How To Address Wedding Invitations (Complete Guide)

Weddings are typically formal events with strict etiquette guidelines. You should always stay respectful when addressing your guests, even if they’re your close friends or immediate family members.

There are multiple scenarios that affect how you should write your guests’ names. You can’t address a married couple with kids the same way as unmarried partners who don’t live together.

Of course, there can be exceptions. Couples hosting casual weddings can address their invitations informally. Most importantly, the invitation tone should align with the overall wedding style.

Invitation Addressing Dos & Don’ts

Knowing how to address your wedding invitations is vital, but the etiquette isn’t limited to the correct use of titles and last names. There are also other wedding invitation rules you need to follow.

Firstly, always use ink when addressing invitations because a pencil may smudge. Address the invitations in a readable font, preferably printed, unless you have flawless handwriting.

Use sans-serif fonts for the outer envelope because they are better readable than serif fonts. Sans-serif fonts don’t have the small lines on the letters – think Aerial or Colibri. You can use any font for the inner envelope.

Be concise on the outer envelope. Avoid any irrelevant information or disclosing the guests’ sensitive data. For example, don’t mention kids’ names or the guests’ relation to your couple.

Respect couples who choose to have different last names and treat same-sex couples the same as heterosexual couples, although this should go without saying.

Don’t use nicknames on the outer envelope. The information on the envelope is for the mailperson rather than the guest.

You may address the guest by their nickname on the inner envelope only if you’re very close and the wedding is casual.

Remember that everyone listed on the inner envelope is invited. When you invite a family, only list the names of those invited to avoid confusion.

How to Address Invitations Without Inner Envelope

Traditional wedding invitations have two envelopes. The outer envelope contains the recipient’s address and the full name necessary for the mailperson, and the inner envelope includes the names of everyone invited to the wedding.

But how to address wedding invitations without an inner envelope? Many couples find using two envelopes wasteful and ditch the inner envelope.

In this case, the outer envelope should still feature the complete address and name of the recipient.

If there are multiple recipients, their names can be either written formally on the outer envelope or on the invitation card.

Wedding Invitation Address Template for a Single Person

Addressing wedding invitations to a single person is simple but not foolproof. You should know the person’s preferred title. If you aren’t sure about the title, it’s best to ditch it entirely than guess it wrong.

Regardless of whether you have one or two envelopes, the outer envelope should state “Mr. John Smith” and the person’s complete address in the “House number / Street / Town / State / Country / ZIP code” format.

The recipient’s name and address always go in the center of the outer envelope, and the return address in the upper left corner of the envelope.

You may refrain from the return address, but in this case, you won’t receive the envelope back if something goes wrong.

As for the inner envelope, you have options. You may repeat the person’s full name for a formal invitation or leave only the title and surname, e.g., “Mr. Smith.” Alternatively, you can opt for an informal format, like “To John.”

If you’d like to indicate that plus ones are welcome but don’t know the second guest’s name, write “Mr. Smith and Guest” or “To John and Guest” on the inner envelope. Don’t mention the second guest on the outer envelope.

Wedding Invitation Address Template for a Married Couple

Once you’ve mastered addressing envelopes to single guests, you should learn how to address wedding invitations to a couple. Here, you have multiple options.

If the couple is married and has the same last name, you can write both partner titles and names and surname, e.g., “Mr. John and Mrs. Sara Smith.”

Alternatively, you can only write the titles and the last name: “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” If the couple has different last names, addressing the invitations gets trickier.

Firstly, you should always respect a person’s decision to keep their last name. Don’t write only one partner’s last name trying to save time or space. Secondly, think about whose name to list first.

As a rule of thumb, list the guest you’re closer with first, regardless of gender. If you’re equally close with both partners, go in alphabetical order.

For example, you may write “Mrs. Sara Miller and Mr. John Smith” if you’re closer with Sara or “Mr. John Smith and Mrs. Sara Miller” if you’re equally close with both partners. You may also ditch the titles if you’re going for an informal format.

The inner envelope should also mention both guests. You can either repeat the full names with titles and last names or go for a shorter format.

E.g., write “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” if they have the same last name or “Mrs. Miller and Mr. Smith” if the last names are different. For a casual format, you can simply write “Sara and John.”

Wedding Invitation Address Template for an Unmarried Couple

If you’re wondering how to address wedding invitations to an unmarried couple, the rules are slightly different. Instead of writing both partners’ full names and last names on the same line, you should write them on separate lines.

For example, instead of writing “Mr. John Smith and Ms. Sara Miller,” you should write:

“Mr. John Smith
Ms. Sara Miller.”

You may refrain from using the titles if the couple is your close friends and the invitation is informal, but being respectful and writing full names is the golden standard of wedding invitation addressing etiquette.

Same as with married couples, you should list the guest’s name you’re closer with first or go in alphabetical order. If the partners don’t live together, you should send them two separate invitations addressed individually.

You can write the couple’s full or short names on the same line on the inner envelope. For a casual format, “John and Sara” will suffice.

Wedding Invitation Address Template for Guests with Distinguished Titles

Some of your guests may have distinguished professional titles, for example, military personnel or doctors.

In this case, addressing the guests by their title is proper etiquette. The only condition where refraining from the title is acceptable is when you don’t know about it.

If you’re addressing the invitation to a couple and one of them is a doctor, address the doctor first, followed by the partner’s name. For instance, write “Dr. John Smith and Mrs. Sara Miller” if the partners have different last names.

If the partners have the same last name, write “Dr. John and Mrs. Sara Smith.” For an unmarried couple, follow the separate line rule. If both partners are doctors and have the same last name, write “The Doctors Smith.”

With military titles, it only gets more complicated. List the partner with an army title first in the following format: “(rank) (full name) (unit, designation).” For example, “Lieutenant John Smith, U.S. Navy.”

You can refrain from the person’s name and serving unit on the inner envelope, for instance, “Lieutenant Smith.” Suppose both partners have military titles, list one with a higher title first.

Wedding Invitation Address Template for a Family with Kids

How to address wedding invitations for a family with kids depends on whether you want to invite only the parents or the entire family.

The golden rule is to only refer to the parents on the outer envelope, following the etiquette of addressing married couples.

You should list all kids’ names on the inner envelope if you want to invite them to your wedding. Start with the parents’ names and then list the kids in alphabetical order, e.g., “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Anne, Bella, and Jake.”

If your wedding is adults-only, there’s no need to write that kids aren’t welcome. Simply refrain from mentioning their names on the inner envelope and follow the rules for addressing couples.

If you’re concerned that your guests won’t understand the hint, ask your close family members or friends to spread the word that the wedding is for adults only.

Alternatively, mention it on the reception card, but not on the inner envelope.

You don’t need to use titles for kids under 16. After 16, you may use “Miss” for girls and “Mr.” for boys, but it isn’t mandatory.

Alternatively, you may simply write “Mr. John Smith and Family” on the outer and inner envelope for conciseness. If the parents have different last names, you can write “Mr. Jones, Mrs. Miller, and the Kids.”

Postage Tips

Choosing the correct wedding invitation postage is essential to ensure your letters reach the recipients. If your invitations have a standard 5×7 inch format and weigh under an ounce, one forever stamp is sufficient.

However, many wedding invitations weigh over an ounce or have an odd shape. Have your invitations weighed at the post office before stamping them.

Ask the post workers to hand-cancel your invitations to prevent damage from machine canceling, and bring the envelopes directly to the post office rather than drop them in a street mailbox.