Proper way to address wedding envelopes
It's interesting:"I want to welcome each of you to the wedding today. It is a true testament to the bride and groom that you have taken time from your busy schedule to come and witness their marriage. I have never seen a more beautiful bride than Linda, and Paul looks just plain proud, doesn’t he?"
The formal guidelines for addressing wedding invitations can appear confusing, mostly because of the sheer number of rules that are supposed to be followed. Thankfully, there are a few basic rules that are easy to understand and will apply to most of the individuals on your guest list.
Addressing the Outer Envelope
The outer envelope is most formal, where etiquette recommends spelling out all titles, names and addresses. On a basic level, it is important to use "Mr. and Mrs." for married couples who share the same last name and "Ms." or "Miss" for unmarried women. For married couples with different last names, write their names in alphabetical order on separate lines. If the couple lives together but is not married, send individual invitations to them both.
When filling out the envelopes, make sure to spell out the proper names of street addresses, cities and states. The only abbreviations that are acceptable on a formal invitation are the words Mount (Mt.) and Saint (St.).
There are, of course, special circumstances that aren't so simple. For unmarried couples who do not live together, send one invitation to the person who is your closest friend. If a guest is a judge, he or she should be addressed as "The Honorable." Members of the clergy, doctors and military officers should also be addressed by their titles. If a couple is married and the woman is a doctor, her title and name should appear before her husband's. If both husband and wife are doctors, address the envelope to "Doctors" followed by the husband and wife's first and last name. For example, Doctors Matthew and Joan Adams.
Addressing the Inner Envelope
Etiquette is less formal on the inner envelope of the wedding invitation. While the outer envelopes require full names, put only titles and last names on the inner envelopes. This is also the place where you would include "and guest" after the invitee's name for unmarried guests.
Although less formal, the same general rules apply when addressing the inner envelope. For married couples who share the same last name, always use the title "Mr. and Mrs." on the inner envelope. For married couples with different last names, the names should be put in alphabetical order on separate lines, just as on the outer envelope. The only difference is that their first names are excluded.
If you're inviting children under the age of 18 to your wedding, you can also include their first names in order of oldest to youngest on the inner envelope. Address the outer envelope to their parents only.
Tags: inner envelope, married couples, last name, last names, address wedding, address wedding envelopesSource: www.ehow.com
