“Only 30 days until your wedding! Do you begin to address all your wedding invitations?” a mother asked her son and daughter-in-law. “Sorry, actually not. We have no idea about that.”, the new couple replied.
An invitation is believed to be the first impression of a wedding, and the invitation envelope is the carrier of the wedding scene.
Are you guys also confused about how to address your wedding invitations? Luckily, you can find the answer in today’s article. And there is some necessary information about wedding invitations as well.
How to Address Wedding Invitations Correctly?
This is the most important part of your wedding and this article’s main purpose. Different guests should be addressed in special invitations.
Hard to understand? Never mind, let’s see them one by one.
● Single Envelope
If only one envelope of your invitation, it’s very easy to hand on. I’ll express examples in detail.
1. Married Couples
On the one hand, if the woman doesn’t keep her maiden name, you can prepare the envelope in the male’s full formal name, with “Mr. and Mrs.” in front.
e.g., Mr. and Mrs. Robert Johnson
On the other hand, you have to write the female’s name first if the wife keeps her maiden name.
e.g., Mrs. Celine Smith and Mr. Robert Purcell
Besides, if they are same-gender, you should list their full name alphabetically by last name.
e.g., Mr. Arron Bieber
Mr. Charlie Garrix
1. Unmarried Couple Living in the Same Room
You should list your friend first, and his or her partner will be the next line separately. Here is “Ms.” or “Miss” before the female and “Mr.” for the male.
e.g., Ms. Mary Stille
Mr. John Peterson
2. Single Person
For single women, refer to her full formal name with the title “Miss.”
e.g., Miss Jennifer Elgin
And the male uses his full formal name after “Mr.”.
e.g., Mr. Paul Abraham
3. Family with Children
The difficulty, there will be a difference if children under 18 and over 18. So you have to be sure of the age of every child.
If children are all under 18, Children’s names are arranged, according to the age underneath the parents’ names, omitting their last names.
e.g., Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Emmi and Gina
When children are over 18, they should receive their separate invitations. Their names must be listed by seniority fully and formally.
e.g., Miss Gina Smith
Miss Emmi Smith
4. Friend with Guest
There are also 2 standards you should abide by, whether the guest is known or not.
If he or she is a known guest, you should write your friend’s name first, listing the formal name of the guest below.
e.g., Miss Taylor Swift
Mr. Alan Walker
When you know nothing about the guest, you should list your friend’s full formal name with “and guest” behind, which must be written in lowercase.
e.g., Miss Taylor Swift and guest
Can you guys be clearer about a wedding invitation with only one envelope?
If so, let’s take a look at double envelopes!
Carefully and seriously! It will be a little bit more obscured.
● Invitations with Inner and Outer Envelopes
The inner and outer envelopes will follow their own etiquette rules!
The outer envelope should be formal. You must write the name fully, even with a specific title, while the inner envelope is informal. You can get some abbreviations here, with no first name, title or last name, etc.
Because the outer envelope is similar to the above, I will explain the inner envelope mostly.
1. Single Person
The full formal name should be listed on the outer envelope with “Ms.” or “Miss” for women and “Mr.” for men (single or divorced). And the inner envelope could be the last name followed by “and guest.”
e.g., Miss Bell and guest (INNER)
2. Divorced Woman with Her Married Name
“Mrs.” or “Ms.” should be in the front of the full name in the outer, and the guest will appear in the inner envelope.
e.g., Ms. Abdul and guest (I)
3. Married Couple
If the wife didn’t keep her maiden name, you could list the couple’s title and formal name on the outer paper. Omit the first name on the inner envelope.
e.g., Mr. and Mrs. Puth (I)
If she kept her maiden name, you should use the couple’s formal name and title on the outer envelope and drop their first name on the inner side, the female’s name first.
e.g., Mrs. Still and Mr. Peterson (I)
The same-gender couple will get their last name after the title
e.g., Mr. Bieber
Mr. Garrix
4. Friend with Guest
The inner envelope is your friend’s name first, and the guest will list below if you know the guest’s name without their first name.
e.g., Miss Swift
Mr. Walker
If you don’t know his name, you can use “and guest” to make a concession.
e.g., Miss Swift and guest
5. Unmarried Couple Living in the Same Room
Describe their last names after “Ms.” and “Mr.” the female’s name first.
e.g., Ms. Stille
Mr. Peterson
6. Family with Children
If children are all under 18, their names will be omitted from the outer envelope. Only the parent’s name will be.
e.g., Mr. and Mrs. John Smith (O) Mr. and Mrs. John Smith (I) Emmi and Gina
If all the children are over 18, full names will be on an outer envelope, and the “Misses,” for females, or “Messrs,” for males, will be on the inner side in front of the last name.
e.g., Miss Emmi Smith (O) The Misses Smith (I)
Miss Gina Smith
Besides, you should list their name after “Miss” or “Mr.” according to the seniority if both males and females are on the outer envelope. And the first name will be omitted on the inner side.
7. Distinguished Titles
There are some distinguished titles you have to know how to write them with formal names correctly
- Judge
- Medical Doctor
- Academic Doctor (Ph.D.)
- Clergy
- Priest
Do you worry about your wallet?
How much will these envelopes spend?
Please calm down and keep reading!
In the next part, I’ll analyze the 3 main factors influencing postage expense.
3 aspects to influence your postage expense
I’ll list the three elements determining a letter’s postage value to help you calculate it.
Weight
Suite weight determines postage. Have your stationer weigh your suite before ordering postage. Bring one fully constructed suite to your local USPS to weigh if you are mailing your invitations.
One eternal stamp costs $0.55 for a rectangular letter weighing 0-1 ounce. Over one ounce and under two ounces require a $0.70 stamp. Over two ounces and under three ounces cost $0.85 postage.
Shape & Thickness
Square invitations require additional postage. Square envelopes cost $0.15 more to mail than rectangles. Weight price plus $0.15 equals shipping.
Upgrade to a package if an envelope is thicker than 0.25 inches, which might cost over $3 for each set to send.
Machinability
Machines process USPS letters. Scanners sort envelopes and postage. Hand cancellation is required if the machine cannot handle your invites. Your local USPS representative will hand-stamp each invitation before sorting. Some post offices charge for this service. Hand-canceling costs $0.21 per letter. Your post office may not charge, so check!
The bottom line
It’s time to design your special wedding invitations! You can get them at the local post office or United States Postal Service (USPS) retail location. And if you are busy choosing between vintage and modern wedding invitations, you can click here and find more suggestions.
I hope you guys have an extremely romantic wedding!
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