First and foremost, this is to be FUN!!!

It is our intent not to have formal "meetings". If something comes up that we need to discuss, we can talk about it over a nice lunch during our next outing.

All outings and meals are DUTCH TREAT. When possible, we will request seperate checks.

Royal Titles
Our Royal Court consists of all the Exalted Ladies of Red Ribbon and Lace. Each lady will choose her own Royal Title, either from a list or of one's own choosing.

Red Hat Society Membership
New members to Red Ribbon and Lace must be an official paid member of the Red Hat Society. Membership is paid directly to the Red Hat Society. For information regarding membership, visit: www.redhatsociety.com

Dues
The Royal Court decided that we should have a small monthly dues to cover chapter registration and whatever expenses we incur. For more dues information, please refer to the Dues Structure link on the Home Page.

RSVP
For all events, please RSVP. For lunch socials, RSVP to the hostess for the month. For outings, RSVP to either the Queen or the event coordinator whichever is applicable. Example: If we have 18 chapter members, we should have 18 RSVP's for each and every event. Chapter Size
As a chapter, we have decided to keep our chapter open and start new spin off chapters as needed. Our core group will consist of 15 ladies. The core group will not change unless one of the 15 drops out for any reason. We will accept up to 20 ladies in our chapter. Once we have 20, then ladies 16-20 will spin off our chapter and form a new chapter. As we receive referrals, ladies will be directed to the new group. Once that group is full, we will accept members 16-20 again. When we reach the 20th lady, those ladies 16-20 will spin off and form another chapter...and so on, and so on, and so on...

Do not panic! We are not going to just drop the ladies into a new chapter and forget about them. We will be there to help them get organized and/or until we are no longer needed. This is what I call a "team thing".

Communication:
Communication is of the utmost importance if we are going to become the best chapter in the Red Hat Society. As I gather information that is needed by the Royal Court of Red Ribbon and Lace, I will e-mail those with computers. For those without computers, you will have information passed to you via the mail or by another Sister Hatter calling you.

Wearing Our Colors...AKA:Wearing Our "Full Regalia"
Purple clothes with a red hat will be worn to ALL functions (lavendar clothes and a pink hat for those under 50). Have fun with this ladies and accessorize to the hilt! Feathers, sparklies, jewelry, whatever you can find. Functions in our homes will tend to be more informal and casual.
OK! What is purple?
For those of us 50 and over, purple can be any shade except lavendar. Purple, plum, periwinkle...I think you get the picture. Our first option for attire would be a purple top and a purple bottom. If you cannot find purple pants, or skirt, then red would be a second option. It is fun to have red or purple shoes and purse, however, that is NOT necessary. "Comfy" is a priority!

Visitors to our chapter
Before you invite anyone to a chapter function, you MUST call your Queen first!!! We do not want you to be in a position of asking a friend to join us only to find out that we can accommodate only a certain number of ladies. If we have room, there should be no problem. We ask that visitors wear at least a purple top (lavendar if under 50) and a red hat (you can loan your guest one of your hats) to all functions (pink hat if under 50).

Red Hat Society Sisters from other chapters may join us on outings as a guest. Remember...Call first before asking your visitor to join you.

Ladies not a member of the Red Hat Society may attend as a visitor, once a year. We would love for your visitor to have such a good time that she would want to find a chapter and become a Red Hatted Sister. Again, please call first before asking your guest to join us.

Attendance:
If you cannot attend shceduled events, please let the Queen know via E-mail or telephone call. If we do not hear from you for 3 months, you will be dropped from the roster as we assume you are no longer interested. As long as you let us know what is going on, there is no problem. We do not want to carry members on our roll that are not interested in remaining in the chapter.

In the laissez-faire spirit of the RHS, there are no formal roll call at gatherings. Attend the functions you are interested in attending.

Chapter Outings:
All of the work and cleanup for outings and activities, should not fall on only one or two ladies. We all need to pitch in and help.

Although RHS chapters often prefer to make public appearances, we also like to plan potlucks or perhaps a pj breakfast at someone's home. This serves to deepen friendships and to discuss ideas and philosophies regarding the future of the chapter and keeping everyone in close touch.

Besides tea parties and parades, Red Hatters have been known to stomp grapes at a winery, tour bread factories, host hat-making parties, etc. Get togethers can last for one hour or an entire weekend, and they don't have to cost a cent. If you have an idea for an event, please let us know. We love adding new and fun things to the events schedule.

Potlucks:
When we have a potluck, please bring your dish ready to serve. If you bring a cake or a pie, please have it pre-cut. If for example, you bring cranberry sauce, have it out of the can on a nice plate and pre-sliced ready to serve.

Event Tickets:
When there is a special event and a purchased ticket is needed, it is the responsibility of each chapter member to pay for their ticket. Unless otherwise stated, once the ticket is purchased, there are no refunds. Generally, if something comes up and you cannot attend the function for which you purchased a ticket, it is the chapter members responsibility to sell their own ticket. If the ticket is sold, then notification needs to be made to the powers that be.