Addressing Your Invitations
Helpful Hints for Addressing Wedding Invitations
    We have prepared this handy guide to help make the
    addressing of your wedding stationery a simple task. An
    orderly approach will not only save time, but also reflects
    your personal care and thoughtfulness.

    Addressing Your Invitations
    Before you begin addressing, make sure that you have a well
    organized guest list, complete with full names and addresses.
    Using an excel spreadsheet or 3 x 5 cards gives you flexibility and
    a simple way to record names and addresses, acceptances,
    regrets and thank you's.
    This also allows you to separate your guests into three categories:
  1. Those to receive a wedding announcement
  2. Guests to receive an invitation to the ceremony only
  3. Guests who will be invited to both the ceremony and the reception

Your invitations should be addressed by hand in black ink. To create an added touch of elegance, you may
wish to call upon a friend with beautiful handwriting or hire a calligrapher to do the addressing.

Traditionally, two envelopes are used for wedding invitations and announcements. The inner
envelope, which may be plain or lined, is without glue and remains unsealed. It is used to enclose the
invitation or announcement and any accompanying cards. It also insures the delivery of the invitation itself in
a clean envelope. The outer envelope has a glued flap and is used for the complete mailing address. The
guest's full name is always used on the outer envelope followed by the street address:

Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Sutton
908 South Main Street
Hingham, Massachusetts 02043

Nicknames or abbreviations should be avoided when possible except for Mr., Mrs., Dr., Jr., etc. and for
military rank. You may use an initial if you do not know the full name or if the person never uses his given
name. Cities, states, and numbered streets are written out in full. Remember to include zip codes.

The inner envelope always carries the last names only with no address:

Mr. and Mrs. Wilford

The phrase "and family" should be avoided. If you wish to include younger children, they should be
mentioned by first name, according to age, on the line following that of their parents:

Mr. and Mrs. Wilford
Mark, Cynthia, Thomas

These names should appear on the inner envelope only. The outer envelope would be simply addressed to
the parents. Never write "No Children" on the invitation or envelope. If you do not want children to attend, the
situation should be handled verbally.

Formally, dates of single guests should be sent separate invitations. You may wish to enclose a
personal note in the invitation of a single guest saying. "Please bring an escort" or "Please bring Miss
Marie Quinn".

Two unmarried people who reside at the same address may be sent a single invitation. Their
names would appear on separate lines in alphabetic order:

Miss (Ms.) Roberta Trent
Mr. Robert Williamson

This same format may also be used when inviting a married couple, if the wife has kept her maiden name
or uses a professional title.

Divorced women are formally addressed by their maiden name plus their married name:

Mrs. Benton Dover

However, contemporary etiquette does allow for the use of the woman's first name:

Mrs. Janet Dover

A widowed woman is always addressed using her husband's first and last names:

Mrs. Henry Clearmont

In addressing clergymen, military officers and medical doctors, always use their titles in full:
The Right Reverend William Prentice
Doctor and Mrs. Martin Swift
Colonel and Mrs. Quinlan Roberts

                                                           Have a question?  Email us!
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