Wedding Blog
Although I have not technically chosen my invitations (the Chickadees are still in negotiations) a new problem has cropped up that I want to bounce off the Weddingbee hive.
We are currently house-hunting. We have not technically chosen the house either (hmmm, notice a trend here? Yes, we are indecisive) but we are getting close to a decision. So as it stands now, we are hoping to have a new address in the near-ish future. We’re a little shaky on the timing as well, though.
All this boils down to the fact that I have absolutely no idea what return address/RSVP address I ought to get printed on our invites. I don’t want to put our apartment address because we might not be living here when the invitations get sent out & returned to us. However, I’m not sure we’ll have a new address by the time we have to order invitations either.
I know it used to be traditional to have RSVPs returned to the bride’s parents, but it just doesn’t seem practical, especially when my parents live in Dallas and I… don’t. And I would sort of like to see them before the wedding and after next weekend I don’t think they’ll be up to Illinois again.
So the alternative is to have them all sent to Mr. Chickadee’s parents’ house. As it is, we have registered to have our gifts delivered there, as well as my passport, in case this moving thing causes a problem with those things as well. But basically I don’t want people to think it’s weird or that we have randomly, without telling anyone, moved an hour away.
So I imagine there has to be a billion other brides out there in this exact same predicament, right? How are y’all dealing with this? Any suggestions (or anything to just calm my fears that this is not weird at all)?
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Why not get a P.O. Box? That’d be the sensible option– tons of people have them these days.
Could you do a PO Box?
I was going to suggest a P.O. box too. It would make things really easy! Otherwise I’d just put your FIL’s address and let people think what they want. I generally assume that the RSVP address may or may not be the bride’s residence. I’ve known people who deligated the receiving and logging of RSVP’s to a MOH or BM. I wouldn’t worry about it too much!
We were thankfully able to hold off printing out all our address labels until we had our new apartment address. It drove me crazy though to have to wait until after the move to do that. I wanted everything finished before we moved. But that’s the life of an OCD bride, I guess! 
Ok, I’m sensing a trend… I was going to suggest a P.O. Box too! They are very affordable and can be rented by the month, 1/2 year or year. You can use the P,O, for all of your infitations and other wedding correspondence and it doesn’t have to be in the town where you live. You can get one at the Post Office near your work so that mail can be picked up at lunch or ont he way home.
You can keep the box for a time after the wedding or just have everything forwarded.
weirdness vs. lost invitations? I pick weird! go with the future in-laws’ address. it doesn’t cost you anything extra, ad since they live there, you won’t have to worry about the mailbox getting full. :@) good luck!
Again, I vote for the PO Box. I wouldn’t want them sent to anyone but me, as I am greedy and have control issues.
I don’t think it’s weird to send it to Mr. C’s parents. If his parent’s names were on the address, I would assume that the parents were taking charge of organizing the RSVPs and the registry gifts. Not weird at all.
we are moving as well so we will be using my parents’ address for RSVPs. I told my mom to just open them and tell me what the responses are so I know right away. Then she’ll just mail me a package of them once a week or something so I have them in my physical possession.
I think PO box works too but we’re moving cross country so it’s hard to set one up from afar but definitely a great idea!
I moved across town but kept the PO! This works for us too b/c we don’t actually live together! So ours will read: The Hers-His Wedding P.O. Box 999, City, State, ZIP
I’d go with the in-laws. Tradition (if you’re into it) states that the return address should not have a name on it, so unless a lot of people on your mailing list know your parents address by heart, they’re probably not going ot notice.
I say inlaws b/c a PO Box is not somewhere that all places will deliver packages to and many people will simply look to the invitation return address to send a gift to you, especially if they’re not going through the registry, or if they brought it home to wrap first, etc.
We’re going to have everyone RSVP on our website or by phone, we’re having a small wedding and I know none of my friends will send back a card.
All you have to do is file a “change of address” form with your post office- they’ll automatically forward all of your mail to your new address. I just moved from WA to CA and haven’t had any issues with getting my mail forwarded at all.
My fiance and I got a box (like a PO Box, but they take packages, and I think it was cheaper too - only $15 for 3 months) at a place in town. That way, if we move or if we don’t want the RSVPs or whatever sitting in our mailbox, we can have them delivered there. The place is called The Mailroom, but I’m sure they have something similar where you are.
That way you still are able to access everything right away. Plus, it’s nice to have for other things too - we get packages delivered there so they aren’t sitting out on our front porch all day while we are at work.
If Mr. C’s parents don’t mind the RSVPs being sent to their house then use it. Many people don’t pay attention to the address on the respnse card.
A PO box would be great for instance gratification. We all like to open up our own RSVPs.
The other option would be to have your guest RSVP thorough a website. There is a company where you can buy an 800 number. Here is the website http://www.guestreservationservice.com
I second… um, tenth the PO Box idea. My family has had one for years, so that’s what the return address would be if I still lived anywhere near home. I think the UPS store also has a PO box service, where you have an actual street address (the street address of the store) but internally, they file it in a box for you. That way, you don’t have the problem where some companies won’t ship packages to PO boxes.
Some friends of ours had the same predicament before their wedding, and they used the groom’s parents’ address. I didn’t think it was weird at all, and still wouldn’t (even now that I’m knee-deep in wedding stuff).
Online. It is simple for everyone- and SAVES a tree or two. We had to do this since we started out with our STD while I was in GA, he was in MA. By invitation time, he was in WA and it looked like I would be moving there too. Our parents (Canada and Calif) aren’t involved in ANY of the planning and our logistics made it easier to use an online service. It is time to Modernize! And we have discouraged gifts for the same reason- registering for a charity instead. Where would you have the gifts shipped? We would just have to ship it again. What a hassle!
These traditions used to be nice rules when everyone lived in the same small town.
man I thought I was chiming in with a new idea but alas, I saw go for the PO BOX you dont even have to keep it very long!
Not to get you side tracked but I made a custom Chickadee stamp for my wedding invitations. It turned out great with some metallic ink. Here’s the link:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1087/766425812_270bc0204f_b.jpg
Let me know what you think.
“All you have to do is file a “change of address” form with your post office- they’ll automatically forward all of your mail to your new address. I just moved from WA to CA and haven’t had any issues with getting my mail forwarded at all.”
Ooo… I wouldn’t do this. I’m glad it worked out for this person, but I’ve had problems in the past with change of address. It takes a while (week or two) to kick in and not everything gets forwarded. I wouldn’t take the risk with RSVP cards.
We’re house hunting, too and hopefully will have a house before invitations are sent. If we do, OUR address is going on the RSVPs. I use iDo software to do my wedding planning, I’ll be the one updating who has RSVP’d or not so I don’t see a point of having to wait for my Mom to say “Uncle George is coming, Bob isn’t” when I can just have them sent to ME, the person keeping track.
If you have an address/house by the time you send out invitations, use your address, if not use your future in-laws.
Won’t you be getting your post forwarded when you move anyway? If so you can use the address where you live now and you’ll receive them wherever you inform the post office you are.
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Mrs. Chickadee, Peoria, IL
Age and Occupation: 22, Freelance Advertising
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Mechanical Engineer
Engagement Date: February 10, 2007
Wedding Date: June, 2008
Blogging Since: September 13, 2006
Venue: Methodist Church/Country Club
About Me: My parents always said I should wait until graduating college before getting married…Mr. Chickadee and I finally graduated this past spring and we didn’t waste any time getting straight down to business. It’s been four long years, but the wedding planning is finally underway!
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