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When should
I order my photo birth announcements? How many should I order?
Order your
announcements when you have the photos you'd like to use, and
once you've decided if you'd like to include any special poems
or wording. To determine how many photo birth
announcements to order, think about how many holiday cards
you send out. This can be a great starting point. If you don't
send holiday cards, or the list needs to be completely re-vamped,
think about the people in your life. Do you only want to send
them to close family and friends, or will you also send them to
coworkers and relatives? The birth of a child is a celebrated
event, so feel free to send a birth announcement to anyone who
would like to share in your special news.
Create a mailing
list for your birth announcements. This will not only give you
an accurate count of how many announcements to order, but it will
also remove the stress of creating the mailing list after the
baby has arrived. Once you have your envelopes, you're ready to
hand write or print your addresses. You might like to order your
envelopes early. You can order them with, or without, your return
address printed on the envelope flap to save you even more time.
You can also
order custom-designed
thank you notecards at the same time as your baby announcements.
You will most likely be receiving gifts before you get a chance
to drop the announcements in the mail, and you'll be prepared!
When to
send your photo birth announcements
While we've
created custom photo birth announcements for babies six months
old, and personally, I say send them whenever you have time...etiquette
states it is best to send your birth announcements as soon as
possible, preferably about a month after the birth of your baby.
If more than three months have passed since the baby's birth,
you might consider including the birth announcement as an insert
along with a holiday card
(think Valentine's Day, Easter, Fourth of July...) or another
photo announcement, perhaps of the whole family, that includes
the special news. Or, we can design your card using two photos
--- one of your baby at birth with their birth details, and another
more recent photo, perhaps with their new stats. If you have a
special situation, just contact
us. We can come up with a creative way to help you!
Also, some
people like to write hand written notes on the birth announcements.
Know that this is not common practice and not necessary. As new
parents, you will be living busy lives and no one will expect
you to take the time it takes to write a personal note to everyone.
If you would like to write on the back of your photo announcements,
you can use a Sharpie fine-tip marker pen. This pen won't smudge.
Just be careful to test one to ensure you aren't using a heavy
hand. You can also write on the back of the coverstock if you'd
like.
Will people
who receive my announcement think I am asking for a gift?
Absolutely
not. Although most parents want to send birth announcements as
a way of sharing their good news, some worry that recipients will
view the sending of a birth announcement as a request for a gift.
This is absolutely not the case. Recipients are under no obligation
to send a gift. If you'd be more comfortable, we can add the phrase
"Please, no gifts," in small print on your birth announcement
design. Just let us know this request in the special comments
part of your order form. In any case, if a gift is sent, a personalized
thank you card should be mailed as an acknowledgement.
Thank
You Notes
After you
send out your photo birth announcements, be prepared to receive
gifts and notes of best wishes. You can order custom
designed folded notecards from us, and we can design them
so you can use them for thank yous, or any occasion. We can even
customize the back for you, giving you a place to put another
sweet photo, perhaps of your babys hand or foot, or a special
acknowledgement or poem. There are many occasions where gifts
are given before and after the baby is born, so be sure to order
plenty of extra thank you cards.
Whenever you
receive gifts, whether it is after you send your birth announcements,
after a baby shower or after an evening with friends, there are
several things to remember when writing a thank you card.
Timing is
of the essence! You should have thank you notes on hand after
announcing your pregnancy so that you can write your thank you
cards without delay. Thank you notes for birth announcements should
be mailed within a few days of receiving the gift. You have a
bit more time after a shower since you will have more to write.
Sincerity
is another key component of a genuine thank you card. Be sure
to say “what” you are thanking them for by listing the
items they gave you and it is always heartfelt if you can say
how you are looking forward to using those items or comment on
how adorable or helpful they are/were.
What information
should I include on my photo birth announcement, and what about
my special situation?
Birth Weight:
Some parents are uncomfortable sharing the birth weight of their
child in instances of unusual birth weight. Leaving the birth
weight off of the birth announcement is completely acceptable.
Friends and family may still be curious and ask anyway, but there
is no reason it must be included on the announcements.
Parents
Names: Depending on the level of desired formality, the names
of the parents may be listed as "Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hovis,"
"Lisa and Michael Hovis," or simply "Lisa and Michael"
on the baby announcement. The baby's birth weight and length,
time of birth, place of birth, and names of siblings may also
be included. There are many clever ways to word an announcement,
and if you are looking to include special information just let
us know. We will work it into your custom design.
Sibling
Names: Including siblings is becoming more popular, but is
not expected. If your situation is one where you aren't comfortable
including siblings, don't. if you'd like to, however, you can
include sibling names after yours, for example: Lisa, Michael,
David and Sarah Hovis, or you can separate them: Proud Parents
Lisa and Michael, Big Brother David and Big Sister Sarah. You
can also have your sibling(s) introduce the new arrival: Big brother
David is proud to introduce his baby sister Grace...".
Birth Announcements:
Multiple Births - Often times, the birth of twins, triplets
or more will be a surprise to friends and family. When preparing
the wording for multiples, it can be fun to use the “twin”
theme on the birth announcements. See design examples in our on-line
gallery slideshow of photo
birth announcements.
Birth Announcements
for Parents with Different Last Names - Parents with different
last names should include their first and last names as part of
the birth announcement, as well as the full legal name of the
child. Example: Proud Parents Lisa Jones and Michael Hovis introduce
their son Luke Matthew Hovis.
Birth Announcements:
Divorced or Separated Parents - Divorced or separated parents
may choose to send baby announcements separately, with each parent
mailing the announcements to his or her friends and family only.
In this case, the parent may elect to include only his or her
name on the baby announcement.
Birth Announcements:
Unmarried Mother - If the mother is unmarried, she should
include only her name on the birth announcement. If the mother
desires, and if the father gives permission, the father's name
may be included as part of the birth announcement. The baby's
full legal name should be included to avoid questions about whether
the child was given his mother's or his father's last name.
Birth Announcements:
Gay and Lesbian Couples - Gay and lesbian couples should include
both of their first and last names and the full legal name of
the child in the birth announcement, along with the general information
detailed above.
Birth Announcements:
Widowed Mother - A mother that becomes widowed during her
pregnancy may indicate her name on the photo birth announcement
as either "Mrs. Michael Hovis" or "Lisa Hovis ."
The husband may be referred to as "the late Michael Hovis,"
if desired, or the mother may elect to include her name only.
Baby Announcements:
Adoption - The addition of an adopted child to the family
most certainly warrants an announcement. No matter your adopted
child's age, we can create a unique adoption
announcement design for them. When selecting the wording for
the announcement, state when the child was born and when the child
was received into the home of the parents. You might say, "born
February 26, 2005 and welcomed into her parent's hearts and home
on November 3, 2005". If the child was adopted from a foreign
country, information about his or her birth country may also be
included.
Birth Announcements:
Parents and Grandparents - Grandparents’ names can be
included on the birth announcement if you wish for them to share
in the joy of announcing the new family member. Their names would
be listed below the parents’ names.
Birth Announcements:
Second and Third Babies - It is perfectly acceptable to send
birth announcements for all babies, no matter where they fall
in their birth order. Parents may choose to include sibling names
as part of the birth announcements, or even have them announce
their new baby brother or baby sister into the world. See birth
announcement wording samples.
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