Wedding Invitation Etiquette: How to Address Wedding Invitations
Learn how to address your wedding invitations with ease. It can be difficult to know the proper rules of wedding invitation etiquette, but we've broken it down for you with this handy chart. You will be able to easily navigate any type of situation you may come across when the time comes to address your invitations. The list of things to do when you're planning a wedding can seem endless, so it's nice to have all the wedding invitation etiquette you need all in one convenient place. It has never been easier to find the right way to send invitations to your family members and friends. The invitation is one of the first wedding impressions your guests will have, so you want to make sure you start off with a bang - and we can help!
Notes
- If you are putting a middle name, spell it out. Do not just include an initial. This helps personalize the invitation.
- The word and used to only apply to married couples. It is no longer this way. However, if you would like to stick with tradition, you can put the two names on separate lines without an "and".
- The male's name usually comes first unless the female outranks the male. You can also put the names in alphabetical order if that's your preference.
Wedding Invitation Etiquette Wording
Outer and Inner envelopes are an old-fashioned tradition that is getting less common. Inner envelopes are used so that the guest receives a fresh envelope should the outer envelope get dirty or torn in transit. The outer envelope gives all information needed by the Postal Service, and the inner envelope spells out who is invited. If you are only using one envelope, include all guests.
For example:
Ms. Jaclyn Beth and Guest
2456 Spring Street
Davenport, Iowa 45454
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Shime
Brad, Daniel, and Junior
4598 South Market Street
Burbank, Illinois 67945
- Guests over 18 should receive their own invitations, even if they are living at home and their parents are invited.
- The inner envelope can also use first names. For example, "Frank and Samantha Shime" or "Frank and Samantha".
- If you cannot fit both names on one line, use the and before the second name on the next line and indent it.
Do you have any questions about wedding etiquette?