Addressing Wedding Invitation Etiquette
"Finally a section with so many 'CREATIVE'
wedding invitation wording examples!"
Could there really be rules for addressing an envelope?
After countless hours spent making the invitation just right, the last thing you want to do is to spend a few more on the lowly envelope, but it's the first thing that guests are going to see!
It's also a rather bad place to store your etiquette faux pax, so take notice of this addressing wedding invitation etiquette.
So you won't want to mess this up – those envelopes are expensive to replace!
Before you can even get to the basics, however, it's worth noting that different rules apply for inner and outer envelopes. You may want to take notes...and perhaps something for a headache. Here's a quick overview.
Individuals
On the outer envelope, unmarried women should be referred to as Miss or Ms. Smith, with the option of adding and Guest to the inner envelope. Men should be address as Mr. James Jones on the outer and Mr. Jones on the inner.
If a divorced female uses her married name, address her as Mrs. Sally Jones on the outer and Mrs. Jones on the inner. If she uses her maiden name, refer to her as Miss Sally Smith on the outer envelope and Miss Smith on the inner.
For single guests, you can add and Guest to the inner envelope to indicate that they may bring a plus one.
Married Couples
This one is easy. Address the outer envelope to Mr. and Mrs. James Jones and the inner to Mr. and Mrs. Jones. You probably already knew that!
Married couple with different last names: If a woman walks down the aisle and brings her maiden name with her, you have to list both of them. The outer envelope should read Mr. James Jones and Mrs. Sally Smith, with the inner envelope simply displaying Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith.
Married couple when one spouse is a doctor: Make sure you get this addressing wedding invitation etiquette right – doctors can afford great wedding gifts! If the husband is a doctor, simply replace the traditional married couple salutation with Dr. in place of Mr. If the wife is a doctor, the invitation should read Dr. Sally Smith and Mr. James Jones on the outer envelope with Dr. Smith and Mr. Jones on the inner. If both are doctors, the outside should read Drs. James and Sally Jones with Drs. Jones on the inner.
Married couple when one spouse is an officer: Never offend someone who outranks you! If the husband is an officer, replace Mr. with his abbreviated rank, such as Col. If the wife is an officer, the outer envelope should read Col. Sally Smith and Mr. James Jones, while the inner envelope should be written as Col. Smith and Mr. Jones.
Married couple with children: To include children with their parents in an invitation, first seriously rethink how a screaming child is going to sound in the video tape, then pat yourself on the back for assuming that you have so much patience and address the outer envelope to Mr. and Mrs. James Jones, with James, Sally, Fred, and Ginger listed on the inner envelope. To follow proper addressing wedding invitation etiquette, list husband, wife, and then children in order of oldest to youngest.
Special Wedding Invitation Examples
Unmarried couples who live together: List the couple alphabetically by last name. An outer envelope would read Miss Amy Adams and Mr. Robert Williams. The inner envelope, then, reads Miss Adams and Mr. Williams.
Same gender couples: List the couple alphabetically by last name. For the outer envelope, that would be Mr. Paul Jackson and Mr. William Moore. Inside, write Mr. Jackson and Mr. Moore.
Young adults aged 18 and older should receive their own wedding invitation, even if they still live at home. Their parents will appreciate them having to buy their own gift!
Final Note
Do you want your overall presentation to be neat, clean, and crisp? It's more than just spelling it out for the mail man on addressing wedding invitation etiquette.
If you dropped an invitation in a puddle or backed over it in the driveway on the way to the post office, it's poor manners to send it off anyway.
Yes, it might very well have happened after you left it in the care of the postal service, but that excuse only works if you're absolutely sure that no one saw you, the ink didn't smear, and the tire treads won't match your truck.
Otherwise, you'd be better off to pull out one of those pricey envelopes and start all over!
If you're looking for some unique invitation design, here are some outstanding ideas:
