It can be hard to determine quality when shopping for a handkerchief on the Internet. A web site may have beautifully staged pictures of their product, only to find that after you’ve purchased it, it is far from what you expected. “You get what you pay for...” is always good to remember. If the picture of the hanky looks great but the price seems very low it will most likely disappoint you.

Most ladies’ hankies you purchase today will have been made in either Europe or Asia. Handkerchiefs made in Asia will be of a lesser quality but also much less expensive. If you are on a budget this can be a great alternative to the higher quality but more expensive European (Swiss, German, Irish…) handkerchiefs.

Some brides will want the option of an ivory hanky especially if her dress is ivory. Check the hankies’ description, some white hankies will also be available in ivory. If not, e-mail or call the company to ask if the hanky can be dyed ivory. Most likely only companies specializing in wedding handkerchiefs will be able to accommodate this request.

Most ladies’ hankies are 100% cotton centers but the lace may not be. Synthetic lace is very stiff and cheap looking. It can look great on a web page but just awful once in hand. Look for fiber content in the handkerchief’s description. If it’s not there you might want to call the company and ask. Be aware, if you call the company and ask, they might assure you the lace is all cotton when it isn’t …. only because they really don’t know. When handkerchiefs are just one of a thousand things a company sells the staff can’t always know the particulars of each of their items. It is better to buy from a company that specializes in handkerchiefs and wedding handkerchiefs in particular. 100% cotton lace is best if you want a lace trimmed hanky but you will pay more for it. Be sure to look for fiber content of men’s hankies also, a lot of the less expensive ones are 50/50 poly-cotton which look and feel very cheap.

Ladies’ hankies are usually 10’’X10’’ - 12’’X12’’, sometimes a little bigger if the measurement includes the lace. Hankies large enough for baby bonnets can be hard to find, if you don’t want to look through the companies entire inventory call or e-mail to ask for a 13’’X 13’’ or larger hanky specifically for making into a baby bonnet. Men’s hankies are generally 14’’ X 14’’ - 16’’ X 16’’.

Read the handkerchief description thoroughly, it will usually tell you what you want to know but if not, e-mail or call the company to ask.

Check to see if there are packaging options for your hanky gift. Some companies only offer the hanky shipped flat in a plastic bag. This is fine for a less formal presentation, but if you want the handkerchief gift boxed you can choose to do it yourself or choose a handkerchief company that does it for you.

Depending on how fancy, expect to pay between $4.00 and $8.00 additional for packaging. Some companies include in their gift box presentation a poem card and an option to personalize the card.

If you want to gift box the hanky yourself to save money, first determine what you’ll pay for a gift box, card and ribbon. You may find the packaging that is done by the handkerchief company is the better value.

• Does the lace go all the way around the hanky or is it only trimmed in one corner?
• Is the embroidered design in one corner or all four?
• Does the hanky come only in white or can you get it in ivory if that’s what you need?
• If the hanky will later be sewn into a baby bonnet is it large enough?

Since a handkerchief is a very personal gift it lends itself beautifully to personalization.

• A first name
• A single initial
• A three letter monogram
• The bride and groom’s first names and their wedding date
• The wedding date
• A bible verse
• A saying or phrase that has special meaning to you and the recipient.

Personalized embroidery on a wedding handkerchief keepsake is especially touching to the recipient.

Whether you choose to have your bridesmaids’ initials embroidered on their hankies or your groom’s and your name and wedding date, it is a lovely way to show your appreciation to family and friends. This is a gift that will never be thrown away and will certainly be taken out again and again as the years go by to remember your lovely wedding day. Only a few handkerchief companies offer personalized embroidery and the amount of text they can stitch varies.

• What is the cost of the custom embroidery? Per line, per letter?
• How many lines of text can I have embroidered on the hanky?
• How many characters across - does this include spaces?
• What thread colors are available? Do you use cotton thread or synthetic?

We found one company that prints with ink on hankies quite inexpensively. They use an “iron on” heat transfer method. If you don’t find the rubbery feel of a heat transfer appealing, don’t choose ink printing for your handkerchief personalization. Only very expensive “state of the art” fabric printing equipment can successfully print text on a hanky without the distasteful appearance of heat transfer residue.

Get more for your wedding hanky dollar, once you’ve decided on a hanky company, ask about or look for a “quantity discount” program. Most companies will give you some discount if you are spending $100.00 or more. If they do have a quantity discount program in place it will be prominently displayed on the home page of their web site. If they don’t, you still have nothing to lose by e-mailing or calling and asking.

Give gift boxed hankies a day or so before the wedding so that the recipient has time to take it out of the box.

He or she may want to wash and iron it before using it at your wedding. A day ahead of the wedding is an especially good idea if the gift box presentation has a poem with it, the recipient (probably your mom) may shed a few tears and you both don’t want her make-up messed up on your wedding day!

Give unboxed hankies the day of the wedding as a wonderful last minute touch. The bride can give them out herself or put someone in charge of that. The same person that makes sure all the ladies get their corsages could give out the hankies.

We know of one bride who carried 7 hankies ( bunched like a bouquet) down the aisle and gave them to her mom, dad and 5 bridesmaids as she got to the alter. The groom also had hankies and gave one to his dad and mom and each of his groomsmen. The groomsmen all dabbed their foreheads at the same time and then put them in their inside coat pocket. It was very cute!

Don’t forget to carry one for yourself! How many brides go to the trouble of getting hankies for everybody else and forget that they’ll need a hanky most of all. And... it is a wonderful keepsake if you use it to wipe the kiss from your groom’s lips after “The Kiss”...

• The gold padlock: Found in the lower right corner of your screen when you are on a page where you will be typing in sensitive data. Indicates a secure transmission.
  
• https: Located at the beginning of the web address in your address bar, the “s” in the “https” stands for secure transmission. Found only on pages where you will be typing in sensitive data.
  
• The Security Certificate: Located by clicking on "File", and scrolling down to "Properties". Click “Properties”, then the “Certificates” tab. You’ll see who the certificate is issued to and how long it’s valid.

Find the “contact us” button: Located at the bottom of each page. This will be important in determining how long an order might take to be delivered. If you are in the United States and the vendor is in Canada or Australia it could take considerably longer than if they were in your home country. The “contact us” page should give address, phone and e-mail information.

You’ll also need shipping information to determine how long a package might take to get to you and what you’ll pay. Does the company use USPS, FED EX, UPS, or and other carrier? If you need a package delivered to a post office box you’ll need to specify that they use the USPS. Look for the “shipping information” link usually located at the bottom of the page, it should tell you ship times and cost. Also see: “Processing Time” & “Delivery Time” below.