When an individual is getting ready to be wed there are many things that they are worried about getting just right, including addressing wedding invitations. As with many other aspects of wedding planning, there are many acceptable ways that an individual may address wedding invitations. While an individual’s preference plays a big role in selecting how he/she plans to perform this task, there are some universal guidelines that are often used to display proper etiquette in completing this job.
Guidelines For Addressing Wedding Invitations
The majority of wedding guests are usually married couples. In this case, the acceptable and preferred method to address the outside of invitations to married couples it to 
use the format “Mr. and Mrs. [Insert Husband's First and Last Name]“on the same line. On the inside of the invitation the person extending the invitation generally uses a less formal approach, such as “Mr. and Mrs. [Last Name]” or you may also use each individual’s first name. However, in the case that the married individuals have children, you should include the words “and Family” on the outside of the envelope as well.
However, what should you do if the married individuals have different last names? In this particular case it is important to consider the acceptable method of addressing wedding invitations. In this situation, you should address the envelope as “Mr. [Insert Man's First and Last name] and Mrs. [Insert Woman's First and Last Name]” on the same line. This is the proper way to address an invitation of a married man and woman who are using different last names, so as not to step on any toes or hurt anyone’s feelings.
Similarly, there is a generic way that is usually used for addressing wedding invitations to individuals who are unmarried but are living together. In this scenario, you should address the invitation using both names, but the names should each be written on their own line. Therefore, it would follow the format “Mr. [Insert Man's First and Last Name]“, next line “Mrs. [Woman's First and Last Name].” However, if you are only primarily friends with one of the individual’s it is also okay to address the envelope to that particular person and include “and Guest.”
In addition, in current day society there also exists a way in which to invite same-sex couples when addressing wedding invitations. To address same-sex couples, you would follow the same rules that were identified as acceptable for married or unmarried couples. If they are married or live together, list them on the same line. If not, use separate lines or use “and Guest.”
If you are planning to invite an individual with a professional title, such as a doctor, you should use their professional abbreviation. In this case it would be “Dr. [Insert First and Last Name] and Mr./Mrs. [Insert First and Last Name].” If they are both the same professional title, you may use the title for both individuals and simply include the last name. For example, “The Drs. [Insert Last Name].”
A Few More Rules For Addressing Wedding Invitations
While we briefly discussed how to include children when addressing wedding invitations, there are also a few more rules to keep in mind. Children may also be included underneath the parents’ names individually or may be addressed as “and Family.” Yet, children who are over 18 years of age should generally receive their own separate invitation. If you do choose to only use one invitation, address children over the age of 18 by Miss or Mr. and list their first and last names.
The aforementioned rules cover all of the most common scenarios that could occur when addressing invitations. Invitations should be mailed approximately a month before the event date, so that individuals have enough time to plan for the event yet not enough time to forget about it completely. The addresses should be handwritten, although the use of calligraphy in addressing invitations is increasing in popularity as well. Address labels are not appropriate to use for such occasions.
In addition, one should also double-check the spelling of names and accuracy of addresses before sending out invitations, and abbreviations and/or initials should not be used. Before sealing the envelope, double-check to make sure the names on the inside and outside of the envelope match. These are all formal key concepts to remember and use when addressing wedding invitations.
Check out this great YouTube video that shows the proper way of addressing wedding invitations.
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