some other relative,
then the word “granddaughter,” “niece,” etc., should be substituted
for that of “daughter.” If the future home of the young couple is
decided upon, “At Home” cards also should be enclosed for all the
invited guests that the bride desires to retain upon her visiting list.
The following form is appropriate: MR. and MRS. EGBERT RAY CRANSTON,
At Home, Thursdays in September, from four until six o’clock. 48
Washington Street.
Or, in place of designating especial days, it may read: MR. and MRS.
EGBERT RAY CRANSTON, At Home, after September first. 48 Washington
Street.
Where the list of acquaintances is very large it sometimes happens
that a portion of the guests are invited to the church only. When this
is the case the reception card is omitted from the envelope; but if
a visiting acquaintance is to be maintained, “At Home” cards must be
enclosed.
Wedding Invitations.
The home wedding is, perhaps, less stately in appearance, but,
involving as it does, less care on the part of friends and less nervous
strain on that of the bride, is frequently adopted. The invitations are
precisely the same as for a church wedding, merely inserting street and
number in place of designating the church, omitting, of course, the
card of admittance and that for reception. The “At Home” card of the
newly-married couple should always be enclosed lest doubt as to their
new address prove perplexing to their friends.
Sometimes, where life is to be commenced in their own home, the wedded
pair, soon after their establishment therein, send out “At Home” cards
for a few evenings after this style: MR. and MRS. EGBERT RAY CRANSTON,
At Home, Tuesday evenings in September, from eight to eleven o’clock.
48 Washington Street.
Gatherings such as these partake of the nature of semi-formal
receptions and present a delightful opportunity for welcoming friends
to the new home, and at the same time arranging a visiting list for
the season, no one receiving a card to these entertainments that is
not to be honored with a place thereon. These invitations are to be
sent out after the return from the bridal tour, and, when thus used,
the first-given “At Home” card is omitted in sending out the wedding
invitation.
If the wedding is to be a morning affair from the church, followed by
a breakfast, the first given invitation is issued and the following
engraved card enclosed in the same envelope: MR. and MRS. RICHARD
EARLE request the pleasure of your company at breakfast, Tuesday, June
twentieth, at half past twelve o’clock. 107 Washington Street.
“At Home” cards and cards to the church should be enclosed as before.
The time should be carefully arranged so that not more than half an
hour is allowed to elapse between the ceremony at the church and the
reception or breakfast at the house.
A home wedding with a breakfast simply sends out the ordinary wedding
invitation, indicating the hour and giving the street and number.
Sometimes, at a home wedding, it is desired that no one but relatives
or very particular friends should be present at the ceremony. Under
these circumstances the usual invitations are issued. Then, for the
favored few, ceremony cards are enclosed, on which the words are
engraved: Ceremony at half past eight.
“At Home” cards may be enclosed as before.
Where the wedding has been entirely private, the mother, or some other
relative of the bride, frequently gives a reception upon the return
home of the young couple, invitations to which are issued as follows:
MRS. RICHARD EARLE, MRS. EGBERT RAY CRANSTON. At Home, Wednesday,
September first, from four to ten o’clock. 107 Washington Street.
For an evening reception the form is a little different: MR. and MRS.
RICHARD EARLE request the pleasure of your company, Thursday, September
second, from nine to eleven o’clock. 107 Washington Street. Enclosing
the card of Mr. and Mrs. Egbert Ray Cranston.
Announcement Cards.
Announcement cards, where the wedding has been strictly private, are
sent out after the following style: MR. and MRS. RICHARD EARLE announce
the marriage of their daughter, GUENDOLEN, to MR. EGBERT RAY CRANSTON,
Tuesday, November nineteenth, 1895. 107 Washington Street.
The before-given “At Home” cards maybe enclosed, or the necessary
information conveyed by having engraved in the lower left hand corner
of the sheet of note paper: At Home, after December first, at 48
Washington Street.
Another form of announcement is also used: EGBERT RAY CRANSTON.
GUENDOLEN EARLE. Married, Tuesday, November nineteenth, 1895.
Binghamton. With this form use “At Home” cards, or engrave the street
and number in the lower left hand corner of the announcement card. This
form is permissible in any case, but is more frequently employed where
there are neither parents nor relatives to send out the announcement.
If the wedding should have taken place during a season of family
mourning or misfortune, the bridegroom himself issues the following
announcement: MR. and MRS. EGBERT RAY CRANSTON, 48 Washington Street.
These cards are large and square, and in the same envelope with them
is enclosed a smaller card engraved with the maiden name of the bride:
MISS GUENDOLEN EARLE.
Wedding Anniversaries.
[Illustration: _1885._ _1890._
_Wooden Wedding
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Grant,
At Home,
Thursday evening, December fifth, 1895,
At half-past eight o’clock._
_263 East Thirteenth Street._
]
In sending out invitations for the various anniversaries that
pleasantly diversify the years of a long wedded life, the simplest
form will always be found in the best taste. There are varied devices
for rendering these invitations striking in effect, such as silvered
and gilded cards for silver and golden weddings, thin wooden cards for
the wooden wedding, etc., but good taste would indicate that none of
these, not even gold and silver lettering (though this last is least
objectionable of all), should be used. The large engraved “At Home”
card, or the small sheet of heavy note paper, also engraved, are the
most elegant.
“No Presents Received.”
The words, “No presents received,” are sometimes engraved in the lower
left hand corner of the note sheet, or card. A much-to-be-admired
custom, since the multiplicity of invitations requiring gifts, is, in
more cases than one, burdensome to the recipient.
Revise the Visiting List.
Now, that it has become the custom to engage the services of an
amanuensis to direct the invitations for a crush affair by the hundred,
it would be well for every hostess to frequently revise her visiting
list, in order that the relatives of lately deceased friends may not be
pained by seeing the dear lost name included among the invitations of
the family; also, this care is necessary to remove the names of those
who have recently departed from the city, and those whose acquaintance
is no longer desired.