Address & Postage Etiquette

A Cheat Sheet

Addresses

Spell out all words in an address on your envelopes
Rather than "St.," "P.O. Box," and "Apt.," use "Street," "Post Office Box," and "Apartment"
This applies to city and province/state names as well; instead of abbreviations, write "Saint Catharines, Ontario," and "Washington, District of Columbia"
House numbers smaller than twenty should also be spelled out

Social & Professional Titles

Your guests' names should be written in full on outer envelopes
Do not use nicknames or initials
Use the appropriate social titles; addressing married couples as "Mr. and Mrs."
If a man's name has a suffix, write "Mr. Joseph Morales, Jr.," or "Mr. Joseph Morales IV"; "Junior" can be spelled out on a more formal invitation
It gets a little tricky when husband, wife, or both have different professional titles. If the husband is a doctor, for example, the titles will appear as "Doctor and Mrs."; if the wife is a doctor, her full name would come first, as in "Doctor Sally Carter and Mr. John Carter." If both are doctors, write "The Doctors Carter"
If they have different professional titles, list the wife first: "The Honorable Pamela Patel and Lieutenant Jonathan Patel." If a wife has kept her maiden name, her name should appear first and be joined with her husband's using "and"

Return Address

Write out all words here, too
The preferred place for printing the return address is on the envelope's back flap
Traditional etiquette called for blind embossing, or colorless raised lettering, for wedding invitations; the idea behind this was that guests would get their first glimpse of the fancy engraving on the invitation itself
Blind embossing is still available, although postal services discourage it, as it is difficult to read
Today, most couples have the return address printed in the same method as their invitations

Outer and Inner Envelopes

Sending out an invitation in two envelopes ensures that each guest will receive a pristine envelope, even if the outer one has been torn or soiled in the mail
Still, the two are not necessary; you may omit the inner envelope if you wish (we often do, especially if we have created a website where guests can RSVP online)
The outer envelope includes all of the information the postal service needs for delivery
The inner envelope should have the names of the invited guests in the household (including children, whose names do not appear on the outer envelope)

Envelope Addressing for Married Couples

Formal

This classic envelope incorporates social titles and the husband's first name on the outer envelope, and only the titles and last name on the inner one
Note that all the words (including the state and the house number, because it is less than twenty) are written out
The writing doesn't have to be aligned on the left; our calligraphers often stagger the lines in aesthetically pleasing ways (if you have specified custom calligraphy in your order)

Informal

To some couples, omitting wives' first names feels too old-fashioned; including the first names of both husband and wife after their titles is appropriate
The house number, even though it is less than twenty, can be written as a numeral for a less formal feeling
In keeping with a more personal style, the couple are addressed by their first names on the inner envelope (if you have them)

Different Last Names

When a husband and wife have different last names, the wife's name is traditionally written first
Connecting the couple's names by the word "and" implies marriage
For an unmarried couple that lives together, names should be written on separate lines without the word "and"
On the inner envelope, both are addressed by their titles and respective last names

Envelope Addressing for Families and Single Guests

With Children, Formal

This outer envelope is identical to that of a couple without children -- its writing, which is for the purposes of the post office, should be as simple and clear as possible
On the inner envelope, the name and title of each invited guest in the household is written out
A boy under the age of 13 is "Master," not "Mr." Girls and young women under age 18 are called "Miss"

With Children, Informal

Parents' first names are both used on this less traditional version of the outer envelope ("Post Office Box" is abbreviated as well)
For the inner envelope, the parents' and children's first names are written without titles
Since they are young siblings, the word "and" (which implies marriage when used with adults' names) linking the children's names is acceptable

Single Guests

For a single woman, either "Ms."or "Miss" is appropriate; many people find the former preferable
The guest's name is the only one that appears on the outer envelope
On the inner envelope, however, write the guest's name followed by "and Guest"
If you know whom he or she will be bringing, it's more personal to include that person's name, on a separate line

Assembly

Assembling the Invitation Elements

All enclosures should be printed in the same method and on coordinating papers; here's the order in which they should be stacked to go in the outer envelope:

The invitation is on the bottom, print side up. A sheet of tissue paper (originally used to prevent smearing) can be placed over it
Stack all other inserts, such as a map, reception card, and reply card, on the invitation in order of size (smallest on top)
The reply card should be under its envelope's flap; this envelope should be preprinted with the mailing address, and should be stamped as well
Insert everything into the inner envelope with the print side up, so that when guests open the envelopes they will see the lettering (the same rules apply with a single-fold invitation, where the print appears on the front
For a French-fold or double-fold invitation which has the print inside, all enclosures go inside the card
Slip the unsealed inner envelope into the outer envelope with the names facing the back flap

Mailing Etiquette

Bring a completed invitation to the post office to have it weighed; many require postage for at least two ounces, currently 60 cents
Have a reply card and its envelope weighed as well, to ensure that you don't over- or underpay for that postage

Selecting Stamps

Ask what's available at your local post office, or browse through a wider variety at the following:

Canada Post
U.S. Postal Service
"Love" stamps, in one-ounce and two-ounce rates (currently 37 and 60 cents), are always available, so you can match the stamps on your invitations and reply cards
Vintage stamps can be purchased from philatelic societies, ebay, and other vintage retailers
They are worth the amount printed on them, but they can cost much more, since they are collectible and limited in quantity
Here's a handy little list of vintage stamp resources:

In Canada (much less popular than American stamp retailers, unfortunately! Vintage or antique stores are probably your best bet!):
In the United States:

Some of the best examples we've come across in our travels:

Postage

Consider sending your envelopes by priority or express mail, so you can track them
Allow enough time for invitations to be delivered, postmarked, and mailed out
Be sure to ask the postmaster how long this process will take

We know this is a long list of guidelines. Sorry!

It is our hope, however, that we have demystified this process for you by providing additional resources & clarification.

Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to e-mail us at hello@andreacrofts.com.