Is There a Proper Way of Addressing Wedding Invitations?
Addressing wedding invitations has become more difficult as the rules of etiquette have gotten increasingly vague. Confused at what you need to do? Don't worry--addressing wedding invitations doesn't have to be a chore.
The outer envelope of the wedding invitation has names and addresses (the following rules apply to this formal outer envelope), while the inner envelope is for a more personal greeting, such as a first name.
Be sure to include return addressing information. Whether it's on the top left corner or the back flap of the invitation, just be sure it's there. The return address should correspond to whoever is hosting the wedding, whether that's the bride's parents or the bride and groom themselves.
Even though some wedding guides say to write out every part of an address--including numbers and states--this is one wedding etiquette rule that you can throw out the window. Combined with calligraphy, this old fashioned way of addressing wedding invitation envelopes only ensures that the post office sorters have a hard time getting your mail to the correct recipient quickly.
As you're addressing each wedding invitation, use prefixes in front of every name, and use both first and last names. Mr., Mrs., and Ms. are all appropriate and necessary.
Use "Ms" instead of "Miss" where appropriate. This is another case where traditional rules can be overlooked. Most women prefer to be referred to with the status-neutral abbreviation. However, young children can be referred to as "Miss," though children are not usually referenced on the outer envelope, just the inner.
For addressing a wedding invitation to a married couple, use the Mr. and Mrs. John Smith format. For a married couple with unique last names, reference each person individually (i.e., "Mr. Tim McGraw and Ms. Faith Hill").
For a couple that's not married, you have a couple of options. While some guides would have you address only one person (Ms. Jennifer Lopez), this can leave one party feeling left out. If the couple is a sure-thing item, feel free to address both (Mr. Brad Pitt and Ms. Anjelina Jolie) on your wedding invitations.
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