Addressing Wedding Invitations
Proper etiquette and tips on what to do
Addressing wedding invitations for a traditional formal wedding * Use full names and titles
* You should not use any abbreviations like St. or Ave. * When addressing wedding invitations the addresses on the envelopes should be neatly hand written * Hand delivery is a no-no. Every guest should be sent an invitation through the mail (this includes both sets of parents) * Addressing wedding invitations should be done failry early. Invitations should be mailed 6 - 8 weeks prior to the event, and at least 8 weeks prior for out of state guests or those living further away
How to address an envelope In addressing wedding invitations for a traditional formal wedding they are sometimes sent using two envelopes - an inner envelope and an outer envelope. The inner envelope is not necessary but aids in informing your guest to exactly who is invited and who is not. If you choose not to use two envelopes you can still address the outside of the envelope to include those guests which are invited. For an entire family:
Mr. and Mrs. Park To greet specific family members or children:
Mr. and Mrs. Park To indicate to bring a guest:
Mr. Paul Reed and Guest For a couple who have different last names:
Miss Amy Eastover and Mr. Robert Robertson
Weddings are not always so traditional anymore!
Well the times they are a-changin'! More and more often couples are shying away from the traditional and/or typical kind of wedding. As far as I can see, if the wedding is completely non-traditional then why should you have to stick so closely to the rules? After all rules were made to be broken. For a completely non-traditional wedding there is no reason that addressing the wedding invitations should be done traditionally.
* Dont want to spend forever handwriting each and every envelope? Or what if you just have terrible handwriting? It is becoming more acceptable to have the addresses printed instead. I would not exactly recommend printing address labels as these tend to look cheap and shabby. However I would recommend printing the addresses straight onto the envelope. You can do this using your home computer's printer. Here's how to print them perfectly: 1. Using either your word processing program or desktop publishing software when opening a new document choose File and then select Page setup or Document setup. This should open a new window where you will set the size of the page and margins. Just set the size of the page to the exact size of your envelope. 2. Once you have set your page up to the size of your envelope just type in your return and forwarding address. 3. Print it! Make sure your printer setup shows your paper size as that of your envelope. Otherwise it will not print correctly onto the envelope. 4. Now just go back and change the forwarding address to the next guest on the list. * Want to hand deliver some of your invitations? Go for it! These days an increasing number of couples are paying for their own ceremonies and let's face it! - weddings are not cheap! If you want to help keep the budget low by cutting a few corners then there is no shame in hand delivering your invitations to those who live very close to you or those you will see on a daily basis. Although I would not recommend forfeiting the invitation altogether for an email or phone call. You could even hand deliver to their mailbox so that your guest will still get it in the mail, just minus the stamp! * If it doesn't mean anything more to you and you know it will not upset any of your guests then go right ahead and abbreviate while you are addressing wedding invitations. Go ahead and us knick-names. Address them to "Uncle Joe" and "Cousin Smitty" for all you want. People who love you will not be appalled if you are not all that formal. They most likely will appreciate it, be tickled pink and maybe get a lil' chuckle out of it.
A few more tips for addressing wedding invitations
* If you choose to hand write your envelopes make sure you use a good permanent marker or pen. If the envelope happens to get wet in the mail the ink may run all over the place. Maybe even to the point that it cannot be read. * Try decorating your envelopes with stickers or even a wax seal on the seam! * Go ahead and hire a calligrapher! Addressing your envelopes will seem alot easier and they will look beautiful! * Send seperate invitations to any family members who are over the age of 18.
* For zip code help go to -
USPS.com
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