A Guide To Envelope Addressing For Weddings

Weddings are more than just a celebration, they’re moments to cherish and share with your nearest and dearest. For the guests, your wedding invitation is more than just a sheet of paper - it’s their introduction to this celebration. If you want to make a scene from the very beginning, you can elevate their experience by utilising our envelope addressing service.

But sending invitations is far more complicated than just writing an address and dropping them in the post box. It’s about ensuring every detail is perfect, from the paper and postage to legible calligraphy and even the tiniest details like spelling and grammar nuances.

While weddings are evolving into more relaxed affairs, the importance of proper envelope addressing remains. As you begin this journey consider these crucial details to ensure your invitations arrive on time.

Hot pink envelopes written in copperplate calligraphy with white ink.

When To Order Envelopes

Typically, wedding invitations are sent out six to eight weeks before your wedding. However, if you have guests travelling from abroad or you have opted not to send save-the-date cards, you may want to extend this timeline. Ideally, you want to give your guests enough time to respond so you have an accurate headcount a few weeks before your wedding.

Envelope addressing usually takes two to three weeks, so it’s best to reach out as early as possible if you’d like us to handle this task. While this timeframe is typical, it could vary depending on the envelopes you choose. If you opt to send us envelopes, you should factor in extra time for postage. Alternatively, we have the option of sourcing envelopes for you. This can be a faster option as we stock envelopes we know work well with calligraphy inks.

Start organising your guest list as soon as possible, particularly if you’re considering hiring us for envelope addressing. We’ll need a list, preferably in spreadsheet format, with full addresses and titles exactly as you would like them written. It can take some time to ensure your address list is correct, so we advise not leaving this till the last moment.

Kraft brown envelopes with white ink.

Envelope Addressing Etiquette

While the rules around addressing envelopes have relaxed in recent years, there are still some guidelines you may wish to follow which are outlined below. With all these suggestions, it’s important to remember who you are addressing. Elderly relatives may expect more formal titles compared to younger family members. Ultimately it is up to you to decide how formal you wish your wedding to be.

When Addressing Couples

Your guest’s names should be written out in full on outer envelopes, avoiding nicknames or initials. When addressing married couples who share a last name, use “Mr. and Mrs.” followed by the man’s first and last name.

Mr. and Mrs. Derek Shepard

When addressing married couples who have different last names, or when addressing unmarried or same-sex couples use “Mr.” and “Ms.” with full names joined by “and”. If both names cannot fit on one line, write them on two separate lines without the “and”. 

Ms. Meredith Grey and Mr. Derek Shepard

When addressing single women, either “Ms.” or “Miss.” is appropriate depending on their age. Use “Mr” when addressing a single name.

Mr. Alex Karev
Ms. Izzie Stevens 

If addressing a relative who does not use “Mr.” or “Ms.” titles, or when addressing a guest where their gender is unknown. The gender-neutral title “Mx.” can be used as a replacement. 

Mx. Callie Torres

When Addressing Families

When addressing a household, it’s important to be explicit about what members are being invited. This can be done on the invitation, or specifically mentioning attendees by name on the inner envelope. This is especially important when addressing families. Children under 18 should be listed under their parent's names, without titles or last names. 

Mr. and Mrs. Derek Shepard
Zola, Ellis and Bailey 

If you choose a less formal style of addressing, you can address the family as a whole unit, or use the father’s first and last name.

The Shepard Family
The Derek Shepard Family

Using Professional Titles

When addressing formal, or informal correspondence to professionals, such as doctors, judges or military officers, it is customary to include their titles to the best of your knowledge. When addressing couples, prioritise the individual with the higher ranking first.

Dr. Meredith Grey and Mr. Derek Shepard

If addressees have different titles, or the same title but different last names, address them individually using the relevant title, connected with “and”. This can be written on a single line if there is space, but would typically be written on two separate lines.

Dr. Meredith Grey
Dr. Derek Shepard

Envelope Etiquette

When addressing envelopes, it's important to spell out all the words in the address. Instead of using abbreviations, write words such as “Post Office Box”, “Apartment” and “Street” out in full. Similarly, avoid abbreviations for city and county names.

Traditionally house numbers smaller than twenty are spelled out. However, as etiquette has relaxed in recent years this has become less common. Typically calligraphers will write house numbers as numerals, not just to save space but to avoid any confusion during delivery.

Light pink envelopes with hot pink ink.

A return address on your envelopes is always recommended, it ensures that any undelivered invitations make their way back to you. Similar to the main invitation, all words should be spelt out in full on the return address. Typically this will be written on the back flap of your envelopes, ensuring it is easily seen.

Traditionally two envelopes are used when sending wedding invitations. However, like most things, this is not mandatory. The outer envelope protects the inner envelope from damage during delivery. Typically the outer envelope includes the guest's name and address, while the inner envelope has the specific names of the guests being invited. This can be important if you’re only inviting certain members of the household to your wedding.

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Your wedding invitation is the starting point for your guests, it marks the beginning of their journey which will end on your special day. You can elevate this experience with envelope addressing. A small, handmade touch will ensure your invitation stands out from the everyday mail filling their letterboxes.

We know preparing your address list can be fraught with challenges. It takes time to ensure all those tiny details are correct to make sure your invitations arrive on time. And, more importantly, where they are supposed to be! We’re here to help, with beautiful calligraphy to enhance your envelopes, and a helpful hand to ensure your envelopes are addressed correctly, including all those tiny details, we’ll alleviate that burden.