Monogram Etiquette… According to Tay:

Reese Witherspoon said it best; “if it’s not moving- monogram it!”

Hello my friend, are you not from the south & love monograms? Maybe you are THE southern belle but find yourself holding your sweet-tea confused about a bridal monogram. Or are you sipping that Diet Coke shaking your head thinking I am just here for the baby stuff! Well here is the tea, sis. I got your back. There is indeed a rule to follow when monogramming. The clothing, wedding china, bags, towels whatever and however you monogram… etiquette matters and i am here to give you all the details!

For the Newly Weds: My dear friend, Morgan Teller is the joyful bride to be. Her full name is Morgan Elizabeth Teller. Her new name after the wedding will be Morgan Teller Lierely. The traditional etiquette for a bride is to get her something monogramed with her new initial in the middle. For Morgan that will be mLt. Here in the Deep South it is common for the bride to receive feminine gifts, such as bags, dinner napkins, cocktail napkins, bath towels, table linens, and fine china used for entertaining with her new initials: mLt or all caps as it reads MTL. The more traditional version is the new last name initial (L) bigger than the other letters placed in the middle.

When gifting a couple’s monogram- you will put their first name initials with the Man’s last name initial large in the middle. For example, Morgan is marrying John. The monogram for Morgan and John is mLj. Traditionally, the lady’s letter is placed first. The couple’s monogram is gifted on things the newly weds can use together such as bath towels, hand towels, home decor or fine linens for entertaining!

Monograms for Baby: I have amazing news- Monogramming for baby is the same as monogramming for teens, young adults, young professionals and grown ladies… Thank goodness! A baby monogram follows the same etiquette as a grown woman! Let’s use my daughter Libby as the example… when we monogram initials on items we use the full formal name for letter placement. Now y’all, I never say never… unless etiquette or thread color is involved… you will never see me design dark colors for anything baby AND we never use nicknames for 3 letter initials... (At least we don’t here at Libby Priere Designs) Libby’s formal name is Elizabeth Newman Loeffel. The Traditional Monogram puts the last name letter largest in the middle. The traditional monogram is most commonly done with all-cap letters depending on the font style! The traditional monogram for Libby it is: eLn. And yes one day it will change and all her monogramed items will still be just as beautiful. The Classic Monogram puts the letters in all caps exactly as the formal name reads from left to right. This style is not as common and is the old school way (as I call it). For Libby it is: ENL. This is my favorite style. Double names are A THING in the south and they follow the same rule as the full formal name for a 3 letter monogram! Some babies/ladies have 4 formal names and that can get tricky. 4 names will have to be stacked or read straight across left to right. I’ve done a few of these and they really are beautiful! The Stacked Monogram: traditionally used for boys as they are masculine looking. They will read as (you guessed it) the full formal name with the big letter as the last name initial. I hope you have learned a few things reading this and know that you can always ask me for help if need! Xx tay

Bonnets: it’s not just a hat!

I love to get out and about with my kids, run errands, eat lunch or play wild at the park- I’m always in the same yoga pants and t-shirt since college and my kids are dressed to the nines. I love to make new friends, connect with other mamas and start conversations- they soon turn from being a kind stranger to more of a “mom friend” as I call it- then all of a sudden my newest mom friend says, “I love Libby’s hat” - do I correct her? Do I play along with it and be super polite, tell her “thank you” and move on?! The first several times this happened I smiled and said “Ahhh thank you so much”- BUT as of recently I get little spunky and respond with “Girl, it’s a bonnet!!- thank you so much!” Call me nutty but there is a difference between a hat and a bonnet... Why does it make me laugh? I’m being silly - but I am super passionate about bonnets and the traditional look of them. If you want to have an item in your babies closet that is truly timeless and classic, you guessed it - a bonnet!

Bonnets are designed to wrap snug around babies face for a reason... In fact: bonnets are not just made for the sun protection - They are made to protect sweet baby’s face from outside elements like wind, noise, harsh texture, germs, sunshine, or bright light. My Mimi always told me they are the best shield from the wind getting in baby’s ears! They provide the baby with cushion and comfort all while being stylish and precious. Baby bonnets go back to the 1600s and come in all types of styles! I adore the everyday look as well as the dressy church/special occasion and keepsake bonnets. My daughter, Libby wears them everywhere we go - even the park. Always say yes to the bonnet!! Before we know it our babies will be asking for hair braids, glitter clips and pony tails and that will be a whole new fun world!!

Always say YES to putting that baby in a bonnet! Don’t think twice about it and thank me later-

XX

-Tay