Wedding Invitation Rules Etiquette

Wedding invitation rules etiquette is important to follow. Most people think only of invitations when they hear the term wedding stationery.

There is so much more to it. Of course you may not want or need everything. It is a great idea to order everything from the same printer or company so that all of it matches and presents your particular wedding theme.

In addition to the wedding ceremony invitations, there are reception invitations, save-the-date cards, wedding shower invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, RSVP or reply cards, thank you notes, wedding programs, menu cards, favor name tags, place cards, and even map cards with directions to the wedding and/or reception.

Wedding invitation rules etiquette should be followed even with family and close friends. Make sure that you order extra invitations and envelopes, along with extra pieces of the other stationery that you decide on.

Why? Two reasons. First of all, you will make mistakes while addressing envelopes, I promise! Order at least 20 extras. You will also want to keep a few invitations as keepsakes. Make a lovely plaque with one. Put one in your wedding scrapbook.

There are many beautiful colors, styles, and designs to choose from in wedding stationery. There are several types of paper to choose from. Most brides choose to have their invitations printed on opaque cotton paper. Some will come with small pieces of tissue paper to place inside the envelope. More on this below.

Also included in wedding stationery are the envelopes. Remember to have your address printed on the reply envelopes and stamp them as well for the convenience of your wedding guests so they will reply promptly.

To save a little money, order reply postcards instead of reply cards with envelopes. Both the cost of the card and its postage will be cheaper with a postcard.

Here are some wedding invitation rules etiquette insists on. When addressing envelopes, be sure to use black ink only.

When you fill out the outer envelope, write the names and address of whoever you are inviting. For example:

Mr. and Mrs. William Jones (if kids are not invited)

or

Mr. and Mrs. William Jones and Family (if kids are invited)

or

The William Jones Family (if kids are invited)

On the inner envelope write:

Mr. and Mrs. Jones (if kids are not invited)

or

Mr. and Mrs. Jones Andrew, Matthew, and Tiffany (if kids are invited)

If a child is over 18 and is still living at home, he/she should be sent his/her own invitation.

So now, how do you pack up all of this wedding stationery? It needs to be put in the envelope correctly according to wedding invitation rules etiquette.

First, put the reply card face-up under the flap of its envelope. Do not put the reply card inside of its envelope.

Next, take a small piece of the tissue paper that came with the invitations and put it on top of the outside front of the wedding invitation. Put all of your other enclosures inside of the invitation, including your reply card under its envelope flap.

Now put the invitation into the inner envelope with the front of the invitation facing the back flap of the ungummed envelope.

Place the inner envelope into the outer gummed envelope. The writing on the inner envelope will face the flap of the outer envelope. Then seal the outer envelope. Make sure you include your return address on the outer envelope in the upper left-hand corner and a postage stamp in the upper right corner.

Use a damp sponge or buy a water applicator wand to seal the envelopes instead of having a nasty taste in your mouth from licking hundreds of envelopes. Yuk!

As far as postage goes for wedding stationery, if you have a lot of inserts, you may need to use more postage. You will need to stuff one envelope with all of the inserts and the invitation, go to the post office and ask how much it will cost to mail it. Then purchase the correct amount of postage for each invitation so your wedding stationery will go to the invitees instead of being returned to you, the inviter, for extra postage.

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