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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In a word, plea for cash is rude



 (The Spokesman-Review)
Judith Martin United Feature Syndicate

Which do you suppose is the social form that people are most anxious about wording correctly?

Well, yes, wedding invitations. Perfectly normal people go etiquette-crazy when planning to be married and demand to know the proper way of doing everything, including some startlingly improper acts.

But it is not the correct wording for inviting the guests for which Miss Manners is constantly being asked. On the contrary, the very correctness of that tradition annoys people who claim to want formal invitations. It’s “too formal,” they protest. And, apparently, using their names does not sufficiently “personalize” it. So instead of writing perfectly nice informal invitations, they mess with the formal sort, lopping off honorifics and inserting extra words and thoughts about their pride, happiness and cordiality.

What they want to get exactly right according to tradition is a line they believe goes somewhere at the end. Here are some examples – among thousands – of the most frequently asked wedding question:

“My son and future daughter-in-law have two beautiful children and have lived together for eight years. She wants to put on the invitations that they would both prefer money instead of gifts. How do you word it in the invitation?”

“Where does the information about gift registries go? I have seen it on the back of the invitation and on a separate card (with the couple’s mailing address for convenience). Which is the right way?”

“What would be the proper way to tell guests that we would appreciate monetary gifts, certificates, cash, checks, etc., without sounding snobbish? Someone suggested a poem on the subject but neither of us are poets. Would you happen to have anything to that effect in your archives?”

“What is the polite way to express that money would be more welcome than physical gifts? We don’t need anything but do not want to disallow monetary gifts by saying ‘No gifts please.’ “

“My stepdaughter wants to include in the invitation a request that guests contribute money toward their honeymoon. Is there a tactful way to do this without being crude?”

“How would we ask for a money tree type thing without sounding like a ‘gimme-pig’?”

Miss Manners is sorry to have to tell them all that she does not have a gracious and tactful extortion plea in her files, and that their qualms about sounding tacky, greedy and crude are fully justified. Only gimme-pigs regard their wedding guests as cash cows.