How to Address Wedding Invitations

By Anna Aguillard
September 08, 2016
Credit: Jason Wallis
We take our weddings–and our wedding etiquette–seriously.When it comes to formal wedding invitations, understanding the appropriate titles and abbreviations is nothing short of a huge headache. As if planning your entire dream wedding is not hard enough. It’s easy to be intimidated by the formal rules of how to appropriately address your wedding invitations. Our advice? Don’t try to memorize the formal wedding invitation formula. As is true with many traditions, the traditional wedding invitation addressing process isn’t exactly the most intuitive thing to learn. For instance, did you know that there’s a different way to address a family’s invitations once their children turn eighteen? Likewise, the entire invite-game changes if an invitee goes by her maiden name. And don’t even get us started on formal wedding invitations for juniors. Instead of handling this confusing conundrum alone, turn to this handy wedding invitation guide that answers all your questions about addressing formal wedding invitations. Spend your time picking your perfect venue, tasting delicious wedding cakes, and choosing a beautiful, personalized color scheme. Let us handle the formality!
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Here are our Tips for Properly Addressing Your Wedding Invites

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How to Formally Address Wedding Invitations

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The Basics

Before we jump into the nitty-gritty, here are some basic rules of thumb to keep in mind. First, always use the complete, formal name of your invited guest. Your Uncle Steve? Formally, he’s Mr. Steven Lewis Nelson. Use a guest’s full middle name when you know it; if you don’t know it, simply omit it. Never use initials—in fact, don’t use any abbreviations at all. That means no ampersand, and no shorthand versions of “Avenue,” “Road,” “Street,” and “Highway.” This also applies to the State name—write out “Alabama,” don’t write “AL.” One last thing: for guests bringing guests, the “and guest” is kept lowercase.

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Invitations with One Envelope

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Married Couples

Traditionally, “Mr. and Mrs.” precedes the male’s full formal name.

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Juniors

For formal invitations, denote that a man is a junior by writing out the entire word in lowercase letters. For informal invitations, “Mr. Steven Lewis, Jr.” is more casual.

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Married Couple in Which the Woman Kept Her Maiden Name

In this case, the female’s name comes first. You can also write “Mrs. Rachel Cooper-Smith,” if applicable.

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Unmarried Couple Living in the Same Household

List your friend first, regardless of their gender, and his or her partner on a separate line below. Use “Ms.” or “Miss” for single women.

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Single Woman

Simply refer to her using her full, formal name and the title, “Miss.”

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Single Man

Simply refer to him using his full, formal name and the title, “Mr.”

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Family with Children Under the Age of Eighteen

Children’s names are listed by seniority underneath parents’ names, omitting the last names.

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Family with Children Over the Age of Eighteen

Children over the age 18 receive a separate invitation. Their names are listed by seniority.

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Friend with Known Guest

List your friend first, regardless of their gender, followed by the formal name of his or her guest on the line below.

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Friend with Unknown Guest

List your friend’s formal name, followed by “and guest.” Remember, the “and guest” is written in lowercase.

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Invitations with Double Envelopes

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Single Woman

List your friend’s formal name, followed by “and guest.” Remember, the “and guest” is written in lowercase.

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Divorced Woman Who Uses Her Married Name

Instead of “Miss,” go with “Mrs.” or “Ms.” Again, the “and guest” only appears on the inner envelope. On the inner envelope, refer to the invitee using her title followed by only her last name.

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Single or Divorced Man

Write the man’s formal name on the outer envelope. On the inner envelope, refer to him using his title and his last name, and, if applicable, indicate his guest using “and guest.”

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Married Couple

Use the couples’ formal title and name on the outer envelope; drop the first name on the inner envelope.

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Married Couple in Which the Woman Kept Her Maiden Name

Use the couples’ formal titles and names on the outer envelope; drop their first names on the inner envelope.

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Friend with Known Guest

List your friend first, regardless of gender, and his or her guest on the line below. On the inner envelope, drop the first names.

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Friend with Unknown Guest

On the outer envelope, simply write the invitee’s formal title and name. On the inner envelope, include “and guest.”

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Unmarried Couple Living in the Same Household

The woman’s name usually appears first, and can be prefaced using “Miss” or “Ms.” On the outer envelope, write each formal title and name on a separate line. On the inner envelope, drop the first names and simply refer to each invitee using his/her title and last name.

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Same-Gender Couple

Order same-gender couples’ names alphabetically by last name. On the outer envelope, write each formal title and name on a separate line. On the inner envelope, drop the first names and simply refer to each invitee using his/her title and last name.

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Family with Children Under the Age of Eighteen

On the outer envelope, list the parents’ formal title and name. Children’s names are listed by seniority on the inner envelope, omitting the last name.

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Family with Children Over the Age of Eighteen: Females

Children over the age of 18 should receive a separate invitation, even if they still live in the same household as their parents. On the outer envelope, write each invitee on a separate line. On the inner envelope, group titles together when applicable. For instance, the plural form of “Miss” is “Misses.”

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Family with Children Over the Age of Eighteen: Males

The plural form of “Mr.” is “Messrs.”

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Family with Children Over the Age of Eighteen: Male and Female

Separate by title on two different lines, ordered by seniority.

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Judge

On the outer envelope, refer to a Judge by his or her formal title, which is “The Honorable,” followed by his formal name. For a married Judges, include his or her spouses’ title. If single, simply drop the spouses’ name. For invitations with an inner envelope, drop the first names of both the Judge and spouse. If the Judge is single, add “and guest” if applicable.

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Medical Doctor

For medical doctors, write out the word “Doctor.”

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Academic Doctor (Ph.D.)