The etiquette on addressing envelopes for a wedding reception

It's interesting:
"I would like to say that I have a lot of admiration for Linda. She met Paul during his ‘colt’ years, and has dealt with most of his flaws. She’s a beautiful lady, and an even more gorgeous bride. I hope Paul realizes just how lucky he is. But I still don’t know how he got her to say yes because all she seems to say now is “No! Paul, no!”"

Addressing wedding reception invitations is not as simple as scribbling down the names and addresses of your guests on the envelopes. Etiquette dictates everything from the order of names to the spelling of street addresses. Following etiquette lets your guests know exactly who is and isn't invited to your ceremony and reception, while ensuring you don't offend any etiquette experts on your list.

1. Font

   • The outer envelope is traditionally addressed by hand with a black pen in either print or cursive. The bride may address her own invitations or hire a calligrapher. Hand-addressed envelopes are the only way to go for a formal wedding, according to Brides.com. For an informal affair, the bride may print from a computer, granted the font matches her invitations.

   Location

   • The guest's information and only the guest's information goes on the front of the outer envelope. The envelope is addressed in four lines on the center of the invitation in the following order: name of guest(s), street address, city and state, and ZIP code. Return address information is located on the back flap of the envelope via an address stamp or label. The type of street such as lane or boulevard and the state are spelled out in full.

   Titles

   • Formal titles are used before the guest's name- for example, General for a male military officer, Captain for a female military officer, Reverend for a member of the clergy and The Honorable for a judge. The title of Doctor indicates a medical doctor while Dr. indicates a non-medical Ph.D. Otherwise, Mr., Mrs. or Ms. precedes the guest's name. Mrs. indicates any married woman, even if she uses her maiden name. Miss and Ms. may be used interchangeably for an unmarried woman over age 18.

   Order

   • Addressing an envelope to a couple can be complicated. The husband's name comes before the wife's name unless the wife holds a formal title and the husband does not, such as Dr. Jane Smith and Mr. John Smith. The names of unmarried couples who live together and same-gender couples are listed in alphabetical order. Other adults living at the same residence such as a child over 18 receive their own invitation. Minor children are not included on the outer envelope.

   Inner Envelopes

   • Always addressed by hand, inner envelopes omit the first names of the guests listed on the outer envelope. Mr. John and Mrs. Jane Smith becomes Mr. and Mrs. Smith, for example. Invited children are listed on the inner envelope by first name only from oldest to youngest. Adding "and guest" after an unmarried guest's names indicates he may bring a guest. When the guest is involved in a relationship of at least six months, her partner should be listed by name on the inner envelope.

Source: www.ehow.com

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