Any cause for celebration is the perfect reason to throw a party – and designer Shannon DeCock decided to do just that when she was granted dual U.S.-British citizenship this past spring!  Shannon drew inspiration from the two Durhams – her current home town of Durham, North Carolina and her mom’s birthplace of County Durham in England – and incorporated a custom plaid in shades of red and blue.  So fun!
From Shannon: My mom was born in England and moved here when she was 20.  Due to the laws in place at the time, I did not receive dual citizenship at birth – so I applied for my dual citizenship last summer.  I took the oath this spring and thought it was the perfect excuse to throw a party!
I live in Durham, North Carolina, the Bull City, and, coincidentally, my mom is from County Durham, England.  I thought it fitting for the two Durhams to collide — giving the Durham Bull a bowler hat and a monocle.
I also created a custom plaid for the back of the invitation. Â Although tartan is typically Scottish, I thought the pattern added a colorful pop to the back, and County Durham is pretty far north.
Thanks so much Shannon – and congratulations!
Photo Credits: DeCock Designs
I have noticed more and more invitations on OSBP being designed and the party planning done by the person the party is supposed to honor. I don’t mean any offense, but I’ve always been taught that you should not throw a party in your own honor – somebody else should throw it for you. More and more, I am seeing people throw their own bridal showers, baby showers, and birthday parties. Of course, it is acceptable for weddings, but even then, many invites are technically “from” the parents of the betrothed and say so on the invite, unless the couple is hosting the wedding themselves. Am I mistaken or is etiquette changing, or perhaps it is just a Midwest thing?
Kristin — I think you’re right that the traditional etiquette calls for someone else doing the party planning. But I am really glad that the modern trend is for people to throw their own parties! I hope this trend becomes the new standard. That way, your party is exactly how you want it, you don’t have to wait around for someone to throw a party for you, and you don’t have to put the stress, responsibility, and financial burden of the party on a friend who simply feels obligated by tradition to throw the party. That way, if a friend does throw you a party, you know they really wanted to!
Oops, I meant “Kristen”… sorry!! mistyped!
I’m not sure there would be many parties if we all waited for someone to throw us one! i also agree the best way to make sure the party is as you would like it, is to organise it yourself!
i think your plaid design is really striking and I lopve the sentiment behing it :0)
Oh, I looooooove these!
Kristen, I’m also from the Midwest (and happen to adore & collect vintage etiquette books.) I think you’re taking this a little too seriously. These are really cute invites made to let friends know the when/where/ why of a celebration. Stationery isn’t a formal, stuffy thing. It’s a way to convey information in a fun, beautiful way. Lots of invites are sent out by the hostess herself, and have been since the invention of the martini. Casual parties deserve well-designed invites, too! Stores are filled with fill-in-the-blank invites for everything from backyard BBQs to neighborhood cocktail parties. Shannon just happened to make her own. I’m sure most people would be happy to get such an invite in their mailbox, and happy to celebrate something so neat happening to a friend! Anyone curmudgeonly enough to think, “Oh dear, looks like this doesn’t follow the Rules!” probably doesn’t get invited to many shin digs. Lighten up! I think these are adorable and the spirit in which they were done is charming & sweet.
sara, i wasn’t thinking poorly of the designer featured; rather, just wondering what the proper etiquette was as it seems this is increasingly popular, and when i looked online, most etiquette sites say it is a no-no. so it was just a question. no judgement or finger-pointing, just an honest wondering. thanks for your input.
If I waited for someone to throw me a party, I could be waiting a long while. Must be etiquette is changing, I want a party, I take the initiative and throw one, not waiting in desperation for someone else to do so!
Smashing Brilliant is right. The theme is great, and the design is perfectly rendered. Epic work here.