Properly Addressing Your Invitations

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Your wedding day is all about having friends and family celebrate with you. Your invitation is the first formal statement you make, the beginning of the process that culminates on your special day, so you will want to make a really good impression. That means that addressing your invitations should be done properly, following traditional etiquette, with some additions to accommodate modernity. These guidelines should help you cover all your addressing bases.

Your envelopes should always should be written in black ink, with names and addresses written out completely (no abbreviations).
The return address should be included on the outer envelope.
The inner envelope, which contains the invitation and enclosures, is left unsealed and addressed simply to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," with no address.
One invitation is sent a married couple.
For a couple living together, but not married, put her full name on one line, then his full name on the next line. Alternatively, and more PC, you may list the full names, on one line and then another line, in alphabetical order.
Children under the age of sixteen that you invite to your wedding may be included (using their first names) on their parents' invitation. Their names should be written in a line below that of their parents on the inner envelope only.
Teens and preteens especially are at an "easy-to-be-embarrassed" stage of their lives. It's quite possible that they are being coerced into attending, so, in addressing your invitations to them, it is wise to make every effort to demonstrate their separateness from their parents and, therefore, children older than sixteen(alternatively, over 18) should receive their own invitations.
For wwo sisters, older than sixteen (alternatively, over 18), address the envelope to "The Misses (or Misses) Jane and Helen Jones, both on one line.
For two brothers, older than sixteen(alternatively, over 18), address the envelope to "The Messrs. John and Michael Smith," on one line.
Attendants and clergy should each get their own invitation (even though it's assumed they will attend).
A brother and sister, children older than sixteen(alternatively, over 18), "Mr. John and Ms. Jane Smith," on one line.
Use "Ms." or "Miss" for single women.
Use "Mrs." for a widowed women, followed by her decreased husband's first and last name, ("Mrs. John Smith").
For a divorced woman use "Mrs." or "Ms." followed by her first and her ex-husband's last name, ("Mrs. Jane Smith,").
For a married woman using her own name, on one line, use "Mr. John Smith and Ms. Jane Jones.
No words are capitalized except proper nouns, such as place names, people's names and titles, and names of the day and month.
"Doctor" is usually written in full unless the name following it is quite long.
For two doctors (medical or PhD.) married to one another, use "The Doctors Sally and Jim Smith."

No doubt your guests will appreciate your extra effort to address their invitations in a way that is respectful and caring. And, finally, a reminder to make sure you keep an invitation for the bride's and groom's parents respectively, and one for yourself.

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