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Birth Announcements
Author: Heather Slee
For those who worry that sending birth announcements could seem like you’re fishing for gifts, don’t worry! According to Judith Martin, author of Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, published by W. W. Norton & Company; Freshly Updated edition (April 25, 2005), sending a birth announcement is not only still acceptable, but it’s also a lovely gesture. “Miss Manners” assures us,
“No announcement, whether it is for a first or second child, first of second marriage or first or second attempt to be graduated, requires the recipient to send more than congratulations” (Martin 50-51).
So, what information goes on a birth announcement? It is really up to you. It can be as simple as the child’s name and birthday, or it can give the statistics, e.g., sex, weight, length, time of birth, and name. I wouldn’t suggest going into any gory details about the labor. You can even include a note, poem, quote, or photo. It can be a card or postcard. The options are endless.
Because the options are endless, and that’s not always a good thing, here are a few of my favorite websites for photo birth announcements:
Smilebox (A friend of planningfamily.com): Smilebox is a free, electronic way to send announcements. Choose a design; add a message, photo, and music. You can then email your creation, post it on your blog or Facebook page, or print it. Other Smilebox options include collages, slideshows, photo albums, scrapbooks, invitations, greetings and more.
Tiny Prints: Tiny prints has beautiful photo cards with simple, elegant designs. The website is very user-friendly. You upload a photo, choose the wording, and order. Each of the cards give suggestions for wording and what to include. This is perfect for new, tired, and busy parents. Prices on photo cards range from $.69 to $1.44.
Purple Stork: Purple Stork also has attractive announcement designs for photo cards. It has a smaller selection than other companies, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing- especially for wishy-washy moms like me. The great thing about Purple Stork is its “hassle-free guarantee.” You are guaranteed to love your birth announcements or Purple Stork will make it right. That’s good service. Prices range from $1.40 to $1.60.
Shutterfly: Shutterfly is not only a great place to go when you need to print a million photos, it also has pretty, darn cute birth announcements. With Shutterfly, you have many card design options- from modern to classic to quirky. The price is relatively low, from $.32 to $1.19, and it seems to have frequent sales. Sign up for Shutterfly’s news and offers and you’ll receive an email nearly every day about a deal.
