Your wedding invitation is much more than just a piece of paper. It is the symbol of two people’s commitment to each other. It is also the first glimpse your guests will have of your wedding day. It should reflect the formality of the day (or not!) and the importance of the union or event.  Remember, an invitation is often the one element of your whole wedding/event that is held onto longer than anything else!

Generally invitations for weddings or major events should be mailed 8 weeks before the big day.  Please refer to our handy checklist for timelines on other items.

The wedding invitation hosts are usually listed first.  If your invitation is for a wedding and you are financially receiving help from your parents, this is the order: If both parents are helping, the brides go first and then the groom’s parents are listed below.  If just the bride’s parents are hosting then they appear first followed by the bride and groom and then the grooms parents. 

If a parent is deceased, you can still include them on the invitation.  Just add ‘the late’ before their name.

If your parent’s are divorced, than place each parent’s name individually on their own line. 

Rules of etiquette have evolved and relaxed over time, but there is something to be said for the formality of a wedding that is nice to hold on to some of the finer traditions.

Always remember to write out names, dates and streets in full without any abbreviations.

Who should receive an invitation?  If you have multiple adults living at the same address, each individual should receive a separate invitation if they are not romantically involved.  Adult children over 18 should be mailed their own invitation. 

We do not want children at the event, how do we word this? If you are inviting a couple or guest with young children, then the appropriate way to address this is on the front of the envelope.   Generally if you are inviting the entire family you would say for example:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Family, if you are only inviting the parent(s) then the envelope would be addressed Mr. and Mrs. John Smith or Ms. Jane Smith.

On your RSVP card you may want to include a line that asks for the number of guests attending.  If your guests do not catch the hint from the address line, then you have an idea of the number of guests they are planning to bring.  At this point a polite conversation can happen letting them know that it is an adult only affair.

The guest list.  If you are inviting a single friend or family member and you know that they are not in a serious relationship, it is up to you if you want to include ‘and guest’ following their name on the wedding invitation envelope.  Generally, it is good manners to do so, but not a faux pas if you don’t.

Addressing your envelopes- Traditional etiquette recommends that wedding invitations are addressed by hand.  However today’s bride’s and groom’s have access to wonderful

Calligraphy fonts and printers that make life a little easier, especially if it is a large wedding!  We offer and addressing service, both by hand or by computer generated calligraphy!  Just ask!