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Thank you for all of the love and support this little corner of the internet has received over the past several years. As friends and family members were getting married, their weddings fueled the inspiration for this blog. But as seasons of life change, my focus, along with those nearest and dearest, shifted away from the wedding planning stage and I began to neglect this blog.

I have decided to indefinitely retire Calligraphy by Shannon in an effort to pour my attention into my lifestyle blog The Scribble Pad where I will be merging past and future inspiration boards and parties. You will still be able to place orders for calligraphy, custom invitations, and hand stamped items through my etsy shop. And as always, you can stay in touch with me under my moniker, The Scribble Pad on my blog, etsy shop, facebook, and even twitter! I look forward to sharing this new adventure with you.
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Etiquette: Addressing Wedding Invitations

When preparing your guest list, many questions are likely to arise regarding formal salutations and address etiquette. Here is a guideline of common addressing situations.

Married couple with no children invited
Outer: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith
Inner: Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Married couple with children ages 12-17 invited
Outer: Dr. and Mrs. George Peterson
Inner: Dr. and Mrs. Peterson and Miss Jane Peterson

~ Note: Children over the age of 18, but still living with their parents should receive a separate invitation. Also, the phrase “and family” should not be used in formal addresses. ~

Married couple with children under 12 invited
Outer: Mr. and Mrs. David Schwartz
Inner: Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz and
Master Schwartz
Miss Schwartz

~ Note: Children under 12 should not be mentioned on the outer envelope ~

Unmarried Couple
Outer: Ms. Susan Cunningham
Mr. Richard Vient
Inner: Ms. Cunningham
Mr. Vient

~ Note: The woman should be listed first. ~


Single man with guest
Outer: Mr. Stephen Hart
Inner: Mr. Hart and Guest

Single woman with guest
Outer: Ms. Lauren Anderson
Inner: Ms. Anderson and Escort

~Note: The word escort may be replaced with the word “guest” if desired. The word guest/escort should never appear on an outer envelope. If you are certain you know who the guest will be, include their name on the inner envelope rather than referring to them as "guest." ~

Married doctors with the same last name
Outer: Doctor Jane Eckhart and Doctor Thomas Eckhart
The Doctors Eckhart

~ Note: The woman should be addressed first, and Doctor is spelled out, not abbreviated ~

Married couple where both use different last names
Outer: Mrs. Beth Hermann
Dr. Bradley Jones
Inner: Mrs. Hermann
Dr. Jones

~ Note: Both names appear on both envelopes on separate lines – the woman should always be the first line ~

Widow
Outer: Mrs. William Edwards
Inner: Mrs. Edwards

Male Judge
Outer: The Honorable and Mrs. John Baker
Inner: Judge and Mrs. Baker

Female Judge
Outer: The Honorable Chelsea Dennis and Mr. Charles Dennis
Inner: Judge Dennis and Mr. Dennis


You can also Download this information for your convenience.



These etiquette "rules" apply for formal correspondences and are more subjective when sending informal invitations or when only using one envelope/outer envelope only. Should you have any questions, please feel free to email me.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Help! I have only an outer envelope. Do you have a list on how to address for children and guests for just one envelope? Everything on the web is for 2 envelopes.
Mary

Shannon :: The Scribble Pad said...

Mary,

Typically, following strict etiquette rules is an indication of formality, just as the more formal the invitations is, the nicer you tend to dress. The invitation sets the precenent for the wedding.

When only using one envelope, it indicates you are having a less formal affair, therefore you can also get away with using less formal etiquette.

Here is how I have addressed invitations for only one envelope:

The Lewiston Family - very informal

- or -

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lewiston
and family

This option is more formal and I typically write the "and family" in lowercase, indented on a second line and in a smaller "font type."

Due to an overwhelming number of questions on this topic, I will be posting about this soon!

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