How to Write Letters (Formerly The Book of Letters) Part 6

_For a home wedding_

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans Request the Pleasure of_ ---- (Name written in) _Company at the Marriage of Their Daughter Dorothy and Mr. Philip Brewster On Wednesday, June the Tenth At Twelve o'Clock Five Hundred Park Avenue_

Or either of the forms A and B for a church wedding may be used. "Honour of your presence" is more formal than "pleasure of your company" and hence is more appropriate for a church wedding.

It is presumed that an invitation to a home wedding includes the wedding breakfast or reception, but an invitation to a church wedding does not.

A card inviting to the wedding breakfast or reception is enclosed with the wedding invitation. Good forms are:

_For a wedding breakfast_

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans Request the Pleasure of_ ---- (Name written in) _At Breakfast on Tuesday, June the Fourth at Twelve o'Clock 500 Park Avenue_

_For a wedding reception_

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans Request the Pleasure of Your Company At the Wedding Reception of Their Daughter Dorothy and Mr. Philip Brewster On Monday Afternoon, June the Third At Four o'Clock Five Hundred Park Avenue_

[Ill.u.s.tration: Specimens of formal invitations to a wedding reception]

_For a second marriage_

The forms followed in a second marriage--either of a widow or a divorcee--are quite the same as above. The divorcee uses whatever name she has taken after the divorce--the name of her ex-husband or her maiden name if she has resumed it. The widow sometimes uses simply Mrs.

Philip Brewster or a combination, as Mrs. Dorothy Evans Brewster. The invitations are issued in the name of the nearest relative--the parent or parents, of course, if living. The forms are:

(A)

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans Request the Honour of Your Presence At the Marriage of Their Daughter Dorothy (Mrs. Philip Brewster) to Mr. Leonard Duncan On Thursday, April the Third At Six o'Clock Trinity Chapel_

(B)

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans Request the Honour of Your Presence At the Marriage of Their Daughter Mrs. Dorothy Evans Brewster to Mr. Leonard Duncan On Thursday, April the Third At Six o'Clock Trinity Chapel_

If there are no near relatives, the form may be:

(C)

_The Honour of Your Presence is Requested At the Marriage of Mrs. Dorothy Evans Brewster and Mr. Leonard Duncan On Thursday, April the Third At Six o'Clock Trinity Chapel_

In formal invitations "honour" is spelled with a "u."

_Recalling an Invitation_

The wedding may have to be postponed or solemnized privately, owing to illness or death, or it may be put off altogether. In such an event the invitations will have to be recalled. The card recalling may or may not give a reason, according to circ.u.mstances. The cards should be engraved if time permits, but they may have to be written.

Convenient forms are:

(A)

_Owing to the Death of Mr.

Philip Brewster's Mother, Mr. and Mrs. Evans beg to Recall the Invitations for Their Daughter's Wedding on Monday, June the Eighth._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Specimen of wedding announcement]

(B)

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans beg to Recall The Invitations for the Marriage of Their Daughter, Dorothy, and Mr. Philip Brewster, on Monday, June the Eighth_

_Wedding announcements_

If a wedding is private, no formal invitations are sent out; they are unnecessary, for only a few relatives or intimate friends will be present and they will be asked by word of mouth or by a friendly note.

The wedding may be formally announced by cards mailed on the day of the wedding. The announcement will be made by whoever would have sent out wedding invitations--by parents, a near relative, or by the bride and groom, according to circ.u.mstances. The custom with the bride's name in the case of a widow or divorcee follows that of wedding invitations. An engraved announcement is not acknowledged (although a letter of congratulations--see page 101--may often be sent). A card is sent to the bride's parents or whoever has sent the announcements. The announcement may be in the following form:

_Mr. and Mrs. John Evans Announce the Marriage of Their Daughter Dorothy to Mr. Philip Brewster On Monday, June the Tenth One Thousand Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-Two_

_Replying to the invitation_

The acceptance or the declination of a formal invitation is necessarily formal but naturally has to be written by hand. It is better to use double notepaper than a correspondence card and it is not necessary to give a reason for being unable to be present--although one may be given.

It is impolite to accept or regret only a day or two before the function--the letter should be written as soon as possible after the receipt of the invitation. The letter may be indented as is the engraved invitation, but this is not at all necessary. The forms are:

_Accepting_

Mr. and Mrs. Frothingham Smith accept with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Evans's kind invitation to be present at the marriage of their daughter Dorothy and Mr. Philip Brewster on Monday, June the twelfth at twelve o'clock (and afterward at the wedding breakfast)

Or it may be written out:

Mr. and Mrs. Frothingham Smith accept with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Evans's kind invitation to be present at the marriage of their daughter Dorothy and Mr. Philip Brewster on Monday, June the twelfth at twelve o'clock (and afterward at the wedding breakfast).

_Regretting_

Mr. and Mrs. Frothingham Smith regret exceedingly that they are unable to accept Mr. and Mrs. Evans's kind invitation to be present at the marriage of their daughter Dorothy and Mr. Philip Brewster on Monday, June the twelfth (and afterward at the wedding breakfast)

Or this also may be written out. The portion in parentheses will be omitted if one has not been asked to the wedding breakfast or reception.

_For the formal dinner_