Wedding Invitations Address Etiquette Guide
The etiquette for addressing wedding envelopes is much the same as the Save the Date cards. The outer envelope should be addressed more formally with Mr. and Mrs. and full names and titles when appropriate. At the same time, the outer envelope might have Mr. John and Mrs. Sally Simpson. The inner envelope could be Mr. and Mrs. Simpson or just John and Sally.
If your guests are a married couple with different last names, use Mr. and Mrs. For example, Mr. Jim Nelson and Mrs. Nancy White. A divorced female should be addressed as Ms., as can a widowed, married woman. However, it is appropriate to use Mrs. for a widow. An unmarried couple living together should be Mr. and Ms. A same-sex couple should be Ms. and Ms. or Mr. and Mr.
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Etiquette For Mailing Wedding Invitations
Before you buy stamps, take an assembled invitation to the post office and have it weighed. Its likely that the inserts, or even an unusually shaped envelope, will call for extra postage. The post office usually has wedding-themed stamps that will cover the cost of most invitations with enclosures. Some post offices may be out of stock, however, so leave time to find them at another branch or to order them online.
Remember that maps and other inserts sent to out-of-town guests will make those invitations heavier than ones sent to local guests and may require a postage adjustment. In that case, be sure to assemble two sets and have both weighed.
Lastly, ask at your post office if it is possible to have your envelopes hand-stamped. This produces a different postmark than if your invitations were run through an automatic sorter.
The 411 On Double Wedding Envelopes & Why They Arent Necessary For Pocket Invitations
Whats a Double Wedding Envelope?
Double wedding envelope sets consist of an outer mailing envelope and a slightly smaller inner envelope. Traditional wedding invitation etiquette states the following uses for inner and outer envelopes:
Outer Envelope
- Formally addressed for mailing purposes Mr. James Jones
- Protects inner envelope from marking/tearing/weathering during mailing process
Inner Envelope
- Informally addressed and includes guests and children James Jones and Guest
- Houses and organizes invitation and components and is protected by outer envelope
Why Arent Double Envelopes Necessary for Pocket Invitations?
Inner and outer envelopes arent necessary for pocket invitations for two reasons:
So there you have it if youre making modern pocket invitations, lighten up! Nix the inner envelope and use just an outer mailing envelope. But herein lies the next problem. . .
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How To Address Wedding Invitations To Those With Other Distinguished Titles
Apply the same rules you use for doctors for military personnel, judges, reverends and so on. If both titles don’t fit on one line, indent the second line.
On the outer envelope:
The Honorable Jane Kelly and Lieutenant Jonathan Kelly, US Navy
If they’re both captains in the military:
Captains Jane and Jonathan Kelly, US Navy
On the inner envelope:
Judge Kelly and Lieutenant Kelly, US Navy
The Captains Kelly
Addressing & Mailing Wedding Invitations
Imagine your wedding envelope standing out like a diamond in the sand among the other pieces in the pile.
Casting all other mail aside, your addressee will pore over the contents and pay attention to the details.
Both pretty and practical, Wedding Envelopes must do the heavy lifting of communicating whos invited .
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What About Aunty Sue & Uncle Bob
Confused about how to address wedding invites to those family members? Should you use their first name or Mam, Dad, Aunty, Uncle etc? The rule of thumb is to think about who the invitation is coming from and how would the person doing the inviting address the guest in question.
If the invitations are coming from you as a couple and you feel comfortable using Aunty Sue & Uncle Bob then do! If the invites are from the parents of the bride then using Aunty or Uncle then becomes irrelevant.
Whose Name Goes First When You Address The Invite
When you start to think about how to address wedding invites, youll probably be wondering which name to put first. Generally speaking, if you know both partners then traditionally the mans name would go first. If youre not worried about tradition go with whichever! Where you know one half of a couple better than the other, put their name first. This would apply for same sex couples too. The key here is dont overthink it most couples are just naturally one way around or the other arent they? Dec & Ant?. Im saying no more.
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How To Address Chinese Wedding Invitations
- Invitations are traditionally issued from the grooms parents
- Relatives and family friends are invited by the parents of the bridal couple
- Bride and groom issue the invite to their own friends
- Refer to an online chart if confused on specific Chinese titles to avoid disrespecting anyone
- If inviting a whole family, follow up closer to the wedding date to clarify how many seats you will need for them
Without An Inner Envelope Where Do I Include Guests & Kids
Since traditional invitation etiquette suggests that the formal mailing address goes on the outer envelope and the informal address James Jones and Guest, or James Jones and Timmy, Tommy, and Susie goes on the inner, people very commonly ask how to indicate that guests and kids are invited if there is no inner envelope.
This is a great question and a valid point to make, but it is not one to get worked up over! In this modern day many people still use double wedding envelopes, but an increasing number do not. Even without the use of an inner envelope and traditional wedding etiquette, there are several ways to properly address your envelopes and to indicate that guests or kids are invited, which we discuss below.
1. Include Guests & Kids on the Outer Envelope
The easiest way to include guests and kids is just to include them on the outer mailing envelope. For example, Mr. James Jones and Guest, or Mr. and Mrs. James Jones and Family.
Its formal, its proper, its easy for you, and its the clearest way for your guests to see that their significant other or children are invited to your event even before they open the envelope no questions asked.
2. Indicate it on the R.S.V.P. Card
Another option is to use the reply card to indicate that guests or kids are invited. There are two ways to do this, both of which can be done on their own, or in conjunction with including guests and kids on the outer envelope.
1 Add a Line to Indicate Number of Guests Attending
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A Guide On How To Address Inner And Outer Envelopes
The guide below is designed to give you examples of various scenarios you will come across when addressing your wedding envelopes. We’ve included a column with examples for addressing both inner envelopes and outer envelopes, since most traditional wedding invitations come with both.
But, not all wedding invitations will come with an inner envelopes. In fact, our Seal and Send Invitations dont come with any envelopes at all! If your wedding invitations did not come with inner envelopes, you will follow the outer envelope examples but you will want to clearly state who is invited to the wedding.
For example, if you’re inviting a family of five, write the parents’ names as shown above and then write all three of the children’s first names like mentioned in the inner envelope column . If you are encouraging single friends and family members to bring a guest, be sure to write “and guest” on the outer envelope.
How To Address Wedding Invites Traditionally
For a married couple with children the traditional and correct form of address, would be
Mr & Mrs Barrie Thomas, Ellis & Huw
This is perfect if your wedding invitations are traditional and formally worded, with the parents of the bride hosting i.e.
Mr & Mrs John Jones request the pleasure of the company of Mr & Mrs Barrie Thomas, Ellis & Huw at the marriage of their daughter . . . .
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Some Bonus Tips From Jo
Now youve addressed your wedding invitations, youre probably wondering how much its going to be to post them all out. Well, surprise surprise theres no definitive answer to that either. Do go and have a read of my blog post What stamps will I need for my wedding invitations though that will give you lots of hand tips to consider before buying your stamps and heading off to the post box.
When youre collating your guest list for those invites, keep a record of them all and start to think about what names youre going to use on your table plan and place cards. If you plan to use surnames throughout then its a good idea to start finding them out early on . Have a read of my blog What names do I use on my table plan and place cards for more advice.
Pin this image and save How to address wedding invites to your wedding planning board so you can find it when you need it.
*Advice on traditional etiquette can be found on Debretts website
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How to address wedding invitations to unmarried couples. Invitations to an established couple who are unmarried but live at the same address are addressed to ms. The first look properly address your wedding invitations to ensure your wedding guests understand fully who what you expect on your big day. If the woman uses her husbands name socially, the address is dr.
I addressed them as unmarried. How to address unmarried couple with children? When addressing an envelope to an unmarried couple who lives together, the secret cue they are not married is to write their names independently on two lines and without the word and, as in the example below.
To a married woman doctor or two married doctors. How should i address an invitation to a married couple if the wife has kept her maiden name both socially and professionally? Learn how to address your wedding invitations at annâs, and find tips from the experts about addressing envelopes formally vs.
Just send to both of them with both names on the envelope. Jane potter Address the invitation the same way you would address one to a couple who is living together but not married .
Boys don’t need a title until they’re 18then they can be addressed as mr. Couples may or may not share a last name, and that calls for protocol. There’s a proper way to address the invitations.
Wedding Invitation Ideas Paper Source. Save the Dates
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How To Address To Military Personnel
Knowing how to address military the invitations can be complicated. First tip: when a member of the military are on active duty, never address them as Mr/Mrs/Ms. When wanting to know how to address wedding invitations to navy corpsman or other branches of the military, you can divide it into senior and junior officers.
For senior, the title is listed before the name, for junior , the title is written on the line below. The branch of service is on the line below for senior officers and on appears on the same line for junior officers.
Inner And Outer Envelopes
It used to be a custom to have two envelopes: an outer envelope, for the mailing, and an inner envelope, to keep all elements together with the invitation and to keep the invitation clean. It is a tradition that feels really formal nowadays, and honestly unless you have a really formal wedding, I personally dont think they are necessary. There are plenty of other embellisments that are far more interesting than an inner envelope in my opinion. But: to explain the addressing rules, you have to keep this practice of inner and outer envelopes in mind. The outer envelope addressed more formal, while the inner envelope usually only has first names, or familiar names written on them. Keep this in mind when reading the next few paragraphs.
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When To Mail Your Wedding Invitations
Typically you should send your invitations 6-8 weeks before your wedding date. For a destination wedding and for out of town guests, send invitations 3 months in advance to give guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements. You should also allow an additional week or two if your envelopes require hand-canceling by the post office.
How To Address Without Inner Envelope
If youre wondering how to address the invitations with one envelope or how to properly address wedding invitations without inner envelopes, you can include the guest and kids on:
- The outer envelope
- Indicate the exact guests on the RSVP card
- Guest address on the pocket
- Address the guests by name on the belly band
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How To Stuff Wedding Invitations
Before stuffing the wedding invitations, assemble all of the components that will be going into the outer envelope. These may include, but not be limited to, RSVP card and postage-paid return envelope, printed directions or map, and information on additional events.
After the names have been written on the inner envelope, the invitation is placed in the inner envelope. For a folded invitation, it is placed in the inner envelope folded edge down front-facing. If it is a single card, it should be placed left edge down also front-facing. This means guests will see the printed invitation once they have opened the inner envelope.
The assembled components listed above should be stacked smallest to largest and placed inside the folded invitation or in front of the single card. The inner envelope is placed unsealed in the already addressed outer envelope. Names and addresses should be double or triple-checked before mailing.
Once you have fully assembled the invitation, you should bring it to the post office to determine how much postage will be needed. The addition of multiple items may make the postage more than a standard letter. A few websites even offer personalized stamps that will have a picture of the bride and groom and the correct postage. You can also ask the post office to hand stamp the envelopes, which many feel are more attractive than the machine stamp.
