Guests Addressing Thier Own Thank You Notes

by confused
(Pittsburgh, PA)

Is it tacky for the guests to write their own return addresses on the envelopes for the "thank you's"?

Our Answer:

Hi there,

This is a highly debated topic these days in the baby shower forums. It has created quite a stir with people debating on both sides of it.

For those of you who don't know, this is a baby shower door prize that was made to help take some of the stress off of the mom-to-be when she is writing her thank you cards. The guests fill out an envelope when they arrive with their name and address. It is placed in a basket when they are done. During the baby shower, the hostess draws out a few envelopes and those guests receive door prizes. I even have it listed in my door prize idea section, because it has caught on and is seen a lot at baby showers.

Just to give you a sampling of what people are saying about it...

On one side: It really does help the mom-to-be. When she is done writing the thank you note, she slips it in the envelope and sends it off in the mail. She does not have to dig to find the current address for each person, so it does take a step out for her. And there are circumstances, like a baby shower with relatives and friends of the husband, whom she barely knows and does not have addresses for. It can take quite some time to track them all down.

On the flip side: The guests have taken the time to buy a present and come to the shower to show their support for the mom-to-be. And they have to..what?? fill out their own thank you envelope?

If you do choose to do this baby shower game, you will take the chance of offending someone. Most offended people will not say anything about it and participate, or maybe you will get a raised eyebrow here and there. But the fact that it is debated so heavily in the forums leads me to believe that there are a good amount of people who feel it is poor taste. Others will think it is a wonderful idea, since it does help the mom-to-be.

I personally would have no problem with addressing my own envelope as a guest. They are not writing their thank you note, they are just addressing the envelope. If it helps the mom-to-be out, I am all for doing it.

I hope that helps. Good Luck with the baby shower!