The Art Of Addressing Wedding Invites: A Guide To Getting It Right

Writing wedding addresses can be a tricky task, but it's an important part of the wedding planning process. The way you address your wedding invitations will depend on the formality of your wedding, the relationship status of your guests, their titles, and whether they have any plus-ones. Here are some tips to help you get started:

- Consider the formality of your wedding. If you're having a glamorous black-tie affair, opt for a more traditional and elegant addressing style. If it's a laid-back country wedding, a more casual and relaxed approach may be appropriate.

- Finalise your guest list and ensure you know the correct titles and honorifics for each recipient. Use formal names and avoid nicknames or abbreviations.

- For married couples with the same last name, you can use Mr. and Mrs. followed by the husband's first and last name. For same-sex couples, either name can go first.

- When addressing an unmarried couple living at the same address, list both people's names on one line, starting with the person you are closest to.

- For single females over 18, use Ms.; for those under 18, use Miss.

- When inviting a family with children, address the outer envelope to the parents only and include the children's names on the inner envelope.

- If one of your guests is a judge, use the term The Honourable before their name.

- For guests with a plus-one, send the invitation to the person you are truly inviting and include their guest's name if you know it. Otherwise, simply write and guest.

How to address a wedding invitation to a single person

When addressing a wedding invitation to a single person, there are a few guidelines to follow to ensure that your invite is both accurate and respectful. Here are some detailed instructions to help you address your invitations elegantly and correctly.

Outer Envelope:

• Use the person's preferred title: Mr., Miss, Ms., or Mx. For a woman over 18, use "Ms." unless she prefers "Miss." For a man over 18, use "Mr." unless he has a distinguished title, in which case you would use that (e.g., Dr., Lt., Rabbi, etc.). If the guest is under 18, no title is necessary.
• Write out their full name, including middle names if you wish. Avoid using nicknames or abbreviations.
• If the guest has a plus-one, do not include this on the outer envelope.

Examples:

• Mr. George Constanza
• Ms. Susan Bunch
• Mx. Sam Li

Inner Envelope:

• This envelope is more informal, so you have more flexibility. You can use titles and last names, or first names only if you are very close to the guest.
• If the guest has a plus-one and you know the name of the guest, include their name as you would for an unmarried couple.
• If you don't know the name of the plus-one, simply write "and guest." Do not capitalise "and" or "guest."

Examples:

• Ms. Bunch (or Susan if you're close)
• Mr. Constanza (or George if you're close)
• Sam Li and Guest

General Tips:

• Spell out all words (e.g., Street, Avenue, etc.) and abbreviate titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Jr.
• Write out professional titles, such as Doctor or Professor.
• Avoid using nicknames or abbreviations.
• Give yourself enough time to organise your guest list and double-check addresses.

How to address a wedding invitation to a married couple

When addressing a wedding invitation to a married couple, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, it's important to use their full names, including their personal titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc.). If the couple has the same last name, you can use the following format:

"Mr. and Mrs. John Rivera"

If the couple has different last names, you can write their names on the same line, with the woman's name first, or list their names separately:

"Ms. Maria Stevens and Mr. David Estevez"

"Ms. Maria Stevens

Mr. David Estevez"

You can also address the invitation to reflect the person you are closest with or in alphabetical order if you are equally close to both:

"Mr. David Estevez and Mrs. Maria Stevens"

For a more informal approach, you can leave out the titles and use their first and last names:

"John and Samantha Rivera"

"Samantha and John Rivera"

If one person in the couple has a distinguished title, such as a doctor, military personnel, or judge, you would include this in the address. For example:

"Lieutenant Jonathan Kelly, US Navy and Mrs. Jane Kelly"

"The Honorable Gina Rodriguez and Mr. Jonathan Wood"

Remember to consider the formality of your wedding and the couple's preferences when choosing how to address the invitation.

How to address a wedding invitation to an unmarried couple

When addressing a wedding invitation to an unmarried couple, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here are some detailed instructions to ensure your invitations are correctly formatted:

Outer Envelope:

The outer envelope is typically more formal and includes the full names and personal titles of the recipients. When addressing an unmarried couple, list their names on separate lines, with each partner on a different line. You can list the names alphabetically by last name or put the person you are closest with first. Here is an example:

> Mr. Ross Geller

>

> Ms. Rachel Green

If the couple has different last names and lives separately, send a separate invitation to each guest.

Inner Envelope:

The inner envelope is more informal, and you have more flexibility with the format. You can use courtesy titles and last names or just the first names if you are close with the couple. Here is an example:

> Ms. Green and Mr. Geller

>

> Rachel and Ross

General Guidelines:

• Use formal names and avoid nicknames or abbreviations.
• Spell out middle names or don't include them, but do not use initials.
• Spell out addresses, such as "Avenue" or "Street."
• Abbreviate titles like "Mr.," "Mrs.," "Ms.," and "Jr."
• Write out professional titles, such as "Doctor" or "Professor."
• If the couple has different last names, list the names alphabetically or in order of closeness.
• For a casual wedding, you may use a less formal approach, such as leaving out titles or using only first names.

How to address a wedding invitation to a family

When addressing a wedding invitation to a family, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, decide whether you want to be specific about which family members are invited. If you want to keep it general, simply address the envelope to the whole family. You could also include '& children' following the names of the married couple.

If you want to specify which family members are invited, write the names of each family member in list form, beginning with the parent or parents' names. If there are female children under the age of 18, they should be addressed as 'Miss'.

The Whole Family

The outer envelope:

• The [Family Name] Family
• Mr. & Mrs. [Father's Name] [Family Name]

The inner envelope:

List the first names of all invited family members

Specific Family Members

The outer envelope:

• List the names of the invited family members, beginning with the parents, and then listing the children in order of age
• Mr. and Mrs. [Father's Name] [Family Name]
• [Child 1's Name]
• Miss [Child 2's Name]

The inner envelope:

List the first names of the invited family members

Children Over 18

If there are children over the age of 18, they should receive their own invitation.

How to address a wedding invitation to a family with children

When addressing a wedding invitation to a family with children, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, decide whether you want to be specific about which family members are invited. If you don't want to call out individual family members, you can simply address the envelope to the entire family, for example, "The Simpson Family".

If you do want to specify which family members are invited, write the names of each family member, starting with the parent or parents' names, and list the invited children's names in order of age below. For example:

"Mr. and Mrs. Homer Simpson

Mr. Bart Simpson

Miss Lisa Simpson"

If the whole family is invited, use the family name or only the names of the parents on the outer envelope:

"The Simpson Family" or "Mr. & Mrs. Homer Simpson"

Then, list the first names of all invited family members on the inner envelope:

"Mr. and Mrs. Simpson

Bart, Lisa, and Maggie" or "Homer, Marge, Bart, Miss Lisa, and Miss Maggie"

It's important to note that children under 18 are typically only listed on the inner envelope, not the outer envelope. If a female child is under 18, she is addressed as "Miss", and males under 18 do not require a title. Children over 18 should be sent their own invitation.

Frequently asked questions