The envelopes for your save the dates are likely the very first thing your guests will see related to your wedding. To make the best impression possible, we have some tips for organizing your address list and how to make everything look neat and tidy.
Names
Naturally, names come first!
You’ll want to decide whether or not to include prefixes (ex: Mr., Mrs., Ms.). If your event is leaning to the casual side, you can forgo these; but otherwise, we recommend using them.
Typically, the husband will be listed before the wife (we know, we know, it’s antiquated!!)—with an exception: Anyone who has a special title, like Dr. or a rank in the military should be listed first on the envelope, no matter their gender. If both guests have a special title, list the guest with highest rank first. If, say, both guests are doctors, you can list the names as “The Doctors [Last Name]”
According to etiquette, “&” and “and” signify marriage. In our opinion, this is a little outdated. But it dates back to when couples did not live together before they were married. So technically, an unmarried couple who lives together should have the names listed on separate lines. We’ll leave that decision up to you! If you do choose to list each name on a separate line, list the friend or family member closest to you first.
Continuing with “and”s, when inviting children, you can list each child’s name individually, or a simpler way would be to write “and family”, like “Mr. and Mrs. Name Sample and Family”.
Guests over the age of 18 should receive their own mailing. Yes, even if they still live with their parents!
Make it clear if your guest is able to bring a guest. You can simply add “and Guest” to their name—but be as specific as possible. If you know their guest’s name, list it!
Addresses
When sending us your spreadsheet, it is very important to have the street address in a separate column from the city, state, and zip code.
It’s completely up to you to decide if you want to include apartment numbers on a separate line from the rest of the street address—just be sure that your spreadsheet reflects it either way and is consistent.
Try not to use the “#” sign– use “Number”, “No.”, “Apartment” or “Apt.” instead.
We recommend spelling the state out, as opposed to using the abbreviation
We love when words like “Street”, “Avenue”, “Boulevard” are spelled out—but that is a personal preference.
It’s always best to err on the side of formality when it comes to addressing envelopes, just like it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. No matter how you choose to address your envelopes, they’ll always turn out beautifully if we print them for you. So let’s get started on that spreadsheet! Click here to download our spreadsheet template: https://www.newandblue.com/pdf/recipient-address-template.csv
Kat
