| Start Times On Invitations |
| Kiki's Corner Blog - Party Etiquette | |
| Written by Kiki | |
| Thursday, September 24, 2009 | |
Some of us have family members and friends that are notorious for being chronically late to social events. Many times they miss the highlight of the event, or even worse, the function can’t start until they arrive. Understandably, this can cause the host and guests to feel frustrated, angry, and disappointed. After all, the host has taken the time to plan a wonderful birthday party, baby shower etc. for the guests to enjoy. The other attendees have planned out their day to ensure they arrive on time. It throws everyone off course! This got me to thinking….is it ok to state an earlier start time on an invitation to avoid the issues encountered when people arrive late? According to etiquette guru, Emily Post (www.emilypost.com), stating an earlier start time on a party invitation should not be done and the host should try to find other ways to handle the potential situation. One option she offers is providing guests with excellent directions and any important information about parking. Another suggestion she has is to connect personally with those relatives or friends who have a tendency to be tardy. Those suggestions are smart and should be done regardless of whether you decide to list a different start time. However, in most cases the chronic latecomers will still be late even if you take those preemptive steps. To avoid the stress and to start the party on the right note, I think it is fine to state an earlier start time. Keep a few guidelines in mind though: • Make sure you are ready to host the party at the earlier start time. It is uncomfortable and awkward to see the host running around frazzled! The host sets the tone for a great event, so have your smile and charm on when your guests arrive. • Don’t list a start time that is earlier than 15 minutes. We don’t want to “penalize” our guests who have made the effort to get there on time by making them wait around idly for a long period. The 15-minute lag will go unnoticed if you use the time for introductions, to settle in your guests, and offer them beverages. • If possible, print out two versions of the invitation. One set would have the actual start time and the other would list the earlier start time. The invitations with the correct time would be sent out to the guests who you know would not be tardy. The set with the earlier time would be sent to all your known latecomers. By mailing out the two different sets, you are taking into consideration your attendees who are on time, but covering all your bases with the latecomers.
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