Wedding Invitations

Wedding Invitation Etiquette

-How to properly address your wedding invitations-

The wedding invitations that you and your future spouse chose are ready, and it is time to address them and mail them. The invitations are really important, because with each of them, your guests will not only receive the necessary information, but also have a glance at the tone you have chosen for the entire celebration. You should mail them six to eight weeks before the wedding, and you may or may not include RSVP, depending on how many people you are inviting, and how formal the wedding reception is. However, don’t wait too long to have them ready! It may take you a whole month to write each envelope (unless you invest in a professional calligrapher) and assemble the invitations.

When it comes to addressing the invitations, there are certain protocol rules that need to be followed. It is a matter of respect, so even when you are really close to some of the guests, you should always follow the etiquette for addressing wedding invitations. It all depends on whether you are inviting single guests, married or unmarried couples -who may or may not live together-, if children are included, if someone has a degree or a title (such as Dr. or Judge), etc.

First of all make, sure you always write the guests’ full names in the outer envelope –no nicknames or initials, please-. For everyone, use appropriate social titles, such as Mr., Miss, Mrs. or Ms. (unless someone is a Doctor, a Reverend, a Judge or a Lieutenant, for example). If a couple is living together unmarried, or if the woman has kept her maiden name, always write their names in different lines (in general, alphabetically by the surname, or some go with the ‘ladies first rule’). Children’s first names, if they are invited, are written by protocol in an inner envelope, from older to younger, under their parents’. However, if your invitations do not have an inner envelope, just include them in the outer. Children over 18 should receive a separate invitation, even if they are still living with their parents.

Before dropping the invitations in the mail, you should double check the names on your list as well as the posting addresses. Your wedding will be the most important day of your life, and you want everyone to receive the wedding invitations on time, and show up to share with you and your future spouse such a special moment!