Other Wedding Stuff: Wedding Engraving Ideas?

Q:

We're planning to order a pair of wedding toasting glasses and a wedding cake knife and server set, which we would like to have engraved. Is there a proper way to word the wedding engraving? We both go by nicknames (Carrie and Alex), but of course our real names are more formal (Carolyn and Alexander). Which names should we use, and whose name should go first?

A:

There's really no formal etiquette for this one -- it's pretty much up to you. If you feel like you want the set to be a fancy, formal memento of your wedding day, then you should probably go with your real names. But if your nicknames feel like your real names -- as in you wouldn't even look up if someone yelled, "Hey, Carolyn!" -- go with your nicknames. That way, your set will feel more like it's actually yours. You can make them be as formal or as low-key as you want, it's really about your personal style. You might also look at the style of the pieces you're choosing to help you decide what's best. As for whose name goes first, it really doesn't matter (though you've probably noticed we always do things ladies first).