I’m hyperventilating! Sitting with blue pencil in hand, I am making the final edits to a very important invitation, and the pressure is mounting. One would think that this task would be easy for me, because I drafted, reviewed and approved thousands of invitations in my career in protocol and events management at the Library of Congress. Interesting…I didn’t flinch when I had to sign off on the proofs of invitations to lunch with HM Queen Elizabeth II; to have tea with the Emperor and Empress of Japan; to hear a speech by HM King Juan Carlos I of Spain; to witness then Presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin push a button to launch an online exhibit into cyberspace; or to the ceremony where Big Bird was designated a Living Legend. But today is different. Right now, I’m sweating the details like never before.
While staring at the proofs in front of me, doubts are swirling in my brain. Were all the changes made from the previous round of edits? Are the dates, addresses, and telephone numbers correct? Have I missed any spelling errors? Because I have been obsessed with this invitation and its companion pieces for some time, am I seeing what they SHOULD say and not what they ACTUALLY say?
Oh, get a grip! Sign the approval form and fax everything back to the printer. After all, how important can this project be? Well…when my only daughter is getting married, her wedding invitation has incredible significance and is a very special document to me. I want everything to be perfect for this very sweet bride and her wonderful husband-to-be. Good thing the invitations that I produced in my professional life didn’t carry this much weight!
