What do I do to follow proper wedding invitation addressing etiquette?

When it comes to wedding invitation addressing etiquette, there are many guidelines to follow to keep the proper formality. Of course, all families have various situations that might not fit the normal formal procedure, so it’s important to make sure you have followed the right format for the different situations.

Typical wedding invitation addressing etiquette for wedding guests has the outer envelope addressed mainly with the husband’s name. The married couple would have Mr. and Mrs. John Doe on the outside envelope and Mr. and Mrs. Doe on the inside.

This may seem archaic to those women who would rather not be called by their husband’s name, but it is still the proper wedding invitation addressing etiquette.

If the married couple has children that you want to include, their names would not be on the outer envelope. Keep just the Mr. and Mrs. John Doe on the outside. On the inner envelope the couple’s names remain the same, but you would add the children’s first names only beneath their parents’ names.

If the person(s) you invite is a close relative such as a grandmother, it is okay to use the more familiar family terms that you call that person on the inner envelope, such as Grandma Daisy.

What if a woman is divorced or widowed? How does the whole using the man’s name work then? According to wedding invitation addressing etiquette the widow will still use her husband’s name. The outer envelope would say Mrs. John Doe, and the inner one would say Mrs. Doe.

However, a divorced woman gets to use her own name finally. Her envelope would be addressed as Ms. Jane Doe with the inner envelope reading Ms. Doe. Children who are invited would again go beneath the name on the inner envelope only.

Of course with the changing times, you may have friends who are living together but are not married. How would wedding invitation addressing etiquette deal with that? Simply put both names on the outer envelope as if it was theirs alone.

Miss Jane Doe and Mr. Tom Smith would be the proper method on the outer envelope. The inner envelope would read Miss Doe and Mr. Smith.

You may have single friends or family members to invite to your special day. Many times these single friends may want to bring a date along to the big day. If you don’t mind their bringing a guest, the outer envelope would have just their name: Miss Jane Doe. Then on the inner envelope, you put Miss Doe and guest.

One other note to remember when trying to follow wedding invitation addressing etiquette is to never abbreviate anything. Street addresses, states, and titles should all be spelled out.

For example, if you are inviting a doctor, the outer envelope should read Doctor and Mrs. Joe Smith with the inner envelope having Doctor and Mrs. Smith. The same would go if that person is a judge except you use the word Honorable on the outer envelope and Judge on the inner envelope.

If the woman of the couple is the doctor or judge, list her first but still use her husband’s name to refer to him. With proper wedding invitation addressing etiquette out of the way, you will be able to present a polished and detailed invitation to all of your guests.