Once upon a time, wedding invitations were delivered by hand. If you were a bride, your footman delivered your invitations to your guests’ homes. Their servant received the invitation and removed it from its mailing envelope (an envelope much too pedestrian for your guests to handle themselves).
The servant then presented the invitation to your guests in its pristine inside envelope. Because the invitation was already at its destination, the inside envelope had only the names of your guests written on it. The address was no longer needed. It just had to be directed to the appropriate members of the household.
Though footmen have since been replaced by postmen, the inside envelope is still de rigueur. It gives something as important as your wedding invitation a certain je ne sais quoi. As for how you should address both the inside and outside envelopes, here is a perfectly proper guide for how to do so.
Single Woman & Date
Single Man
Single Man & Date
Unmarried Couple Living Together
Diplomatic Leaders
Married Couples
With Children Under 18 Living at Home
With Two Daughters Over 18 Living at Home
With Two Sons Over 18 Living at Home
With a Son & Daughter Over 18 Living at Home
In Which Wife Kept Maiden Name
In Which Wife is a Doctor
In Which Husband is a Doctor
In Which Both are Doctors
In Which Husband is a Judge
In Which Wife is a Judge
In Which One or Both are Lawyers
Divorced or Widowed Woman
Military Titles
In Which a Man is a Junior
SINGLE WOMAN
Outside Envelope
Miss Page Beacham or Ms. Page Beacham
Inside Envelope
Miss Beacham or Ms. Beacham
Outside Envelope
Miss Carolina Estevez or Ms. Carolina Estevez
Inside Envelope
Miss Estevez and escort or Miss Estevez and guest
OR
Ms. Estevez and escort or Ms. Estevez and guest
Outside Envelope
Mr. Brent Habitz
Inside Envelope
Mr. Habitz
Outside Envelope
Mr. Brent Habitz
Inside Envelope
Mr. Habitz and guest
UNMARRIED COUPLE LIVING TOGETHER
Outside Envelope
Miss Brooke Siegel
Mr. Daniel Murphy
OR
Ms. Brooke Siegel
Mr. Daniel Murphy
Inside Envelope
Ms. Siegel
Mr. Murphy
Outside Envelope
The President and Mrs. Freeman
Inside Envelope
The President and Mrs. Freeman
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Edgell
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Edgell
WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 LIVING AT HOME (and invited)
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Tietig
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Tietig
Oliver and Violet
WITH TWO DAUGHTERS OVER 18 LIVING AT HOME (separate invitation)
Outside Envelope
The Misses Randall
OR
Miss Charlotte Randall
Miss Olivia Randall
Inside Envelope
The Misses Randall
WITH TWO SONS OVER 18 LIVING AT HOME (separate invitation)
Outside Envelope
The Messrs. Brady
OR
Mr. Maxwell Brady
Mr. Errol Brady
Inside Envelope
The Messrs. Brady
WITH A SON & DAUGHTER OVER 18 LIVING AT HOME (separate invitation)
Outside Envelope
Miss Eva Wilde
Mr. Theodor Wilde
Inside Envelope
Miss Wilde
Mr. Wilde
IN WHICH WIFE KEPT MAIDEN NAME
Outside Envelope
Ms. Maria Barros
and Mr. Peter Dempsey
Inside Envelope
Ms. Barros
and Mr. Dempsey
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Victor Newell
OR
Doctor Christina Newell
and Mr. Victor Newell
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Newell
OR
Doctor Newell
and Mr. Newell
Outside Envelope
Doctor and Mrs. James Lafferty
Inside Envelope
Doctor and Mrs. Lafferty
Outside Envelope
Doctor and Mrs. James Hudson
OR
The Doctors Hudson
OR
Doctor James Hudson
and Doctor Meredith Hudson
Inside Envelope
The Doctors Hudson
OR
Doctor and Mrs. Hudson
Outside Envelope
The Honorable and Mrs. Charles Attwell
Inside Envelope
Judge and Mrs. Attwell
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Sally Jacobs
OR
The Honorable Sally Jacobs
and Mr. Ted Jacobs
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Jacobs
OR
Judge Jacobs
and Mr. Jacobs
IN WHICH ONE OR BOTH ARE LAWYERS
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Barrett Van Clief
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Van Clief
Divorced Woman
Outside Envelope
Mrs. Juliette Connors
OR
Ms. Juliette Connors
Inside Envelope
Mrs. Connors
OR
Ms. Connors
Who Has Resumed Using Maiden Name
Outside Envelope
Ms. Juliette Tenenbaum
Inside Envelope
Ms. Tenenbaum
Widow
Outside Envelope
Mrs. Juliette Connors
Inside Envelope
Mrs. Connors
In Which Man is an Officer
Outside Envelope
Colonel and Mrs. Robert Powell
Inside Envelope
Colonel and Mrs. Powell
In Which Man is a Noncommissioned Officer or Enlisted Man
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Levy
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Levy
In which Man is a Retired Officer
Outside Envelope
Colonel and Mrs. Brian Doyle
Inside Envelope
Colonel and Mrs. Doyle
In Which Woman is an Officer
Outside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Liam Allen
OR
Captain Charlotte Allen,
U.S. Air Force
and Mr. Liam Allen
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Allen
OR
Captain Allen
and Mr. Liam Allen
In Which Both are Officers
Outside Envelope
Colonel and Mrs. John Nolan
OR
Captain Christina Nolan,
U.S. Army
and Colonel John Nolan,
U.S. Army
Inside Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Nolan
OR
Captain Christina Nolan
and Colonel Nolan
Single Female Officer
Outside Envelope
Captain Danielle McAdams,
U.S. Army
Inside Envelope
Captain McAdams
Single Female Junior Officer
Outside Envelope
Lieutenant Arianna Keys,
U.S. Army
Inside Envelope
Lieutenant Keys
Singe Female Noncommissioned Officer or Enlisted Woman
Outside Envelope
Miss Emily Rawlins
OR
Ms. Emily Rawlins
Outside Envelope
Miss Rawlins
OR
Ms. Rawlins
Single Male Officer
Outside Envelope
Colonel Luis Vazquez,
U.S. Army
Inside Envelope
Colonel Vazquez
Single Male Junior Officer
Outside Envelope
Lieutenant Brandon Grant,
U.S. Army
Inside Envelope
Lieutenant Grant
Single Male Noncommissioned Officer or Enlisted Man
Outside Envelope
Mr. David Gutierrez
Inside Envelope
Mr. Gutierrez
Outside Envelope
Mr. Jackson Foster, Jr.
OR
Mr. Jackson Foster, Junior
Inside Envelope
Mr. Foster
OR
Mr. Foster, Jr. (if Junior & Senior are living at the same address)
Thanks for the post! Very helpful!
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You are missing all the variations of clergy. Husband is pastor or Episcopal priest, wife is such, or what about bishops, archdeacons, deans, etc. etc. And what about couples where both are ordained?
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