Etiquette For Wedding Invitations

While it may seem quite ridiculous, there is no getting around the fact that there are certain social rules expected for wedding invitations. Take a few moments to learn the rules and save yourself that bit of stress! Unless you are having a very informal casual wedding, everyone you wish to attend the wedding should receive an invitation. Wedding invitations need not be fancy or expensive, but they are a necessity. Unless you're eloping, of course! The outside of the envelope should contain the full formal name of the guests to be invited. Skip the nicknames and familial titles such as aunt and uncle. If you are inviting a single guest and would like them to know it is okay for them to bring a guest of their own you can inscribe 'and guest' on the inner envelope; not the outer envelope. Make sure you send out your wedding invitations six to eight weeks in advance of the RSVP date, not the wedding date! You should not send out wedding invitations any later than this. This time frame allows ample time for out of town guests to make plans and will also allow plenty of time for RSVP cards to be returned. While RSVP cards are not necessarily required, they will certainly make life much easier on you if you include them with your wedding invitations, especially if you are having a formal wedding that requires a headcount for a sit down dinner. Even if your reception will not include a dinner, it's still nice to know how many people to expect ahead of time. Abbreviated titles are a no go; be sure to spell them out. Examples Doctor, Lieutenant It is not an absolute necessity for you to hire a calligrapher to address your wedding invitations, but they should be addressed by hand. Avoid mailing labels; it looks tacky and gives the impression you were in too much of a hurry to take the time to address the invitation by hand. You probably are, but the guest need not know that. If you are limited on time, or have poor handwriting, ask a close friend or relative with pretty penmanship to help out. You are not required to invite young children to your wedding if you do not wish to do so. Obviously, very young children can be a distraction during the ceremony and let's face it, every person you invite, no matter how small, adds to the cost. If you choose to have a completely adult invitation list do so in the politest way possible. An accepted standard for indicating that children are not invited is to simply not include their name(s) on the inner envelope. You may have a few people who don't catch on or else insist on bringing their little dears, but most people realize the significance of the omission and will respect the importance of the occasion and abide by your wishes. When you place the order for your invitations, plan to order at least an additional two dozen invitations. Even if you don't realize there were people you forgot to invite, it's nice to have some extras on hand just in case. Extra wedding invitations also make nice mementos when framed for yourself and parents.

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