​Invitations are one of my favorite parts of planning an event. As Oscar Wilde put it, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” The invitation is the first contact you make with your guests before a party, and it sets the tone for the whole occasion. Invitations also provide all kinds of important information for attendees. In addition to the essentials, guests may look to the invitation for attire hints, such as formality and color schemes for weddings, or gift ideas for showers, and may even partially base their attendance decision on how appealing they find the invite. That is a lot of pressure for one piece of paper! Here are 2 examples of Pinterest-worthy invites that no one would dream of turning down!

​Will you be my bridesmaid?
Did I say one piece of paper? Scratch that, because this bride said, “I’ll take your paper invitations and raise you a bottle of champagne!” One of my dearest friends just chose Trump winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, as her wedding venue and presented me with a truly jaw-dropping invitation to join her bridal party. Her fiancé is a whiz with design and printing, and he put those skills to work in a big way. He created personalized champagne bottle labels for each bridesmaid, wrapped them around a bottle of champagne from Trump Winery, and his wife-to-be presented me with this fabulous invitation. The front looks like a normal bottle of champagne, but the back includes not only my name, but also a short poem ending with a very special question. Not only was this classy and creative, it cleverly played on the theme of the venue and gave a personal salute to her favorite adult beverage, champagne. Needless to say, I accepted with pleasure and I can’t wait until next year when I can drink this fabulous invite! 

​Do I get a plus one?
One major problem a bride can run into is adequately communicating whether or not guests can bring a date or children. When a date or kids are invited, this can sometimes be indicated by including “and guest” or “and family” on the front of the interior envelope. However, this can get tricky because an invitation may not have an interior envelope, or some may feel it is rude to not know the name of everyone in the party. Furthermore, when a bride doesn’t want her guest to bring a date or children, it is even harder to communicate. Most of the time, there is simply a lack of indication that anyone but you is invited, which can often cause confusion. I recently received an invitation from my cousin with a brilliant solution to this conundrum. His wife included a line on the RSVP card for us to fill in stating that ___ of 2 will be attending. In my opinion, this was a perfectly classy yet completely clear way to communicate the number of guests invited. Granted, I ended up bringing 2.5, but I believe they forgave me on account of Baby O&O still being in the womb! However, if Baby O&O were already born, I would have known from the filled-in 2 that we would have needed to get a sitter. Way to go, Amy!

Back in August, at the first Junior League meeting of the new league the year, Kid President asked me, “What do you want to teach the world?” In response, I started this blog to create a platform with which I could teach the world something. I am still experimenting with exactly what to teach, but I’m especially thankful to the JLI for inspiring me to start writing again, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to them! If you aren’t familiar with this fantastic organization of women, the Junior League is a national non-profit committed to 3 simple things: 

• Promoting volunteerism
  
• Developing the potential of women
  
• Improving the community through trained volunteers

It is now the time of year when the Junior League of Indianapolis puts on their largest fundraiser of the year: Holiday Mart.

Another one of my favorites is Indianapolis local shop Delaney’s, specializing in fashion, gifts, and home goods. I found a fabulous cape there last year. 

Holiday Mart opens Wednesday, Nov 12 for a special preview event called Shopper’s Eve, which includes valet parking, wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. This is loads of fun, but don’t worry if you miss it; Girls Night Out is on Friday, Nov 14 at 6 pm, which is a similar deal with complimentary desserts, cocktails, swag bags, and special discounts. But you don’t need a special event to get your shop on! General admission shopping hours are listed below:

• Thursday, November 13 10 am - 8 pm
  
• Friday, November 14 10 am - 5 pm
  
• Saturday, November 15 10 am - 8 pm
  
• Sunday, November 16 11 am - 5 pm

Tickets for Girl’s Night Out are $25 and tickets for general admission are $10, both available at Marsh supermarkets or at the door. However, if you are local and ready to shop this weekend, you’re in luck: I have 2 free general admission tickets to giveaway! Just follow these 2 steps and I’ll draw a random winner by 4pm, Thursday, November 13.

1. Share a link to your favorite Overdressed & Overeducated blog post on any social media platform you want. 
2. Either tag me in your share or comment below with the link to your share on social media and include your email. 

I’ll contact you ASAP to coordinate the best way to get you your tickets! And thanks in advance for supporting the Junior League! 

Mr. O&O and I went to dinner at our friends' new house Wednesday night and we were totally blown away at how they've transformed it in a few short months. We had a blast chatting about all of their DIY projects, new neighbors, and furniture wish list. All of this house talk reminded me that moving is a huge deal! It is crazy expensive, requires a massive amount of time and effort, and is downright stressful. It is also a major life milestone, especially if it is a house. However, think about how we treat other life milestones: It is a given that expectant mothers celebrate with baby showers and blushing brides have bridal showers, but how many housewarming parties have you attended or purchased presents for, by comparison? New movers are just as excited, stressed, and in need of love and gifts as parents and newlyweds, and it’s time to take a stand!

First of all, to you movers out there, do yourself a favor and throw a housewarming party! People want to see your new digs, and it is a great way to announce your new address, get to know your neighbors, and give back to the people who likely helped you move. Understandably, after having just moved, throwing a party may not be the first thing on your list. I not-so-fondly recall the massive amounts of cleaning, unpacking, painting, DIYing, and furniture shopping I crammed into 2 months so I could have something to show at my own housewarming party, but A. I am a crazy person and B. It was SO worth it. I am a huge fan of working hard first so you can enjoy and relax after the fact. 

But crazy isn't for everyone, and people get that. Don’t feel obligated to obtain perfection before inviting everyone over – as long as your home is clean and presentable, there are places for people to sit, and you provide food and drinks, your friends and family will happily come celebrate. Also, here’s a tip for making it legit: Send invitations! Paperless Post has some darling ones, many of which are free. 

Now, for all the old friends or new neighbors of movers out there, give your new home-owning friends some love! If you've ever moved, you know how meaningful a small, special something can be when you are overwhelmed with empty rooms to furnish and boxes to unpack. Let me emphasize the word “small.” It is definitely not necessary or expected to go all out; a little will go a long way! One of my favorite housewarming presents was a personalized address stamp, which Paper Source happens to have on sale right now. Another classic gift is a set of luggage tags. Kate Spade has some darling ones you can write the new address on, or Shutterfly will personalize theirs for you. If you want something a little more personal, Etsy has some really unique ways to utilize a picture of a house. Mr. O&O and I just presented our friends with a custom sketch of their house. You can also get a hand-painted picture of the house on a Christmas ornament. On the flip side, if you are simply looking for something to take to a new neighbor’s house to welcome them to the neighborhood, try wrapping a bottle of wine in a new dish towel. 

Do you have any go-to housewarming presents you love to give or favorites you've received? Leave me a note with your ideas!