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Last month we had our floors refinished and our rugs cleaned. Now, we’re having a Valentine’s Day cocktail party to celebrate our five-year anniversary and sending invitations, but we want to know if it is OK to ask guests to leave their shoes and boots at the door?

It is not just about possible mud or snow residue. Most of my friends wear very high heels to parties and we don’t want our newly refinished floors dented with spike heel marks. How do we forewarn them on the evite?

–C.H., Boston, MA

At the bottom of your evite under the RSVP line, add a sentence such as this:

No presents, only your presence when you leave your shoes at the door and use our flip-flops.

You can give away the flip-flops as a party favor or keep them for another event. There are those who will bring their own alternative or who are simply happy to pad around in stocking feet.

~Didi