Addressing Wedding Invitations for Mailing

Today, we are covering the etiquette guidelines for addressing wedding invitations for mailing. For those invitation styles that come with double envelopes, this would apply to the outer envelopes (a previous post covered addressing the inner envelopes).

Remember, it is recommended that you address your envelopes before inserting your wedding invitations. This avoids having an uneven writing surface and prevents any indentations on the invitations.

Addressing wedding invitations should be done in handwriting versus using printed or typed labels. If you have double envelopes, the handwriting on both envelopes should be by the same person and in the same ink color, either black or blue, so everything matches.

Mailing envelopes should be addressed using formal names and WITHOUT using abbreviations with the exception of non-professional titles (Mr., Mrs., Jr., Esq., etc.). Professional titles, such as Doctor, should be spelled out.

With the exception of “One,” all house numbers are written in figure form and no commas are used when separating digits in house numbers. Apartment, suite, rural route numbers and zip codes are written in figure form. If you are unsure of a ZIP code, visit the U.S. Postal Service’s website, www.usps.com, where you can easily look up ZIP codes.

Do not use symbols; spell out the word “and”.

Write out state names as well as the words “Street,” “Boulevard”, “Avenue”, “Trail”, etc.

You are also encouraged to have a return address either handwritten or printed on the back flap of the mailing envelope so any undeliverable wedding invitations can be returned to you.