06.18.08
Making your Address List
You’ll be asked to give or email us a typed address list (handwritten lists, even if legible, may introduce errors). Be sure to check your list twice and make sure that someone else familiar with the names takes a careful look as well. To make it easy to follow, leaving little room for error, lay out your list in an orderly, three-line format:
Mr. and Mrs. John Davidson
123 Main Street
Merrytown, MA 12345
Whether you’re hiring us to calligraphy the names of your invited guests or you’re trying your own hand at the task, listed below is the proper procedure. Here are the ins and outs of addressing invitations, right at your fingertips.
The outer envelope:
This is where you write the recipients’ full names, official titles, first names, and the rest. It’s where tradition is upheld, decorum celebrated; that means no cutting corners with abbreviations like Dr., NY, or St. (Mrs., Mr., Ms., and Jr. are the only acceptable shorthands). Some examples:
Single Recipient
If the single guy or girl is bringing a date who is someone you know, get the individual’s address and send a separate invitation because “& Guest” on an outer envelope can be impersonal. Roommates who aren’t honeys should each receive their own invite.
Ms. Abigail Ansch
44 Acorn Drive
Houston, Texas 11111
Married Couple, Traditional
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Paris
92 Pacific Avenue
New York, New York 12121
Married Couple, Modern
Harold and Emma Paris
92 Pacific Avenue
New York, New York 12121
Married Couple, Different Last Names or Unmarried Couple, Living Together
Always list the names in alphabetical order (and on their own lines if unmarried).
Ms. Connie Chideya & Doctor Darren Duncan
18 Blueberry Road
Boston, Massachusetts 30303
Invited With Kids
Names of children under 18 years old need not appear on the outer envelope, but over-18ers who live at home should either appear on their parents’ envelope or, preferably, be sent their own invitation.
Mr. and Mrs. Ebert Estonia
& Farrah Estonia
195 Oak Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 51515
The Inner Envelope
Formal invitations are always slipped into an unsealed inner envelope to be placed inside the outer envelope. They are addressed in a more informal fashion — typically only title abbreviations and last name — and include the names of all invitees at the address, including children. For example:
Mr. and Mrs. Estonia & Farrah, Gilbert, and Harriet
– Hagar Scher from the Knot
FINISHING TOUCHES
Remember, your invitations are the first tangible example your guests will have of your wedding, and they can go a long way toward setting the tone.
A final consideration: In addition to addressing the envelopes, we can stuff, seal, and stamp the invitations, which is a simple way to save some time.
