Mailing Wedding Invites

Wedding invites is that first official announcement to the world that an upcoming wedding ceremony is going to be taking place. It can be a time of happiness and also a time of stress for many couples in the wedding planning process. There are numerous rules of etiquette to follow and missing a step can seem life ending for the happy couple. Mailing wedding invites give a couple the chance to relax and take a deep breath because most of the hard work of wedding planning will soon be coming to a close.

The ideal time when the wedding invites should reach the mailbox is four to six weeks before the date the ceremony will take place. There is virtually no exception to this rule. even in the case where save-the-date cards may have been sent out months before announcing the actual wedding date to guests. The four-to-six week time frame will give guests the chance to finalize travel arrangements. It will also give time for those who have not yet made travel arrangements for the wedding to do so in plenty of time.

Many reception venues will require a final head count of guests, wedding party, wedding vendors and whoever else the couple wishes to have at the reception dinner. By establishing a response date at least one month in advance, the couple has time to contact any guests that have not yet responded. This will work towards giving a reception venue the most accurate guest count as possible.

Before being placed in the mail, wedding invites must be addressed in a proper format. Both the inner envelope and outer envelope must be addressed. The outer envelope is the more formal of the two. It is the one that will need to follow postal requirements as well as etiquette requirements. Start by addressing all outer envelopes in black ink. All names and address are written out in full. No abbreviations are allowed for things like street, avenue or boulevard. The titles of Mr, Mrs. and Dr. are the only exceptions to the abbreviations rule.

For cohabiting couples on the guest list, outer envelopes should be addressed to both individuals separately. In homes with children over the age of 18 who will be invited to the wedding, each child receives his or her own invite. When the children are under the age of 18 and will be invited to the wedding, their names are listed underneath the names of the parents on the inner envelope. Keep the outer envelope addressed to the parents only.
Things can be presented in a more casual format for the inner envelope. Here a bride and groom can choose to refer to guests by first name or family nickname such as “Uncle John”. There is no need for the degree of formality that must appear on the outer envelope. The inner envelope is also left unsealed. Tuck the triangle portion of the inner envelope inside the bottom part of the envelope and place inside the outer envelope for mailing.

Seal the outer envelope with a family crest or any other sort of seal the couple desires. This can include a heart, a dove or something that signifies the personality of the couple. Take a completely assembled wedding invite to the post office for postage totals. Attach the right amount of postage to the remaining wedding invites in the pile, making sure not to forget the response card postage, and mail to guests.

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