We’ve all known that point in wedding planning when the bride has to post the inevitable “Why is it so hard for people to return the pre-addressed, pre-stamped RSVP card and envelope?” status on Facebook.
I mean… full disclosure: I was that bride.
And when you’re the bride… those little RSVP’s are a big deal. Everyone is constantly asking you for a final head count. And the sooner you can give it to them, the sooner you know how much you’ll be paying your vendors.
However, when you’re on the RSVP-er end of things, it’s pretty different. You get home from work, open up your mail, throw it wherever you throw your mail, and go on with your day. You know that you should fill out the card right then. You know that you should march right back out to the mailbox. You know that you should return it immediately (and kudos to you if you actually do that!).
But you’re hungry… or running late… or tired… or ready for a cocktail (or several). And what if you have to choose a song (or a date)? And you put it off. And then you forget.
Now, add invitations with different dates and times and addresses and registries for bachelorette parties, bridal showers, couples’ showers, engagement parties, and rehearsal dinners for about 5 different weddings and (eek) now you’re just drowning in a sea of wedding bliss card stock.
I get it. It’s difficult to keep up with it all. And just like everything else in life, it requires a system.
To keep track of all of the dates, times, and RSVP deadlines, I hang all of my invitations up (in chronological order, of course) in my office. This keeps me from forgetting to send in an RSVP, losing an address or a registry card. If it’s in my sight, I’m not going to forget to do it.
And honestly… I just love displaying my invitations because my friends have pretty awesome taste and these things are always so beautiful anyway!
People put so much effort into making their invitations, programs, and save-the-dates.
It was definitely one of my favorite parts of wedding planning!
But what to do with them after the event has come and gone? They really are like mini-pieces of art from the people that you love the most.
It broke my heart to have to throw them away when the event was over. So I stopped.
And I started saving them in a cute 1" binder instead.
(AKA another excuse to visit my beloved school supply aisle at Target)
These are such sweet moments in our friends’ lives and I love having a mini scrapbook-ish book to flip through to remember them :)
Do you do anything creative or fun with your old invitations?