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ETIQUETTE

WORDING

It is okay to use the British spelling for "honour" and "favour"
The phrase "the honor of your presence" should only be used if your ceremony is held in a place of worship
Use words rather than numbers for times, dates and years
Spell out all words in the address including Avenue, Street, Road, Lane, etc. The only exceptions are Mount (Mt.) and Saint (St.)
Use phrases such as "half past three in the afternoon" rather than "three thirty p.m." -or- "six o'clock in the evening" rather than "six o'clock p.m."
Full names should be spelled out - including middle names. It is better to leave a middle name out than to use an initial
Do not include zip codes on the invitation itself
If the bride's parents are paying for the majority of the wedding, the bride's parents invite
If the groom's parents are substantially funding the wedding, along with the bride's parents, both sets of parents invite
If the groom's parents are funding the wedding entirely, the groom's parents invite
If the bride and groom would like to acknowledge the groom's parents on the invtiation despite lack of monetary contribution, follow the groom's name with "son of...{groom's parents names}". This is an acceptable way to include them on the invitation without indicating that they have funded a large portion of the event
If the bride and groom are paying for most of the wedding themselves, they invite (i.e. Together with our parents, ...)

ASSEMBLING/STUFFING ENVELOPES

Place the envelope 'address side' down and insert the invitation front side up.

Place the reception card printed side up on top of the front of the invitation.

Next, place the response card, tucked into the flap of the stamped response envelope, on top.

Any other enclosures such as maps or direction cards should be placed on top of the response card, printed side up.

MAILING YOUR INVITATIONS

You should send invitations for weddings and other formal events at least 6-8 weeks prior to the event.
Casual events for showers and other parties should be sent 4-6 weeks in advance.
Take a fully assembled invitation to the post office to verify postage requirements. Spending a little extra on postage sure beats getting all the invitations back and having to order, address and stuff new envelopes!...Or worse yet, your guests receiving them with postage due!
When you take your invitations to the post office, you may request that the invitations be hand cancelled, which minimizes the postal markings and damage that may occur from the machines.

WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Under no circumstances should wedding announcements be sent prior to the ceremony. You should send them the day of or shortly after the ceremony. Annoucements should be sent in place of an invitation to friends and relatives that are unable to attend the wedding because of distance or limited space.

SAVE THE DATES

Save the date announcements should be sent 4-6 months prior to the event.
To avoid offending any guest, Save the Date announcements should be sent to everyone who is to receive an invitation. (Let's say you forget to send a Save the Date to your Great Aunt Bertha and she mentions it to Molly who mentions it to your Mom, who mentions it to you. Then three months later you send Aunt Bertha her invitation - which you were going to do anyways - she might think you invited her only as an afterthought!)

ADDRESSING THE ENVELOPE

The modern delivery methods for wedding invitations have eliminated the necessity for inner envelopes. One of the great things about Envelopments® is the unique "presentation". Most of the invitations are revealed by opening, sliding or unfolding the enclosure to reveal the contents inside - much like an inner envelope. Envelopments® does not offer inner envelopes, however, in some instances we can obtain coordinating envelopes from an alternate vendor.
Here are some recommendations for addressing invitations with a single envelope
- Married Couples
  - Married couples living in the same house:
    - Mr. and Mrs. George Smith, junior
      100 Park Place, 2C
      Stow, Ohio
      44224
  - Married couples in which the woman has retained her maiden name or professional name—some experts say the woman's name appears first:
    - Ms. Stephanie Marie School
      Mr. David Knirk
      Three Greenleaf Lane
      Uniontown, Ohio
      44685
  - Others suggest the names be listed alphabetically:
    - Mr. David Knirk
      Ms. Stephanie School
      etc.
    - Mr. David Smith
      Ms. Stephanie Zephyr
      etc.
- Unmarried Couples
  - Unmarried couples living in the same house should be listed alphabetically:
    - Ms. Stephanie Knirk
      Ms. Stacy School
      43577 Main Street
      Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
      44221
    - Ms. Stephanie Knirk
      Mr. David Smith
      2245 Second Street
      Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
      44223
- Family Invitation
  - A family with young children:
    - Mr. and Mrs. David Smith
      Ainsley and Austin
      1558 Front Street, A
      Akron, Ohio
      44312
    - It is considered correct to send a separate invitation to each child 18 years or older.
- Single Individual with Guest
  - If you wish to encourage a single friend to invite a guest, find out the guest's name, especially if the couple is engaged, living in the same house, or seeing each other on an exclusive basis. If they live at different addresses, it is considerate to send an invitation to the guest directly. Otherwise address as follows:
    - Ms. Stephanie School
      Mr. David Knirk
      Eastgate Commons
      Hudson, Ohio
      44236
  - If you cannot obtain the name ahead of time, it is also correct to address:
    - Ms. Stephanie School and guest
      Mr. David Smith and guest

Here are some suggestions for invitations with double envelopes
- Married Couples
  - Married couples living in the same house:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Mr. and Mrs. David Smith
      4322 Munroe Ave
      Monroe Falls, Ohio
      44262
    - Inner Envelope
    - Mr. and Mrs. Smith
  - Married couples in which the woman has retained her maiden name or professional name—some experts say the woman's name appears first:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Ms. Stephanie Marie School
      Mr. David Knirk
      Three Greenleaf Lane
      Medina, Ohio
      44256
    - Inner Envelope
    - Ms. School
      Mr. Knirk
  - Others suggest the names be listed alphabetically:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Mr. David Knirk
      Ms. Stephanie Marie School
    - Inner Envelope
    - Mr. Knirk
      Ms. School
- Unmarried Couples
  - Unmarried couples living in the same house should be listed alphabetically:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Ms. Stacy School
      Mr. Robert Zano
      631 Washington Lane
      Fairlawn, Ohio
      44333
    - Inner Envelope
    - Ms. School
      Mr. Zano
- Family Invitation
  - A family with young children:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Mr. and Mrs. David Knirk
      Ainsley and Cayden
      2562 Westvue Avenue
      Tallmadge, Ohio
      44278
    - Inner Envelope
    - Mr. and Mrs. Knirk
      Cayden and Ainsley (by seniority)
  - It is considered correct to send a separate invitation to each child 18 years or older. You may also use the title Master if the young man is under the age of 13.
- Single Individual with Guest
  - If you wish to encourage a single friend to invite a guest, you should learn the name of the guest, especially if they are engaged, living in the same house, or seeing each other on an exclusive basis. If they live at different addresses, it is considerate to send an invitation to the guest directly. Otherwise address as follows:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Ms. Stacy School
      Mr. Robert Crano
      Fayetteville Lane
      Canton, Ohio
      44720
    - Inner Envelope
    - Ms. School
      Mr. Crano
  - If you cannot obtain the name ahead of time, it is also correct to address:
    - Outer Envelope
    - Ms. Stacy School
      Fayetteville Lane
      Canton, Ohio
      44721
    - Inner Envelope
    - Ms. School and guest

Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page for additional information.