How to Address Wedding Invitations

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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

Addressing Wedding Invitations to Married Couple with 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

Adressing Wedding Invitations to Unmarried Couple

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

Addressing Wedding Invitations to Family with Young Children

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

Addressing Wedding Invitations to Family with Adult Children

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

Addressing Double Envelope Wedding Invitations