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Tips
for Addressing & Sending Out Your
Invitations
by
Elizabeth Watts
Details,
Details, Details
They
can make or break people’s expectations of your
wedding. A little extra attention to the
fine points of posting your invitations will
impress your invitees. Your guests will
appreciate how much you desire their presence at
your special day.
Traditional
or Contemporary
Traditional
wedding invitations come with two envelopes, an
inner envelope and an outer one. The inner
envelope is smaller and usually doesn’t have
gumming on the flap. Contemporary
invitations are often square shaped and come with
only one outer envelope.
Addressing
the Invitations
The
outer envelope should be addressed
formally. This means no abbreviations should
be used except for Mr., Mrs., Jr., or Dr.
Write out the names of cities and states and there
is no punctuation at the end of
lines.
Mr.
and Mrs. John Doe
1500 Main Street
New York,
New York 10053
The
inner envelope should read Mr. and Mrs.
Doe (no first names).
If
you are inviting a family with children,
only the parent’s names should be included on the
outer envelope. Young children’s first names
should be listed on the line below their parents
on the inner envelope.
Mr.
and Mrs. Doe
Mary and Steven
Any
children over age 16 should receive their own
invitation.
Assembling
Your Invitation
Enclosures,
such as reception cards or directions, should be
placed either on top of the invitation or inside
the fold. Response
cards
go under the flap of the response
envelope
and then over the invitation or inside the
fold.
In
the past, tissues were used to guard
against ink smears. Today’s printing methods
don’t require tissue but many continue to use it
for aesthetic reasons and for the sake of
tradition. If you wish to include tissue,
place it over the printing on the
invitation.
The
invitation is folded and put in the inner
envelope (the smaller envelope) with the folded
edge down and the front of the invitation facing
the back of the envelope. The inner envelope
is then placed in the outer envelope with the
front of the inner envelope facing the back of the
outer envelope.
Postage Before
mailing, you should bring one of your pre-stuffed
invitations to the post office to determine what
will be sufficient postage. Depending on the
size of your invitations and the number of
enclosures you include, your invitations can weigh
in on the hefty side. Once you mail your
invitations, you don’t want to have to think about
them
again!
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