Times are a changing... You decided to forgo expensive save-the-date-cards for your upcoming wedding and instead, you sent the notice out via email. The whole process was so easy (and not to mention free) that you began to wonder what other conventions you can adapt to in the digital age. Emily Post may not like it, but things that were once a total taboo are changing dramatically, especially when it comes to communication with your guests and what you can do with your bridal registry.
The emailing of Save the Date cards or Bridal Shower invitations are so common these days they are not even worth a second thought. Now the discussion has turned towards the appropriateness of emailing the actual wedding invitation. Though companies like Paperless Post and Greenvelope can help couples create gorgeous custom e-vites, other than the initial save-the-date card, most of your other wedding correspondence still needs to be sent by snail mail, especially the main invitation.
Ancillary events like your rehearsal dinner or bridal shower are best to be included in the envelope, but can be sent by email without raising too many eyebrows. While some guests might criticize the decision to use email invitations for these occasions, eco-conscious guests might applaud your decision to go green and save paper.
Thank you notes? Hand written please, or at least make sure it looks handwritten. There are a number of new services, like Sent-Well that will handwrite your cards for you or Thankster where you can actually type your notes in your own handwriting.
Hoping to receive mostly cash gifts instead of traditional registry fare? No problem. Try using the MyRegistry Cash Gift Fund service. It's a very polite way to ask for cash by identifying your cash gift funds with particular gifts. You can open a honeymoon fund or a down payment on a new home fund, or anything else that you need for your future life together. Perhaps there are high ticket items that you and your fiancé really want, like a piano or a piece of art. Your guests will be able to contribute in any denomination towards that gift of your choice and they will enjoy giving you the cash gift because they know what their money is being used for. However, whatever you do, do not include the words "cash gifts preferred" in your invitation.
Does the thought of china and flatware bore you? You are not alone. Now with universal gift registries, couples are becoming far more creative in what they are registering for. With grooms taking a lead role in "registry reform", power drills, lawn mowers and other "guy things" are becoming typical registry fare. Many couples add some hobby related items and electronics on to their registries as well. What hasn't changed for registry creation is the need to be sensitive to your friends' budgets. Choose items in every price range and let them be the judge of how much they want to spend.
Many old wedding traditions are great and should not be completely dismissed. So, when you are about to try something new for your wedding planning, take a step back and think about whether or not you are still acting in the spirit of that tradition. Technology will continue to make everything easier for us, but please refrain from using it as tool or a public forum to complain about your guests and gifts. There is no wedding spirit in that, at all.