Wednesday, October 22, 2008

miss manners

We received a wedding invitation today. I think it'll be a pretty nice affair and we're excited to go, but I do have a beef. (Of course!)

The couple went all fancy schmancy on us and included a reception card with "The favor of a reply is requested" Oh please! I understand that this is correct. I also understand that it is actually surprisingly difficult for us to check a box and get that sucker into the mail, so who knows if we'll ever actually write a note and send it off. After my wedding, I swore I would be so diligent about sending those things in, but it really is challenging sometimes. I remember when I'm not near the card and when I'm near the card, my mind is somewhere else.

You know what really bugs me though? If you want to be like that with the reply card, then at least carry it through and get my name right on the invitation!!! I took my husband's last name, but I also kept my own. I know, I'm just a crazy feminist, but I've had it for 29 years, it's kind of grown on me. I also carry a professional title. I did my research before our wedding so, for the record:

When the woman carries a professional title or a different last name, her name is listed FIRST like so

Reverend Amanda Marie D.... L.....
Mr. Fred Monroe L......

Not, Mr and Mrs. Fred L........... and especially not Mr. and Rev. Fred L......

I'm just saying if you're gonna do it right, do it right.

Just to clarify, I'm not actually that uptight. If you put Fred and Amanda L....it doesn't really bother me. It's just the Mr and Mrs Fred that drives me crazy. Mrs. Fred could be whatever woman he walks into the room with. Slap a ring on her and call her Mrs. Fred. My mother in law has finally stopped, but she still puts his name first...I'm not sure that's entirely about etiquette though ;)

1 comment:

KathleenKMM said...

I get so angry when people do this. Ends and I aren't married yet and both of us are attorneys. The PROPER way to address us would be

Five Tomatoes, Esq.
Ends Conservinator, Esq.

but we usually get

Ends Conservinator, Esq. + Five

or

Ends and Five Conservinator, Esq. (huh? There's so much wrong with this?)

I'm not even a huge stickler for etiquette in general and the ones we get to "Ends Conservinator and Five Tomatoes" don't bother me at all but I hate that half my name gets eaten and I never get my title. My favorite invite ever was one when I was in law school that came to

Ends Conservinator, Esq.
Five Tomatoes, Esq. in Training

At least that made me laugh! :)

Also, most of my sorority sisters have MILs who do the exact same thing. So annoying!