Invitation Etiquette
There are so many details that go into wedding invitations....the who's what's and where's and if that's not enough to make your head spin there is etiquette to worry about as well! Take a peek at some tips below as well as Nora's segment on KGW's Portland Today!
NAME ETIQUETTE
- Always use titles. If there is a Dr. in the family the Dr. title will always go first.
- Never separate a man & his last name (Emily Post’s rule – not mine!)
- If parents are divorced list out both names using a “&” between the names.
DATE & TIME
- Always spell out the full date.
- Never use numbers, always spell out times, numbers, etc.
- Before the start time of the wedding list “at” with no capitalization
- Technically “evening” starts at 6:00 PM.
- For the year, never use “and” (it represents a period in math terms)
LOCATION
- Always list the venue’s full name first.
- List city and state next (never zip code).
- Rule of etiquette is to never list the street address, just the venue name followed by city, state fully spelled out.
ADDRESSING ENVELOPES
- Two doctors: Dr. and Dr. Man’s first and last name, or The Doctors (Last Name)
- Same Sex: Person #1 full names and Person #2 full name (alphabetized by last name) or for more traditional use both titles and the last name (Mrs. and Mrs. Smith)
- Including children: anyone over 18 should receive their own invitation. For those under 18 it is best to list out all the names on the second line. For families that are really big or a more informal option you can use “and Family”
- Married couple different last names: Address the invitation the same way you would address one to a couple who is living together but not married. Names are listed alphabetically, no matter which person (woman or man) comes first.
- Miss vs. Ms.: Miss indicates that this person s unmarried. Mrs. indicates the person is married. Ms. is used if she can be married or unmarried.
- Unmarried couples: List out full names for both people. Typically recommend listing out the guest the couple knows first and their guest second.
Thank you to Crave Design for providing the invitations for our segment!