Tacky birthday invitation

[Sammy]

Well, just received an invitation to BIL's 40th birthday party. On the bottom of the invite, SIL writes the following:

"Contributions to xxxx's new golf clubs are appreciated".

How's that for tacky? It would be one thing if people asked what they could give, then she could suggest perhaps $$ towards the clubs, but to put that on the invitation?? Unbelieveable!

 

[TheDisneyTraveler06]

Well, just received an invitation to BIL's 40th birthday party. On the bottom of the invite, SIL writes the following:

"Contributions to xxxx's new golf clubs are appreciated".

How's that for tacky? It would be one thing if people asked what they could give, then she could suggest perhaps $$ towards the clubs, but to put that on the invitation?? Unbelieveable!

I agree with you. If someone called and told me they had no idea what to get him, then that's when I'd suggest the golf club contributions.

 

[castleview]

Sounds like the one we got for DH's grandmother's 80th birthday. It said time and place and $18/person. This woman has seven children?!?!?

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Some people are just clueless!

 

[Stitchfans]

Shame on your SIL. I agree she should of waited for people to ask what he wanted and then suggest donating towards the golf clubs. Chances are most people would give a cash gift any way.

 

[lowie]

you know what's weird?? that there are so many threads i *think* about starting and then i see the SAME thing!! just last night i received an invite to my neices 6th b-day party. printed on the invite was a wish list!!

i called my mom and asked her if my sister had lost her mind, it's so tacky. but my mom already told her it was rude, but sis says that 'everyone is doing it'.... ya, maybe in her high falootin neighborhood, but us regular old folks don't like to be told what to buy...

ok, ok... i bought off the list

 

[mom_of_5]

TACKY, TACKY, TACKY!!!!!
I threw my DH a suprise 40th and invited all of his out of town friends and I specifically put on the bottom of the invitation that it was un-necessary to bring a gift, the gift of your time and pressence is so very much appreciated. Most people brought gifts anyway.

 

[castleview]

you know what's weird?? that there are so many threads i *think* about starting and then i see the SAME thing!! just last night i received an invite to my neices 6th b-day party. printed on the invite was a wish list!!

OMG!!!

 

[barkley]

the tackiest i've received was an invite to a baby shower that included a photocopied list of things the 'guest of honor' wanted-it had a gift highlighted with the words 'you are to bring this' written next to it. can you tell i passed on attending that one?

i'm getting to the point where nothing surprises me-i've gotten invites to bday parties/anniversary parties where there is a cost to attend (um, if you want to hold an event and invite people to attend it seems you should be the one covering the cost), a 'wedding announcement'-not an inviation, just an announcement that the couple was getting married, a list of the places they were registered and an address to which gifts could be sent and an invite for my then preschooler at a huge public place that said they encouraged parents to stay and supervise their children but if they did so they would have to pay a per person fee to 'help out with food costs for those adults who choose to eat'

 

[roseprincess]

Well, just received an invitation to BIL's 40th birthday party. On the bottom of the invite, SIL writes the following:

"Contributions to xxxx's new golf clubs are appreciated".

How's that for tacky? It would be one thing if people asked what they could give, then she could suggest perhaps $$ towards the clubs, but to put that on the invitation?? Unbelieveable!

Yeah, that is pretty tacky .I can see if people called your SIL and asked what would her dh would like, that's a different story, but to write some kind of wish list and contribution for this or that gift is tacky.
I just turned 40 this past weekend. I didn't even bother having a big birthday party. I had a decent party for my 30th. My dh and my kids plus my parents and one of my friends did take me out to a birthday dinner. They got me whatever they wanted to give me,as of gifts. Everything was fine

As of tackyness, my younger cousin got married around this time last yr. She had one of these destination weddings at a bottom of a small mountain in Arizona. Anyways, on the wedding shower invitation, it was mentioned that instead of the usual shower gifts, that if anyone wanted to give money towards the bridal gown, that would be appreciated. This was written by my aunt. The cousin getting married is my aunt's daughter. When I read the invit., with the wish list to pay for cousin's dress, I was like"what the heck?" Can't my aunt and uncle pay for their dd's dress? My cousin is only 21 yrs. old. I'm thinking, she can wait another yr to get married and pay for her own dress! When I got married, dh and I paid for our own wedding and honeymoon. My parents didn't even want to pitch in in my wedding. So why should I need to help pay for my dcousin's dress?? Well, I did not help pay for her dress. I didn't even go to my cousin's wedding b/c dh and I could not afford to fly there and get our own hotel room,etc. My parents didin't go to the wedding, either. I just thought it was very tacky to put on a shower invitation, that if anyone wanted to help pay for the wedding dress.

Hope all goes well with BIL's 40th b-day party.

 

[TimeforMe]

Sammy--yes, totally tacky!

barkley---OMG! I was cracking up reading those--they definitely take the cake.

I just received a baby shower invitation for my nephew's wife. This is their THIRD baby and the last one is only 2 years old. This will be her third baby shower, too. I wonder if they know you don't have a baby shower each time one is born. I looked at her registry for the heck of it even though I'm busy that day and won't be able to attend , and one of her items listed was Cars themed bedding even though she KNOWS she's having a girl. I guess the guests are expected to help furnish the 2 year old's bedroom now, too.

 

[nja33]

I just received a baby shower invitation for my nephew's wife. This is their THIRD baby and the last one is only 2 years old. This will be her third baby shower, too. I wonder if they know you don't have a baby shower each time one is born. I looked at her registry for the heck of it even though I'm busy that day and won't be able to attend , and one of her items listed was Cars themed bedding even though she KNOWS she's having a girl. I guess the guests are expected to help furnish the 2 year old's bedroom now, too.

Had a similar thing happen when my cousin's wife was pregnant for the second time. Their daughter wasn't even 2 yet and they were expecting a boy the second time around. On her registry were a number of pink things. Needless to say my mother and I didn't go.

 

[dixipixi]

How about being invited to a bridal shower and told you are only to buy gifts from one store in town?

Yep...one of the dozen hostesses (which is another ridiculous matter) owns the shop.

Funny thing is, these people think they're "upper class" around here. Just goes to show that money doesn't buy taste or class!!!!

 

[cstraub]

I'd actually prefer this kind of invite. I hate trying to guess what the person wants and this way I know my money is not going to waste. Also it's just one less choice I have to make in my busy life.

I don't get how it is tacky. We all know that your going to buy a gift. I work hard for my money and I'd rather get the person something they actually want or need rather than seeing my gift end up on Ebay!

 

[luv2nascar]

My friend got an invite to our niece's birthday party that said bring a big pot of BBQ. She didn't offer they just wrote that on the invite.

 

[MrsNick]

I can relate. DH's daughter just had her Sweet 16 last December. His ex sent out the invites with an enclosure suggesting that guests contribute to a fund so she could get a new guitar. Even worse, I saw the invites before they were mailed out to the guests.

I thought it was the tackiest thing ever, but I kept my mouth shut instead of trying to stop her from sending them that way, because honestly, no one would have wanted to hear what I had to say (you know, the whole evil stepmother baloney).

The topic came up months later when we received a wedding invitation that (correctly) did not have registry information. DH wanted to know how we were supposed to know where the couple registered. I told him that the proper thing to do was simply to ask them. He said, oh, I thought we would receive that in the invitation, and then I proceeded to explain to him why it is in poor taste to enclose that type of information in invitations.

I told him that it is extremely improper etiquette to ever suggest that a guest should be obligated to bring a gift since the point of inviting them is to enjoy the pleasure of their company, not to bilk them for booty. DH then started to put two and two together and pointed out that his ex had done just that in the Sweet 16 invitations. And then I told him that yes, she had, but that in terms of etiquette, it was a tacky thing to do.

Being the great DH that he is, he knew better than to ask me why I hadn't made mention of this at the time.